Isolation · Beginner
Bodyweight Calf Raise
Isolation isolation exercise using bodyweight.
- Movement pattern
- Isolation
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanics
- Isolation
- Sides
- Bilateral
- Main plane
- Sagittal
How to do the Bodyweight Calf Raise
Setup
Stand with knees straight (optionally on a step edge for extra range), balance point on the balls of your feet.
Lower your heels for a full stretch, then rise onto your toes as high as possible.
Keep your knees straight throughout -- a bent knee takes the gastrocnemius out of the movement.
Slow the descent down rather than dropping quickly -- the stretch position is where most of the real training effect happens at bodyweight load.
Common mistakes
Bending the knees to make the rep easier, which reduces gastrocnemius involvement.
Rushing through short, bouncy reps instead of a full range of motion.
Muscles worked
Primary
How the knowledge graph models this movement
Ankle plantarflexion