Seated Calf Raise

Seated Calf Raise Basics

Primary muscles worked: Soleus and Gastroc (Calf muscles)

Synergist Muscles: N/a

Mechanics: Isolation

Equipment: A chair or bench, dumbbells, and a piece of wood or step to elevate the feet.

How To Perform Seated Calf Raises

• First, grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench or a chair.
• Place the dumbbells just above your knees on yours thigh.
• After that, place the front (balls) of your feet on the piece of wood or the step. This should allow the front of the foot to be elevated.
• Now, push down through the front of you foot to raise your heels one to two inches higher than the front of the foot.
• Hold this position for a brief moment, and lower then lower your heels close to the floor, but not touching. This is one full rep.

Seated Calf Raise Tips

• You may need to put a weight in front of the block or step to keep it from moving forward while you perform the seated calf raise.

Seated Calf Raise and Sports Application

The seated calf raise is designed to improve power in the calves when the knee is in a flexed state. Since most sports require fluid movement, calf power can not always be generated when the calves are fully extended. This exercise is designed to make the athlete as powerful as possible during any situation in which the athlete requires calf strength. This could be triple extension when throwing a football or baseball, and could apply when going up for a dunk in basketball.