Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Calves are one of those pesky muscle groups that can be tough to train. Some blame small calves on genetics and skip them altogether, while others put in a small effort but don’t take it seriously enough, quickly bouncing their way through a quick set or two of calf exercises.
But no matter your stance on calf training, we can all agree on one thing: No one wants a pair of popsicle-stick calves supporting a muscular set of quads and a massive upper body.
Well-built calves are the finishing touch on an aesthetically pleasing and healthy physique, playing an essential role in daily movement. The standing calf raise is an integral part of the formula that will help you grow the muscles in your lower legs, regardless of your genetics!
Table of Contents:
- What Is The Standing Calf Raise?
- How To Do Standing Calf Raises
- Are Standing Calf Raises Better Than Seated Calf Raises?
- Standing Calf Raises Muscles Worked
- Standing Calf Raise Benefits
- Standing Calf Raise Variations
- Programming Tips
- How to Modify & Progress The Standing Calf Raise
- Sample Calf Workout
What is the Standing Calf Raise?
The standing calf raise is an isolation exercise that focuses on targeting the calf muscles and strengthening the ankle joint. Even though both calf muscles (the soleus and gastrocnemius) work, standing primarily targets the gastrocnemius muscle.
You'll begin standing on a plate, the edge of a box, or something similar, raise your heels as high as possible into plantar flexion, and then lower your heels down toward the floor.
A raised surface's extended range of motion allows you to go farther than you would on the floor, enabling your calves and ankle to get stronger at the true bottom portion of the movement.
The standing calf raise has a direct carryover into your athletic performance and ensures your feet can handle the force of your body as it comes in contact with the ground.
Correct Form For Performing the Standing Calf Raise
These instructions focus on the standing dumbbell calves raise. It is a relatively simple exercise, but a few subtle details make all the difference in building muscle in your calves.
Here’s how to perform calf raises. If you don't have access to a weight plate, find something similar that is raised and will support your body weight.
How to do the Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise:
- Grab your dumbbells and something to elevate your heels, such as weight plates or an exercise step.
- Set the plates up directly underneath your hips. Grab your dumbbells and step onto the plates, placing the balls of your feet on the edge. Your heel should hang off the edge and touch the floor. This is the bottom range of motion.
- Stand tall with dumbbells at your sides and an upright posture. Make sure your knees are locked out and your entire leg is contracted as you press the balls of your feet into the plate to lift your heels as high as possible while keeping straight legs.
- Pause at the top for 2 seconds and then begin to slowly lower back down while resisting the urge to fall back to the starting position. Keep pressing the balls of your feet into the plate as you feel your calves stretch and lower down.
- Repeat for indicated reps.
Standing Calf Raises vs Seated Calf Raises: Which is Better?
When comparing the seated calf raise vs standing, which is better will depend on your training goals, what type of calf raise training you have been doing, and your body’s muscle imbalances or injury history. To say one is better than the other would imply that performing calf raises build the calves entirely by itself. This is not the case.
Remember that the gastrocnemius and soleus (more on this shortly) muscles are working during both variations, but they both mainly target one or the other. Seated calf raises mainly focus on the soleus, and standing calves raises on the gastrocnemius.
Many gym goers have fallen prey to performing a couple of sets of standing calf raises, thinking it’s enough to grow the lower legs. If this sounds like you, you’ll want to add in some seated calf raises as well.
Alternatively, if you have only been doing the seated calf raise machine while neglecting the standing calves raise, you’ll want to balance that out by adding some standing reps.
If you’re a brand new gym goer with no athletic background, start with a seated calf raise, as this is the safer of the two versions. On the other hand, athletes looking for serious gains will benefit from strengthening with standing calf raises.
So the answer here? Neither is better. In fact, they complement each other perfectly, meaning you should be doing both. One is only better than the other if you have been neglecting it.
Calves need to be trained to ensure they can perform their functions at a high level.
What Muscles Are Worked in the Standing Calf Raise?
The two major calf muscles, gastrocnemius and soleus, are hard at work during the standing calf raise. Here's a closer look at the calves muscle group.
Gastrocnemius:
This two-headed calf muscle is on the back of your leg and runs from the knee to the ankle. It crosses the knee joint and ankle joint, making it essential for multiple functions.
It works with the hamstrings to perform knee flexion, such as when you are sprinting, picking your leg up, and bending it to bring it forward. It is also the primary plantar flexor of the ankle joint, meaning it works to raise your heel as you stand up as high as you can on your toes.
It is made up mostly of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are important for explosive movements like sprinting, jumping, and plyometric exercises. It is, however, still active during slower movements like walking and standing.
