Boost Your Leg Strength and Enhance Balance with Calf Raises

To enhance lower body strength and stability, adding calf raises to your daily or weekly fitness routine is a smart move. This straightforward exercise can be performed almost anywhere—whether you're brushing your teeth or waiting for your coffee to brew. Though it may seem unremarkable, calf raises (or heel lifts) deliver significant physical benefits, strengthening not only your calves and ankles but also the smaller foot muscles, glutes, and even providing support for the lower back.

What Are Calf Raises?

A calf raise, also known as a heel lift, involves lifting your body onto the balls of your feet (essentially standing on your toes) and then gently lowering your heels back to the ground. This simple yet effective motion targets the calf muscles directly, offering a low-impact workout.

This exercise primarily focuses on the “concentric [as opposed to eccentric] action of the calf muscles and the flexion of the ankle joint,” says certified personal trainer John Russolillo. “The concentric phase, where you push away from the ground, is the primary movement, followed by an isometric hold at the peak and a controlled eccentric phase as you lower your heels back down.”

“Calf raises are considered an ‘isolation’ exercise rather than a ‘compound’ one, meaning they target a single muscle group instead of multiple groups working together,” Russolillo explains. “These exercises are usually performed toward the end of a workout session.”

How to Perform Calf Raises

Step 1: Define Your Fitness Objectives

Identify your primary fitness goals for incorporating calf raises, taking into account your current fitness level, strength, and balance. Beginners should start on a flat, stable surface, use a limited range of motion, and rely on their body weight. To maintain balance and proper form, consider holding onto a sturdy object like a chair, wall, railing, or countertop.

Adjustments and Progressions: For those at an intermediate or advanced level, or those looking to advance from beginner status, you can increase the difficulty by modifying one or more of these foundational elements. For instance:

• Enhance ankle mobility by performing calf raises on the edge of a step or raised platform, allowing your heels to drop below the step level and requiring more effort to lift back up.
• Incorporate external resistance by holding dumbbells or other weights in each hand.
• Experiment with single-leg calf raises to intensify the challenge.
• Test and improve your balance by attempting calf raises without any external support.

Step 2: Decide on Sets and Repetitions

For beginners, a good starting point is performing three sets of 10 to 12 bilateral calf raises (using both legs at the same time) while holding onto a support for balance.

Adjustments and Variations: If you're adding weight, increasing your range of motion, or performing unilateral calf raises (one leg at a time), aim for three sets with fewer repetitions—around five to eight—due to the increased difficulty.

Step 3: Raise Your Heels, Hold, and Lower Slowly

• Begin by standing upright with your feet no wider than hip-width apart, engage your core, maintain a neutral spine (avoid leaning forward or backward), and remember to breathe steadily.
• Lift your heels off the ground in a controlled manner, rising onto the balls of your feet (you should feel your calf muscles engage immediately).
• Pause at the top for one second, then slowly lower your heels back to the ground—this controlled descent is a crucial part of the exercise, so take your time.
• That completes one repetition. Aim for three sets of 10 to 12 calf raises.

Step 4: Pair Calf Raises with Other Exercises for Enhanced Efficiency

Enhance other exercises, such as glute bridges or sumo squats, by integrating bilateral (using both legs) or unilateral (using one leg) calf raises to increase their difficulty.

The Advantages of Calf Raises

Focused, Isolated Calf Strength

Calf raises are an effective method for strengthening the calf muscles, which play a crucial role in various physical activities and daily movements. For athletes and fitness enthusiasts who engage in running, sprinting, quick directional changes, or acceleration, the calf muscles are essential not only for enhancing performance but also for preventing injuries to the ankles and knees, as Russolillo points out.

Enhanced Foot and Ankle Strength and Mobility

Performing calf raises not only strengthens the calf muscles but also enhances the mobility and stability of the ankle joint, along with the surrounding ligaments, tendons, and often-neglected muscles in the feet.

Improved Overall Balance and Body Control

“Because the calves are located near the point of contact with the ground, strengthening them improves proprioception (the sense of body position and movement) in the lower body, enhancing overall balance,” explains Russolillo.

Engagement of Muscle Groups Along the Back of the Leg

Although calf raises are mainly an isolation exercise focusing on a specific muscle group, you might also notice activation in other muscles along the posterior chain (the backside of the body), such as the glutes and hamstrings, particularly if these areas are weaker for you.

That said, if your goal is to strengthen other muscle groups solely through calf raises, this exercise might not be the most effective choice. “While some might argue that calf raises engage other body parts, the reality is that, as an isolation exercise, their primary benefit is targeting the calves exclusively,” Russolillo explains.