Calves exercise
Leg Press Calf RaiseHow to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Leg Press Calf Raise?
- Sit back in the leg press and push your legs straight.
- Slide your feet down so only the balls of your feet are on the plate.
- Release the safety handles and keep a soft bend in your knees.
- Let your toes come back slowly, then point them to push the plate.
- Pause at both ends, and lock the safeties when you finish.
Cues
- Legs stay still; only your ankles move.
- Push the plate with the base of your big toe.
- Slow stretch, strong squeeze.
Common mistakes
- Bending the knees to move the weight.
- Letting the feet slide off the plate edge.
- Bouncing the plate at the bottom.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
45° sled leg press. Sit with the back and head flat against the backrest and the hips in the seat. Press the sled up to straight legs, then slide the feet down the footplate until only the balls of the feet are on its bottom edge: the edge runs just behind the big-toe knuckle and the heels hang off below it. Feet hip-width apart, toes straight ahead (pointing up the sled). Knees straight with a small soft bend, never locked back. Release the safety handles, then hold the seat handles.
The movement
Only the ankles move. The hips, knees and back stay fixed, so the footplate slides up and down the sled in a straight line. Let the plate push the toes back towards the shins slowly until the calves are fully stretched, pause briefly, then point the toes to push the plate away as far as possible. Hold, then lower again. Pressure stays on the balls of the feet, a little towards the big toe; the feet never slip on the plate.
End position
Bottom: toes pulled back, ankle in about 20° of dorsiflexion, heels just beyond the plate edge. Here the body is fixed and the plate moves, so the plate travels along the sled by the same amount the body rises in the standing version, about 11 cm for a 26 cm foot. Scale with foot length.
Tempo
1.5 s push, 0.5 s hold, 2 s lowering, 0.5 s pause in the stretch.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sled angle from horizontal | 45° | 40–45° (machine) | [1] |
| Knee flexion, held through the rep | 5° | 0–15° | [1] |
| Ankle dorsiflexion at the bottom | 20° | 10–25° | [3] |
| Ankle plantarflexion at the top | 30° | 25–40° | [1][3] |
| Feet spacing, centre to centre | hip width, about 20 cm | 15–25 cm | [1] |
| Toe-out, each foot | 0° | 0–10° | [2] |
| Contact point on the plate | balls of the feet on the bottom edge | toes may overhang 0 cm | [1] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Leg Press Calf Raise is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- NASM, Leg Press Calf Raise
- De Azevedo et al. 2023, J Phys Educ Sport 23(8):2266–2272, "Activation of triceps surae during exercises on leg press, Smith and seated calf raise machines"
- Kinoshita et al. 2023, Front Physiol, "Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training"