It is the biggest portion of your lower leg, and building it through gastrocnemius exercises will undoubtedly enhance the appearance of your physique.
Soleus:
The soleus, which has two muscle bellies, is located underneath the gastrocnemius, and although it's essential, it is small and flat and will never be extremely visible. However, it does still contribute to the overall size of the calves.
The soleus muscle only crosses the ankle joint, making its primary role, which you'll see in the majority of soleus exercises, plantar flexion of the ankle while the knee is flexed. The gastrocnemius cannot assist in this position, so the soleus takes over.
It is comprised mainly of slow twitch muscle fibers, meaning it’s more suited for endurance movements like walking, where it works to push your foot away from the surface.
It also plays an important role in pumping blood back to your heart.
5 Benefits of the Standing Calf Raise
Looking for something to convince you to start performing the standing calf raise? We'll do better than that and give you 5 good reasons to start doing it!
1. Creates ankle stability:
Your calves are responsible for ankle joint plantar flexion. If your body were a house, the ankle would be your foundation. If it cannot support the load, you're going to have problems.
Strengthening with the calf raise increases the ankle's ability to absorb force during explosive movements like sprinting and jumping. The standing calf raise will build muscular strength and act as a weighted stretch to improve your range of motion.
It also supports your body under heavy loads during movements like a squat, deadlift, or single-leg exercise, such as a walking lunge.
2. Improves range of motion:
It's common to see people bouncing through their calf raises while standing flat on the floor. This may give you a good burn, but it won’t train the important eccentric portion of the movement in its entire range of motion.
The standing calves raise lets your heels travel deeper than the floor to stretch your calves and Achilles tendon.
If you find your heels coming up during a squat or a lunge, this movement will stretch and strengthen the ankle so it works correctly.
3. Increases performance in your lower body:
Returning to the house analogy: If the foundation is strong, it can support more weight. This means that you can produce more power and force during movements like a squat, deadlift, or Olympic lifts.
Simply put, strengthening your calves and ankles enables your body to handle more weight.
This also means that when your foot touches the ground, it can absorb the force and propel it forward much faster and explosively.
Faster sprints and higher jumps are just around the corner!
4. Builds bigger calves:
The standing calves raise targets the gastrocnemius, which is the mirror muscle of the calves. Learning to do this exercise correctly will stretch and strengthen this muscle in its full range of motion, leading to muscle hypertrophy and allowing it to grow.
Well-developed calves are a serious calling card for an impressive physique, and this exercise can help you achieve them.
5. Prevents injury:
Weak calves can lead to serious gait issues and flat feet. This means that your foot cannot support the body during its movements, and imbalances will occur in other places.
Your hips will start to compensate, and these compensation patterns begin to add up quickly with every step taken throughout your day.
Having an imbalanced hip and ankle will undoubtedly lead to mysterious knee pain down the road.
Using this exercise in a proper calves training program will ensure your body works correctly during your walking and running gait.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
Get the most out of the standing calf raise by avoiding these common mistakes.
- Going Too Quickly: Don’t bounce through the exercise just to feel the burn. Use a slow controlled tempo during both portions of the movement to maximize time under tension.
- Stopping Short: Make sure to use the full range of the movement to ensure you are going as high as you can and also lowering as far as you can.
- Bouncing Off The Bottom: Don’t lose focus at the bottom of the rep and bounce into the next rep. Fight that lowering phase to feel the stretch until your heels touch the floor.
- Going Too Heavy: The priorities of this exercise are a slow tempo, mind-muscle connection, and a full range of motion. If you use too much weight, you’ll likely bend your knees, calling other muscles into play, or it will get sloppy and momentum-filled. Lighten up, then progress later.
- Not Taking Calf Training Seriously: This is more of a concept than a mistake during this exercise, but it’s still very important. None of these tips will matter if you don’t take your calves seriously and train them with the same focus and intention you would for your back or chest muscles.
4 Best Standing Calf Raise Variations
Here are 4 great variations of the standing calf raise, suitable for all training levels.
1. Standing barbell calf raise:
The barbell standing calf raise is performed the same way as the dumbbell version, but you place a barbell on your back, allowing for increased load.
Using this version can also strictly be a preference thing, as some prefer how the weight is distributed across the back.
How to do the Barbell Standing Calf Raise:
- Load your barbell with the appropriate weight and place a weight plate on the floor
- Set up like you are performing a squat and unrack the weight. Step back, placing the balls of your feet on the edge of the plate as your heels lowering to the floor.
