STANDING CALF RAISES

This exercise develops the overall mass of the calves.

Implementation: (A) Stand and place your toes on the block of a standing Calf Raise machine, with your heels extended out into space. Put your shoulders beneath the pads and straighten your legs, lifting the weight off of the support. Lower your heels as far as possible toward the floor, you should keep your knees somewhat bent throughout the exercise so that you work the lower area of the calves as well as the upper, and feel the calf muscles stretch completely. Make sure the block is high enough so that you get a full stretch when lowering your heels. (B) At the bottom of the movement, drive up on your toes as far as possible and get a great peak contraction. Pick a weight that is heavy enough to exercise the calves, but not so heavy that you cannot come all the way up for most of your reps. A great thing to do when your tired out is to finish off the set with a series of partial movements. You'll get a pump in your calves that is sensational!