Standing Calf Raise

Muscles worked

Effectiveness

★★★☆☆ 3/5

An 8-week calf-raise trial found greater gastrocnemius thickness gains when training at longer muscle lengths, and acute work showed straight-leg calf raises swelled the gastrocnemius more than bent-leg versions. The hypertrophy trial used a leg-press-machine calf raise in young women, so standing-specific growth data is limited.

How to perform

Standing with the balls of the feet on a raised platform, the lifter rises onto the toes against resistance and lowers the heels below the platform. The gastrocnemius and soleus drive plantar flexion. Keeping the knees extended biases the work toward the gastrocnemius.

References

1. Kassiano et al., J Strength Cond Res (2023) - calf-raise range of motion and gastrocnemius hypertrophy
2. Kassiano et al., J Strength Cond Res (2023) - straight-leg vs bent-leg calf raise and triceps surae swelling