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calves

Seated Calf Raise

Seated with pads on your knees and the balls of your feet on a step, you rise onto your toes. Works the deeper calf muscle that a standing raise misses.

beginnercalf raise machine

Seated Calf Raise, start position
START
Seated Calf Raise, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Set the knee pads so they sit snugly just above your knees when seated.
  2. Choose the weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit with the balls of your feet on the step edge and the pads on your thighs.
  2. Release the safety catch so the weight rests on your legs.
  3. Let your heels drop below the step until you feel a stretch.

Check: The pads are snug on your thighs, your heels hang below the step, and you feel a stretch in your calves.

Rise onto your toes

  1. Push through the balls of your feet to lift your heels as high as they go.
  2. Hold at the top for a second and squeeze your calves.

Check: You are as high on your toes as you can go, and your knees and body have not changed position.

Lower slowly

  1. Lower your heels slowly until you feel a stretch in your calves.

Check: Your heels are below the edge of the step and you feel a stretch at the back of your lower legs.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set; calves respond well to higher reps, 12 to 20.

Breathe out as you rise in about 1 second; hold for a second; breathe in as you lower over 2 to 3 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Seated Calf Raise: muscles worked, front view
Seated Calf Raise: muscles worked, back view

calves

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Bouncing quickly at the bottom. Bouncing uses the tendon's spring, not the muscle. Fix: Pause at the bottom in the stretch, then rise slowly.
  • Rising only halfway. Fix: Go as high as you can and hold for a second.
  • Pads set too high so the weight lifts off the thighs. Fix: Lower the pads until they are snug before releasing the catch.
SAFETY1
  • Lower all the way into the stretch only if it does not hurt your Achilles tendon.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • calf raise machine · knee pads: snug on top of your thighs just above the knees · step: balls of your feet on the edge
RELATED EXERCISES

variants: standing calf raise

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