The Perfect Calf Raise

The calf raise is an effective way to improve your ankle mobility, which can help prevent injuries such as Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis, which affects the foot arch.

Although many people are able to do it, that doesn’t mean they are doing it correctly.

Here’s a few tips to think about:

Tip #1 - Load your forefoot equally

Whilst completing a calf raise, your forefoot (metatarso-phalangeal joints - aka MTPJs) should have equal pressure from under the big toe joint (1st MTPJ, all the way through the lesser joints into the little toe joint (5th MTPJ). The pressure should be equal for the entirety of the calf raise. If it's not equal, you may notice increased loading on the outside or inside of your forefoot.

Focus on keeping the pressure spread equally over your whole forefoot.

Tip #2 - Full Height

It is common with poor calf capacity, to lack the ability to complete a calf raise to full height. This means, how high your heel can go off the ground and maintain control. It is very common for heel height to diminish or lower, as fatigue sets in.

Focus on aiming to complete full height calf raises.

Tip #3 - Don’t ‘claw’ or ‘curl’

The lower leg works in a system just like every part of the body. If one part of the system is not functioning well, another part will pick up the slack. The muscle that controls clawing or curling your toes, sits beneath your calf muscle. They are called your long toe flexors. It is very common for your long toe flexors to pick up the slack for calf weakness, and it is evident by clawing or curling of the toes during a calf raise.

Tip: if you notice your toes clawing or curling, calf raise with your toes hanging over a step or a weight plate. This will bias your calf and not allow the long flexors to pick up the slack.

"The lower leg works in a system just like every part of the body. If one part is not functioning well, another part will pick up the slack."

Tip #4 - Straight Knee

The calf complex is made up of the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles. The gastrocnemius attaches above the knee, and therefore is biased in a standing calf raise with a straight knee. The soleus attaches below the knee and is biased in movement in a bent knee position.

A common mistake or sign of gastrocnemius weakness, is bending of the knee whilst completing a standing calf raise. Don't get us wrong - the soleus is super important! But, during a standing calf raise, you should aim to keep a straight knee.

Your calf muscles propel you forward with every single step, they absorb load with each impact and they support the rest of your lower limb and body.

So getting their exercise right is fundamental in maintaining our mobility!