Calf Raises
It is important to perform calf raises, which are the best exercise for working the triceps surae muscle group, when training the legs in order to make your lower body workout complete. Start by resting a barbell on the upper back with your feet placed about shoulder-width apart or closer. With your legs relaxed and your knees straight, push up onto your toes to lift yourself a few inches off of the floor.
Extend your feet as high as possible, briefly holding the contraction at the top of the movement to emphasize the work of the calves, then slowly lower yourself back down.
Tips
* This exercise works the triceps surae muscle group which consists of the lateral and medial heads of the gastrocnemius, as well as the soleus.
* One of the most effective methods of performing this exercise is to use a Smith machine while keeping a small block or other raised object placed under the feet. By performing the exercise in this fashion, you will be able to lower your feet farther down and thus increase the range of motion of the movement. If such a machine is not available and a barbell is used instead, it is best to shorten the range of motion to better work the calves in this situation. For example, instead of lowering your feet until they are flat on the floor during the descent, lower your feet only until your heels are just an inch or so above the floor before lifting back up. Performing the movement like this will keep constant tension on the triceps surae. If you have the option, obviously the overall best way to go would be to alternate between using a Smith machine or barbell, with different ranges of motion, to get the best results out of your calf training.
* By keeping your knees slightly flexed as you raise your feet, most of the effort of the movement will be transferred from the gastrocnemius muscle heads to the soleus. Of course, all areas of the triceps surae will be worked to some extent no matter the position of your knees, however by keeping your knees straight or flexed, the effort of the movement can be focused primarily on the gastrocnemius or soleus, respectively.
* The calves are best trained in fairly long sets (15-20 reps). Keep in mind though that this is an extremely powerful muscle group and you will likely still be able to use a considerable amount of weight, even when performing such long sets.
* As mentioned on the page on
leg training,
there are some people who are seemingly unable to add considerable muscle mass to their calves. These people usually have calf muscles that are relatively short in comparison to the total length of their legs. On the other hand, people with proportionately longer calf muscles are usually able to add size to their calves much more easily. Remember that it is entirely possible to add strength to the calves no matter their size, so if you notice improvements in the amount of weight that you are able to lift when performing calf raises, you will know that you are performing the movement correctly, regardless if your muscles grow noticeably larger or not.
Variation: Unilateral Calf Raises
To ensure an equal amount of strength and muscle mass between the left and right sides, this exercise can also be performed while raising one leg at a time.
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