- Stand tall while keeping your core tight and legs straight, and press the balls of your feet into the plates to lift your heels as high as you can. Slowly lower to the starting position and repeat.
2. Standing single leg calf raise:
This bodyweight single-leg standing calf raise variation allows you to train one side at a time to help even out imbalances and place extra emphasis on moving slowly and controlled.
This is a great starting point before you add weight to the equation and is also a great addition to any at home leg workout.
How to do a Bodyweight Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise:
- Set up a weight plate or exercise box on the floor close to a wall or rack.
- Stand on the raised surface with the balls of your feet on the edge and your leg straight. The other leg can hover next to the plate, remaining relaxed and bent.
- Place one hand near the rack or wall if you lose your balance, and start with one foot flat, heel hanging in the air.
- Now, press the ball of your foot into the plate to raise your heel as high as possible. Pause at the top and lower all the way down, through your full range of motion.
3. Standing Calf Raise Machine:
If you have access to a gym, a calf raise machine is excellent for focusing on building the size of your calves.
The added stability this standing calf raise alternative provides takes some of the balancing act out of the equation so you can focus on the pump.
How to do a Machine Standing Calf Raise:
- Set the weight stack to the appropriate amount and adjust the shoulder pads to the proper height.
- Position your body under the machine with your shoulders pushing into the pads and the balls of your feet on the edge of the plate with your heels hanging off the edge.
- Extend your hips and knees to raise the machine to the starting position as you elevate your heels as high as possible while keeping your legs straight.
- Slowly lower down, resisting the machine until your heels are as low as they can go. Press the balls of your feet into the plate to raise your heels and repeat.
4. Leg press calf raise:
This move is one of our favorite leg press foot placements! This calf press variation isn’t a standing exercise, but it allows your legs to be straight, which has similar effects on the gastrocnemius.
Using the leg press machine is a great option to isolate the calves, since they can still use a heavy load, yet the move requires less balance.
How to do a Leg Press Calf Raise:
- Load up your leg press with plates or adjust the weight stack to the appropriate weight.
- Sit down at the leg press and place your feet on the plate just outside hip-width apart, similar to your squat stance.
- Extend your legs and press the weight away until your legs are straight. Carefully move your feet down so the balls of your feet are on the edge of the plate and your heels are hanging off the edge.
- Keeping your legs straight, press the machine away using the balls of your feet and slowly lower your heels past the plate. Repeat.
Programming Tips
Overall, it's important to know that calves can endure more training sessions a week than other muscle groups. Try hitting them 2-4 times weekly in your workout split and increasing or decreasing volume based on your results.
If you are serious about growing these stubborn muscles, make them a priority.
- For strength, try 3 sets of 8-10 standing calf raises using a moderate weight.
- For hypertrophy, try 3 sets of 12-15 using a moderate weight and focusing on a slow tempo of 3 seconds up, hold for 3 at the top, and down for a count of 3.
- For muscular endurance, try 3 sets of 20-25 using a lighter weight to make sure your form doesn’t break down at the higher rep range.
Tips for Modifying & Progressing the Standing Calf Raise
If you are new to training your calves, start with a bodyweight calf raise variation or use a machine to perform the exercise safely. Alternatively, if you have one calf that is severely imbalanced, focus on unilateral variations until the weaker side catches up to the strong side.
Adding weight is a great way to progress this exercise, but calves benefit significantly from increasing time under tension by slowing down the tempo. It also helps build the mind-muscle connection. If you can stay focused throughout a 5-second eccentric and concentric for a set of 12, meaning you take 5 seconds to lower down and another 5 seconds to lift your heels up, you will see serious strength and size gains.
If you still need to see results try adding calves to another day, like your leg workout, or training them more intensely on their own day.
Sample Calf Workout Plan
Looking for a great routine to train your calves? We've got you covered! Just make sure to also include an entire leg workout in your weekly training routine.
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Unilateral Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise |
2 |
15 |
|
Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise |
3 |
10 |
|
Seated Calf Raise |
3 |
12 |
|
Standing Calf Raise Machine |
2 |
20 |
|
Squat Hold Calf Raises |
2 |
20 |
Build Bigger Calf Muscles Using The Standing Calf Raise
Ok, so now you have no excuses to fall back on when it comes to underdeveloped calves. If there is one big takeaway from this article, it's this: Make sure to add the dumbbell standing calf raise, or one of its variations, into your programming!
Not only are well-defined gastrocnemius muscles going to look amazing in shorts, but they're also going to support many day-to-day and athletic movements.
Looking for even more moves to train your calves? Check out these 12 Best Calves Exercises.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
Travis Halena
Author