Standing Calf Raises

Calves

Equipment: Machine

New to this

Your first standing calf raises

What weight should I start with on the standing calf raises?

Start at 50 to 70 lb on the machine, or about half your bodyweight. Calves carry you around all day, so they start stronger relative to everything else and the weight looks high next to your other lifts.

Do 2 sets of 12. If you get 20 clean reps with a pause at the top, add 20 lb.

What usually goes wrong on the standing calf raises?

You bounce through the reps. Pause for a full second at the top and another at the bottom stretch. The bounce is your Achilles tendon doing the work.

You only go halfway up. Rise until you're on the balls of your feet with your heels as high as they'll go, then lower until you feel a stretch below the calf.

Your knees bend to help. Keep your legs straight throughout. Bending the knees shifts the work to the soleus, which is what the seated version is for.

If the standing machine is taken

The seated version trains the deeper calf muscle with your knees bent, so it's a different emphasis and worth doing anyway. Loaded carries hit the calves along with your grip and everything else.

How to do it

Adjust the padded lever of the calf raise machine to fit your height.
Place your shoulders under the pads provided and position your toes facing forward (or using any of the two other positions described at the beginning of the chapter). The balls of your feet should be secured on top of the calf block with the heels extending off it. Push the lever up by extending your hips and knees until your torso is standing erect. The knees should be kept with a slight bend; never locked. Toes should be facing forward, outwards or inwards as described at the beginning of the chapter. This will be your starting position.
Raise your heels as you breathe out by extending your ankles as high as possible and flexing your calf. Ensure that the knee is kept stationary at all times. There should be no bending at any time. Hold the contracted position by a second before you start to go back down.
Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in by lowering your heels as you bend the ankles until calves are stretched.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.