published Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 7:35 am by
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Description
The seated calf raise exercise primarily targets the solius muscle due to the fact that the leg is bent while performing the movement. As discussed in detail on the calf training homepage, the gastrocnemius – which is a main muscle within the lower leg region – comes into play when the leg is straight. It is also important to note that the solius and the gastrocnemius differ in their biological makeup. The solius muscle tends to have a higher distribution of slow twitch muscle fibers which are best suited for endurance activities. Because of this, the solius muscle responds well to long-duration sets. The variation discussed below uncovers the best way to accomplish this.
Execution
- Position the padding above the knees and the balls of your feet on the edge of the platform. Avoid positioning the padding above the knee cap due to the increased stress that the pad places on the patellar tendon which may potentially lead to tendonitis.
- Rise up onto the balls of your feet and move lever so it will not obstruct the movement path.
- Inhale and lower ankles to a position below the platform. You should feel a stretch within the calf muscle.
- Exhale and rise up onto the big toe. Rising onto the big toe will increase the contraction efficiency of the soleus and activate additional muscles within the calf that assist with running and jumping.
- Repeat until the desired number of repetitions are completed.
Variations
Loading the seated calf raise machine up with low-increment barbells makes it easy to perform drop sets – meaning that as muscular fatigue hits, you strip off a couple plates and continue performing repetitions. Drop setting is a great way to extend the time-under-tension of a given exercise.
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published Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 4:51 am by
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Description
This is a great exercise to increase the overall strength and lean mass of the calves. To increase the tension on the gastrocnemius muscle and increase its contractile efficiency, it’s recommended that you keep your legs in full extension while performing the movement. During execution, it’s important not to allow your hips to shift forward due to the unnecessary stain that will be placed on the lumbar joints. Also, another common mistake is to flex the neck forward. Doing this will increase the stress on the cervical disks of the neck.
Execution
- Approach machine, select appropriate weight, place balls of feet on the platform and comfortably place your shoulders under the pads. Grasp the handles as well.
- Exhale and rise up onto big toe. Rising up onto the big toe is efficient in activating some of the assistor muscles involved with running and jumping. Ensure that knees stay extended and all the movement occurs at the ankle joint.
- Inhale and lower down at a controlled speed until a light stretch is felt in the calf muscle.
- Repeat until the desired number of repetitions are completed.
Turning the toes inward will draw recruitment from the tibialis posterior which is located on the inside of the calf.
Turning the toes outward will draw recruitment from the peroneal muscle group which is located on the outside of the calf.
If equipment availability is a factor, you can perform standing calf raises on a staircase. The raises can be done with both legs together or one leg at a time.
Another version of the standing calf raise exercise can be done by using a step-platform and a smith machine.
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published Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 1:27 pm by
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Description
The hack squat version is executed in a similar fashion to the other standing calf raises. The legs should be as straight as possible while placing knee comfort at a high priority. Also, as explained in the calf training article, the training parameters are slightly different when dealing with rest intervals and recovery time.
Execution
- Position yourself either with your back or stomach against the hack squat padding – whichever is more compatible with the particular machine in your facility.
- Place the balls of your feet on the platform, extend at the knees push the weight up to starting position.
- Inhale and dorsiflex at the ankle (toes towards the shin) until a stretch is felt within the calf muscle.
- Exhale and plantar-flex the ankle to move up to a position that has you elevated on the balls of your feet. Briefly hold the contraction felt in the calf muscle.
- Repeat until the desired number of repetitions are completed.
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published Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 4:40 am by
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Description
This is such an effective exercise because it manipulates the anatomical structure of the gastrocnemius to deliver a more powerful, more effective muscle contraction. As mentioned in our calf training article, the gastrocnemius is at its most powerful when in a stretched position. Since it’s a bi-articular muscle (crosses both the knee and ankle) moving the hips into flexion while keeping the legs straight creates tension on the gastrocnemius and places it as its greatest strength potential.
Execution
- Place the balls of your feet onto a platform at least 3-5 inches in height. Keep legs straight and bend at the waist until upper body is perpendicular with the floor. Hold onto something with hands to maintain balance – a squat rack for example.
- Inhale and lower ankles below platform until a stretch is felt within the calf muscle.
- Exhale, rise up onto toes, pause for a moment and squeeze calf while shifting the bulk of your body weight to your toes.
- Repeat until desired number of repetitions are completed.
Variations
To increase the resistance, you can get a partner to climb onto your back and straddle your hips.
Note: This technique is not suitable for beginners.
This exercise may also be done at home with minimal equipment by using a staircase.
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published Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 3:47 am by
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Description
The leg press version of the calf raise is simply another way to strengthen the muscles of the lower leg. The loading capacity of the actual leg press machine allows you to potentially perform the repetitions under a great deal of resistance – which is what the gastrocnemious muscle responds well too. Also, since heavy loading is made possible with the leg press, it is important to always keep the safety clamps in tact in case foot slippage occurs. The safety clamps will not interfere with the range of motion since the necessary range of motion required to perform each repetition is very limited.
Execution
- Adjust the weight and machine to settings that are personally desirable.
- Drive the feet against the platform until there is only a slight bend at the knees.
- Slowly slide the feet down the platform until the heels are off the edge and only the balls of the feet are making contact.
- Inhale and dorsiflex at the ankle (toes towards shins) until a stretch is felt within the calf muscle.
- Exhale and plantarflex at the ankle (toes away from shins) to drive the weights up. A contraction should be felt within the calf muscle. Briefly hold this position.
- Repeat until the desired number of repetitions are completed.
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