Those who train mainly for aesthetics focus on calf growth of course, but it’s far less common to see athletes working on their calves. And that’s a shame because it could be what gives them an advantage.
These results come as no surprise given that ankle plantar flexion is involved in actions like sprinting, jumping, cutting, etc. So, for athletes and those who want to perform well, calf training should be a no-brainer.
As I mentioned in my T-Nation article, “4 Calf Exercises You’ve Never Tried,” there’s 2 types of calf exercises: straight-knee and bent-knee. That said, there’s a reason to do both:
“Your calves are made of the gastrocnemius complex and the soleus. Research shows that doing calf raises (ankle plantar flexion) with a straight-knee creates superior gastrocnemius muscle activity, while doing these raises with a bent-knee creates superior soleus muscle activity. So, it makes sense to do at least one calf exercise in each knee position to maximize your training time and efficiency.“
While I believe that straight-knee exercises are the most beneficial for direct athletic carryover, I still think there is value in training bent-knee exercises for athletic or performance-based trainees since general calf and ankle strength is important for resilience and power production.
That said, here’s my top 5 calf exercises that you’ve likely never tried:
The Captain Morgan Calf Raise
- Hold two dumbbells by your side and place your front foot on a plyo box or step about knee height.
- Move your back foot behind your hips while keeping your front knee bent at 90 degrees. Make sure your toes are pointing straight.
- Learn forward into the front foot and maintain that position throughout the exercise.
- Push your back toes into the ground and lift your heel as high as you can, ending up on the ball of your foot.
- Slowly lower your heel until it touches the floor to complete the rep. As always, no bouncing.
The Dumbbell One-Leg Leaning Calf Raise
- Stand facing a wall with your feet hip-width apart while holding a dumbbell in your left hand.
- Place your right hand on the wall at roughly chest height and lean your body forward while keeping your torso, hips, and knees all in a straight line.
- Bend your right knee and step your left leg backward, placing it as far behind you as possible with keeping your heel on the ground and your left foot pointed at the wall. Your left knee, hip, and torso should all form a straight line.
- Lift your right foot off the floor while keeping your right knee bent at around a 90-degree angle.
- While maintaining your body position, lift your left heel as high as you can off of the floor so that you end up on the ball of your foot. Slowly lower yourself until your heel touches the floor to complete the rep.
- Don’t allow your left foot to rotate outwards at any point. Keep it straight and pointed at the wall throughout.
- Don’t bounce. Control the lowering (eccentric) portion of each rep by allowing your heel to touch the floor gently – not to fully rest on the floor – until all reps have been completed. Do all the reps on the same side before switching sides.
Dumbbell Walking Calf Raise
- Stand at one end of the room and hold two heavy dumbbells, palms facing your body by your hips.
- Walk to the other end of the room. On each step, as soon as your foot hits the ground, quickly lift your heels as high as you can off the floor, ending up on the balls of your feet.
- Lower yourself down after each step with control until your heel touches the floor to complete the rep. Do the heel raise in a smooth and coordinated action with each step.
Half-Kneeling Dumbbell Calf Raise
- Using a mat or rolled towel for comfort. Get in a half-kneeling position with your torso straight and both knees bent 90 degrees.
- Move your front foot backwards underneath your same-side thigh as far as you can while keeping your heel on the floor and your foot straight.
- Place the side of a dumbbell, or the bottom of a kettlebell, on top of the knee (not on top of your mid-thigh) of the same foot you just moved toward you.
- Push your toes into the ground and lift your heel as high as you can off the floor, ending up on the ball of your foot.
- Slowly lower your heel until it touches the floor to complete the rep. Don’t bounce. Control the lowering portion by allowing your heel to touch the floor gently.
- Do all the reps on the same side before switching sides.
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise
- Sit tall on a bench with your feet roughly hip-width apart.
- Move one of your feet backward underneath your same-side thigh as far as you can while keeping your heel on the floor and your foot straight.
- Place one side of the dumbbell, or the bottom of a kettlebell, on top of the knee.
- Push your toes into the ground and lift your heel as high as you can, ending up on the ball of your foot.
- Slowly lower your heel until it touches the floor to complete the rep. As always, no bouncing.
