Calf exercises
23 exercises, each with its animated demo, the steps, the mistake to avoid and its substitutes.
- Ankle Hops ›Small bounces in place, legs almost straight. Everything happens at the ankle and foot.
- Backpack Seated Calf Raise ›Seated, a load on your knees, rise onto your toes. The demo uses a dumbbell on the thighs: a loaded bag does exactly the same job.
- Band Standing Calf Raise ›Band under the balls of your feet, rise onto your toes and squeeze the calf 1 s at the top.
- Calf Raise Hold ›Rise onto your toes as high as possible and hold it there without lowering.
- Deficit Ankle Hops ›Ball of your foot on a step, heel hanging off, chain short rebounds.
- Deficit Step Calf Raise ›Balls of your feet on a step, drop your heels to stretch, rise back up.
- Donkey Calf Raise ›Torso bent forward, load on your hips, stretch at the bottom.
- Fast-Feet Jump Rope ›Low, quick hops on the front of your foot, shoulders staying relaxed.
- Leg Press Calf Raise ›Balls of your feet on the platform, stretch then press.
- Seated Calf Raise Machine ›Knees bent, rise onto your toes.
- Single-Leg Ankle Hops ›Bounce in place on one leg, knee almost straight, very short ground contact.
- Single-Leg Calf Raise Hold ›On one leg, rise onto your toes as high as possible and hold without shaking.
- Single-Leg Deficit Dumbbell Calf Raise ›One foot on a step, dumbbell in the same-side hand, lower your heel below the step then rise all the way up.
- Single-Leg Seated Calf Raise ›Knee bent, one leg, squeeze at the top.
- Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise ›Unilateral, fixes imbalances.
- Smith Machine Calf Raise ›Bar on your traps, balls of your feet on a block, rise onto your toes.
- Standing Barbell/Dumbbell Calf Raise ›On a step, rise up and lower down.
- Standing Calf Raise Machine ›Heels all the way down for the stretch, rise fully onto your toes.
- Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise ›A dumbbell in each hand, rise onto your toes as high as possible and squeeze your calves at the top.
- Standing Kettlebell Calf Raise ›Hold the kettlebell in one hand at your side, rise onto your toes as high as possible, squeeze your calf for a second at the top.
- Unweighted Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise ›On one leg, rise onto your toes, control the descent.
- Wall Tibialis Hold ›Back against the wall, heels on the floor, lift your toes as high as possible and hold.
- Weighted Single-Leg Calf Raise Hold ›On one leg, load in hand, rise onto your toes and hold the top position.
Other muscle groups
- Chest29 exercises
- Back31 exercises
- Shoulders and traps66 exercises
- Arms60 exercises
- Abs31 exercises
- Quads38 exercises
- Glutes and hamstrings54 exercises
- Neck, adductors and core8 exercises
Exercise demos on video, on the Live For Fit channel.
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Create my free gym logGeneral training advice, not medical advice. If you feel pain, stop and see a health professional.