Calves: exercises and how to train them
Calves grow slowly and love full range: drop the heel into a stretch, rise all the way onto your toes — and don't bounce.
What these muscles do
The gastrocnemius crosses the knee and the ankle, so it works best with straight knees — standing calf raises. Underneath sits the soleus, which takes more of the load seated, with bent knees. Calves carry your bodyweight all day and are used to it, so they need weight, volume and a pause at the bottom.
Exercises with technique breakdowns
8 more exercises in the catalog
- Seated Calf Raise
- Calf Press on the Leg Press
- Standing Barbell Calf Raise
- Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise
- Smith Machine Calf Raise
- Barbell Seated Calf Raise
- Seated One-Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise
- Donkey Calf Raise
They're all in the diary: find one by name in the bot or the app, and I'll remember the weight and reps.
How to train them
- Pause for a second at the bottom in the stretch — no bouncing.
- Do them standing and seated: a straight knee for the gastrocnemius, a bent one for the soleus.
- Go for 10–20 reps and as many sets as for any other muscle, not "two at the end of the workout".
- You can train calves often: 2–3 times a week.
Programs and sets for this group
| Program | Sets per cycle | Days per cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Upper / Lower | 4 | 2 |
| Push / Pull / Legs | 4 | 3 |
| Glutes & Legs — 3 Days | 4 | 3 |
Sets for one pass through all of the program's days, by its own schemes. A deadlift set is split in half between back and hamstrings — the way the diary counts it.
Log your workouts — I'll show how many sets a week you give this group.