Your lower leg has two major muscles responsible for plantarflexing your ankle, also known as pointing your toes or lifting your heels. The large, two-headed gastrocnemius muscle is readily visible from the outside of your body. The smaller soleus is hidden between the gastrocnemius and your lower-leg bones, and usually cannot be seen. Calf raises allow you to work both of these major lower-leg muscles.
Basic Form
The general calf raise is a simple exercise that primarily targets your gastrocnemius. Stand with the balls of your feet on a stable surface that won't tilt beneath you and that your feet won't slide off. Point your toes, lifting your heels as high as possible in a smooth, controlled motion. Lower slowly back to the starting position, heels approximately level with your toes. Repeat. If you can easily do more than 12 bilateral calf raises with good form, try lifting one foot slightly and doing the exercise one leg at a time. Allowing your toes and knees to point slightly out as you do this exercise shifts the focus to the inner or medial head of your gastrocnemius.
Bent-leg Calf Raises
Performing calf raises with your knees bent shifts the focus of the effort to your soleus. Balancing in the bent-knee position can be problematic, so this exercise is best done sitting in a bench or a bent-knee calf raise machine. Place a weight plate or weighted bar across your lower thighs for resistance, or slide your knees beneath the knee pad on the calf raise machine. Then point your toes, lifting your heels off the ground in a smooth movement as for standing calf raises. Lower and repeat.
Stretching -- or Not
Stopping when your heels are even with your toes is a conservative range of motion for this exercise. If you participate in a sport or hobby that requires you to exert force from a toes-up position with your heel below your toes, strengthening your calf muscles through an extended range of motion can help improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury. However, this extended range of motion can pose a risk of injury if your Achilles tendon or calf muscles are inflexible. Never confuse a strengthening exercise like calf raises with stretching to increase flexibility. The two should be kept separate. Instead, consult a fitness or medical professional if you need help to increase your ankle flexibility and allow greater range of motion.
Importance
Both your major calf muscles help power walking, running and jumping movements. They also act as shock absorbers to absorb the impact with every footfall or landing. Maintaining strong, flexible calf muscles helps increase your performance in everyday activities like walking or running and during competitive sports. Although you shouldn't mix stretching and strengthening exercises in general, working your calf muscles through the full stretch-free range of motion available to you helps maintain your flexibility at the same time you strengthen your calves.
References
- "ACE's Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals"; Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, Daniel J. Green, Eds.; 2010
- ExRx.net: Gastrocnemius
- ExRx.net: Soleus
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