lower-body muscle group
Calf exercises
The calves point your foot and store energy like a spring. Every step, jump and sprint bounces off them.
The two calf muscles point your foot downward and act as the spring in walking, running and jumping. Training them is simple. Raise your heels against resistance, lower under control, and do more reps than feels reasonable.
Your calves already work all day with every step you take, so they respond better to higher reps through a full range than to heavy bouncing through a short one. Pause for a moment at the bottom of each raise with the heel low. That pause removes the bounce that would otherwise do the work for you.
Bending your knee shifts the work to the deeper calf muscle. Keeping it straight shifts it to the one nearer the surface. For general training, start with the straight-knee version, and move to one leg at a time once two legs stop being difficult.
Where the calves sit
Exercises that target the calves
Band calf raise
Calves
BeginnerResistance bandBarbell calf raise
Calves
IntermediateBarbellCalf raise
Calves
BeginnerBodyweightDumbbell calf raise
Calves
IntermediateDumbbellJumping jack
Calves
BeginnerBodyweightPogo jump
Calves
IntermediateBodyweightSeated calf raise
Calves
BeginnerBench +Single-leg calf raise
Calves
IntermediateBodyweightSingle-leg kettlebell calf raise
Calves
AdvancedKettlebell
Also works the calves
These exercises train the calves as a secondary muscle. It is useful work that adds up across a program.
- Barbell lunge
- Barbell reverse lunge
- Barbell walking lunge
- Bodyweight squat
- Burpee
- Dumbbell lunge
- Dumbbell reverse lunge
- Farmer's carry
- Jump lunge
- Jump squat
- Kettlebell farmer's carry
- Kettlebell lunge
- Kettlebell reverse lunge
- Pistol squat
- Reverse lunge
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift
- Skater hop
- Step-up
- Suspension lunge
- Walking lunge
- Wall sit