Use straight-knee work for the gastrocnemius, understand what bent-knee work changes, and stop skipping the bottom of the raise.
Gastrocnemius: medial and lateral heads — The two visible bellies that make the diamond of the calf. Both start above the knee, on the back of the thigh bone.
Soleus — Flat and broad underneath them, starting below the knee on the shin bones — it never crosses that joint.
Achilles tendon — The shared cord all three run into, from mid-calf down to the back of the heel bone.
Points the foot down
Rise onto the balls of both feet. The diamond at the back of the lower leg bunches up — gastrocnemius and soleus pulling on the heel through one shared cord.
Holds the shin over the foot
Stand still and sway slowly forward from the ankles. The back of the lower leg tightens to stop you going further. It does this at every step, largely without shortening at all.
Bends the knee, through gastrocnemius only
Sit with one leg straight out and drag the heel back toward the chair. The upper calf works — the same muscle at its top end, which is why bending the knee changes what a calf raise trains.
Frequently asked questions
Standing or seated calf raises?
Standing, if you only do one. Gastrocnemius starts above the knee and soleus below it, so bending the knee shortens one and leaves the other unchanged — and a twelve-week within-person trial found the difference is large: standing raises grew the gastrocnemius heads by around 9–12% against roughly 1–2% seated, while soleus grew about the same either way.[1] Seated work is a supplement for the soleus, not a substitute, and it gains no special soleus advantage.
Should my knee be locked during a calf raise?
Straight, not braced hard. A straight knee keeps gastrocnemius at the length that lets it contribute; forcing the joint into an uncomfortable lock adds nothing. What matters more is that the knee does not quietly bend to escape the bottom position as the set gets difficult, which converts a standing raise into something closer to a seated one.
Are lengthened partial calf raises better than full range?
For the calf, one trial genuinely found so: raises through the bottom half only grew the medial gastrocnemius about 15%, against roughly 7% for full range and 3% for top-half work.[2] That is unusually strong evidence for one muscle, and it is not a licence to assume the same everywhere. A full-range raise already includes that bottom position whenever the heel is lowered under control — which is where most calf raises go wrong.
Do calf raises need added weight?
Not for a long time. One leg at a time already puts your whole body weight through a single calf, and doing it from an edge adds the lowered-heel position that matters most. Progress by standing on one leg, then by slowing the descent, then by holding the bottom quiet — a bag across the thighs is for the seated version, where body weight no longer supplies enough.
One common mistake
• Bouncing through a tiny top range while calling the movement a calf raise.
• That skips the position with the strongest direct evidence and transfers more stress through the tendon.
• Use hand support, slow down, and make the bottom position quiet enough that direction changes under muscular control.
What's normal
A hard, cramping tightness in the belly of the calf that can arrive within a few repetitions, and stiffness the next morning that eases within the first minutes of walking.
How sore is normal? →Stop if you notice
A sudden sharp pain low in the calf or just above the heel, often described as feeling struck from behind, a pop, or an inability to push off that foot. Swelling, warmth, or bruising there, or calf pain that is present at rest rather than only under load.
These guides are general information, not medical advice. Stop for sharp or persistent pain, and consult a qualified professional before beginning any exercise program.