Essomio™

← All exercise guides

calves

Standing Calf Raise

Standing on a step edge under shoulder pads, you rise onto your toes and lower your heels below the step. Works the big muscle at the back of the lower leg.

beginnercalf raise machine

Standing Calf Raise, start position
START
Standing Calf Raise, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Set the shoulder pads so you stand upright under them with your knees slightly bent.
  2. Choose the weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Stand under the pads with the balls of your feet on the edge of the step.
  2. Keep your knees slightly bent and your body upright.
  3. Let your heels drop below the step until you feel a stretch.

Check: You are standing upright under the pads with your heels hanging below the step and 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
Standing Calf Raise: muscles worked, front view
Standing 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.
  • Bending the knees to push the weight up. Fix: Keep the same slight bend; only the ankles move.
SAFETY1
  • Lower all the way into the stretch only if it does not hurt your Achilles tendon.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • calf raise machine · shoulder pads: set so you stand up straight under them with a slight bend in your knees · step: balls of your feet on the edge, heels hanging off
RELATED EXERCISES

variants: seated calf raise

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.