Seated calf raise
Log this in the trackerA bent-knee calf raise that targets the deeper soleus muscle.
What it is
A calf raise performed seated with pads across the thighs and the knees bent to roughly ninety degrees. Bending the knee slackens the gastrocnemius, so the deeper soleus does most of the work: the half of the calf that standing raises largely miss.
Muscles worked
Primary: Soleus. Secondary: Calves (gastrocnemius).
How to perform it
- Sit with the balls of your feet on the platform, heels hanging off, and the pads snug across your lower thighs.
- Release the safety catch and take the weight on the balls of your feet.
- Lower your heels as far as they will comfortably go, feeling a deep stretch in the calves.
- Rise up onto your toes as high as possible, pause briefly at the top, then lower under control.
Common form faults
- Bouncing quickly through a short middle range. Slow down and use the full range: a genuine stretch at the bottom and a full squeeze at the top are where calf training works.
- Loading so heavy that the reps become tiny pulses. Reduce the weight until every rep travels from full stretch to full rise. The calves respond to range, not to a big stack moving an inch.
- Rushing straight out of the bottom position. Pause for a moment in the stretch rather than rebounding off the tendon, so the muscle rather than elastic recoil does the lifting.
Programming
A calf accessory in higher reps with a controlled tempo and pauses at both ends. Because it biases the soleus while standing raises bias the gastrocnemius, the two are complements rather than alternatives: a complete calf programme includes both.
Plan your training
Variations & substitutions
Frequently asked questions
- Seated or standing calf raises?
- Both, ideally. The bent knee of the seated version shifts the work to the soleus, while straight-leg standing raises emphasise the gastrocnemius. Training only one leaves half the calf under-worked.
- Why do my calves need so many reps?
- The calves, the soleus especially, are endurance muscles that carry you around all day, so they tolerate and often need higher reps, more frequency and a full range with a hard stretch to grow. Short, heavy bouncing is the most common reason they stall.