Muscle guide · Lower body

The Best Exercises for Calves

The best calf exercises are a straight-knee raise (standing calf raise, leg-press calf raise) for the gastrocnemius and a bent-knee raise (seated calf raise) for the soleus. Use a full range with a pause in the stretch, and train them two or three times a week.

Includes: Fibularis Longus, Gastrocnemius, Gastrocnemius Lateral Head, Gastrocnemius Medial Head · also called Calf muscle Left, Calf muscle Right, Inner calf Left, Inner calf Right

Written by the FitStack training team. Last reviewed .

Front view: muscles worked by calves training. Primary: calves.
Back view: muscles worked by calves training. Primary: calves.
Primary

What the calves do

  • Points the foot down (plantar flexion), as in rising onto your toes.
  • The gastrocnemius also helps bend the knee.
  • Supports the ankle while walking, running and jumping.

The calf is the gastrocnemius, with medial and lateral heads, on top of the flatter soleus. The gastrocnemius crosses the knee, so it works hardest with the knee straight; the soleus does more of the work with the knee bent.

6 best calf exercises

  1. Standing calf raise — Gastrocnemius focus.
  2. Standing calf raise machine — Easiest to load heavy.
  3. Seated calf raise — Soleus focus.
  4. Single-leg calf raise — Home option.
  5. Leg-press calf raise — Straight knee with back support.
  6. Bodyweight calf raise — Beginner option.

Sample calves workouts

Calf workout

Gym · Intermediate

Calf workout: exercises and sets × reps
Standing calf raise 3 × 8–12, 2 s pause at bottom
Seated calf raise 3 × 12–20

Home calf workout

Home · Beginner

Home calf workout: exercises and sets × reps
Single-leg calf raise on a step 3 × 10–15 per leg

Sets × reps. Finish each set with one or two reps left in reserve, and rest 2 to 3 minutes after compound lifts and 1 to 2 minutes after isolation work.

How many sets for the calves?

Calves recover quickly. 8 to 16 hard sets a week across two or three sessions works for most lifters; Kassiano et al. (2024) found higher weekly volumes produced more calf growth.

Muscle growth rises with weekly volume: in a meta-analysis, 10 or more hard sets per muscle per week produced more growth than fewer than 5 (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), and training a muscle at least twice a week beat once a week when volume was matched (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). Start near the low end and add sets while you are still recovering between sessions.

More calves exercises by equipment

Body Weight

Dumbbell

Leverage Machine

Smith Machine

Sled Machine

Barbell

Band

Rope

Cable

Assisted

Weighted

Filter every calves exercise in the library →

Exercises that also work the calves (50)

Calves training FAQs

Why are my calves not growing?

Common reasons are bouncing through short reps and too little volume. Use a full range, pause in the stretch and add sets gradually.

Do straight-leg or bent-leg calf raises work better?

Do both. Straight-leg raises favour the gastrocnemius; bent-leg raises shift more work to the soleus (Kassiano et al., 2023).

Sources

  1. Kassiano W, Costa B, Kunevaliki G, et al. Muscle swelling of the triceps surae in response to straight-leg and bent-leg calf raise exercises in young women. J Strength Cond Res. 2023;37(7):e438-e443.
  2. Kassiano W, Costa B, Kunevaliki G, et al. Bigger calves from doing higher resistance training volume? Int J Sports Med. 2024;45(10):739-747.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073-1082.
  4. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.