Calf Raise (Bodyweight)
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Machine
- Dumbbell
- Barbell
- Bodyweight
HOW TO PERFORM
- Set the balls of the feet on the platform or step with the heels hanging free.
- Let the heels sink as far below the platform as they will go.
- Press up onto the toes as high as you can and pause at the top.
- Lower slowly back into the stretch rather than dropping into it.
FORM TIPS
- Full range both ends is the whole exercise. Short bouncy reps are what makes calves look untrainable.
- Calves take high reps and a hard pause. If you can do fifteen without the last few burning, add weight rather than reps.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Calves
In the app
This guide covers these exercises in the Ægir Iron library:
- Smith Machine Calf Raise
- Dumbbell (Double) Standing Calf Raise
- Hack Squat Calf Raise
- Donkey Calf Raise Machine
- Barbell Standing Calf Raise
- Calf Raise (Bodyweight)
- Calf Raise Machine
- Donkey Calf Raise
- Dumbbell (Double) Single Leg Calf Raise
- Dumbbell (Single) Single Leg Calf Raise
- Standing Calf Raise Machine
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.