Do not wear BFR bands for long periods of time. For strength-training, I wouldn't wear them for longer than 1.5-2 minutes without releasing the pressure. When training multiple sets of an exercise, you are fine to remove the bands between sets and re-wrap your limb when starting the next one. The soleus is primarily engaged in bent leg variations, and is more slow-twitch muscle dominant than the gastrocnemius. This means bent leg variations often give better results by slightly emphasizing volume over the intensity of the load. Ex: A set of 4x10-12 reps of bent leg calf raises. While overall lower body strength is also a key factor in both jumping and sprint performance, having stronger calves and training the muscles of the ankle can have a direct impact on your power output. Stronger Ankles I'm a bit surprised that I don't see more posts about jump roping in bodyweight fitness circles, it's very inexpensive, purely a bodyweight exercise, and has a lot of benefits for coordination, balance, and cardiovascular fitness. It's also quite fun and allows for a lot of variety. They were a staple of my training during my (brief and miserable) career as a high-school wrestler as well as one of my more aggressive cuts after a bulk phase. Prepare to be humbled, jump roping is a surprisingly intense conditioning workout.

This exercise is hugely improved by the use of a band to make the top of the calf raise more challenging. Two of the other most important dimensions are the height of 5″ (12.7 cm) and the top surface width of 5.5″ (14 cm). For direct calf strength, start by performing 3 – 5 sets for 5 – 10 reps within a full range of motion. You can do a squat heel raise with your feet in a narrow or wide stance. This movement is ideal for when you don’t have access to training equipment. The calf muscles are made up of the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Both muscles are responsible for flexing the ankle joint. GastrocnemiusThe tibialis muscle is the antagonist muscle to the calves. It is important to train these to have a balanced lower leg musculature and avoid injury. There is only one basic tibialis exercise, with a few variations to modify difficulty. The tibialis muscles, in my experience, respond well to higher rep "pump work", much like the soleus.

Smith machine are great tools because they take the balancing act (Pun intended) out of the equation. Which means that there are little balance and stabilization required. Occlusion or blood-flow restriction (BFR training) is a simple way to increase the difficulty of lower body exercises without having to modify load or leverage. The calves and tibialis respond particularly well to this style of training, so of any muscle group in the legs they are the most likely to benefit from this. Easy to Assemble and Transport: It can take less than 5 minutes to put together and includes a handle in the middle to help move around.But, another benefit o the seated version is that you don’t have your upper body and quads to assist in the movement. Which means you can really isolate your calves and make them do all the heavy lifting.

Green B, McClelland JA, Semciw AI, Schache AG, McCall A, Pizzari T. The assessment, management and prevention of calf muscle strain injuries: A qualitative study of the practices and perspectives of 20 expert sports clinicians. Sports Med Open. 2022 Jan 15;8(1):10. doi:10.1186/s40798-021-00364-0 Using a leg press machine to work your calves is one of the best variations to any standing calf raise exercise. Stretching: The curve also helps to give an excellent stretch without stressing the bottom of your foot. This is a great way to loosen up for a workout or when the calves are tight.

4 Calf Exercises to Do Instead

The double leg bodyweight calf raise is the starting point for all calf training. It will not be very challenging after a while, but focus on clean form while building mobility and stability in your ankles. I recommend dprogressing after being able to handle 4x20 reps for single leg variations. We walk on our calves all day long and it makes sense to stimulate them with even more resistance to convince them to get bigger and stronger. Force Your Stubborn Calves Into New Growth Maritz CA, Silbernagel KG. A prospective cohort study on the effect of a balance training program, including calf muscle strengthening, in community-dwelling older adults. J Geriatric Phys Ther. 2016;39(3):125-131. doi:10.1519/JPT.0000000000000059 If you are a keen runner, one thing that won’t have escaped your attention is that you don’t run on two legs at the same time, so it’s a good idea to train your legs individually. You can, and should, try standard calf raises, bent-knee raises, seated raises, or raised raises on one leg, and progress to adding weight to the move. Supine gym ball calf raise