Calves exercise
Single-Leg Calf RaiseHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Calves
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Single-Leg Calf Raise?
- Stand on a step on one foot, heel hanging off the edge.
- Hook your other foot behind your ankle and touch a wall.
- Lower your heel slowly below the step.
- Pause, then rise onto your toes as high as you can.
- Finish all your reps, then switch legs.
Cues
- Keep your standing knee straight and your hips level.
- Push through the base of your big toe.
- Fingertips for balance, not for pulling.
Common mistakes
- Bouncing at the bottom instead of pausing.
- Rolling the ankle out onto the little toe.
- Pulling yourself up with your hands.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Stand on a sturdy step about 15 cm high, facing a wall or handrail. Put the ball of the left foot on the step edge, toes straight ahead: the edge runs just behind the big-toe knuckle and the heel hangs off. Bend the right knee and hook the right foot lightly behind the left ankle, so it carries no weight. Left knee straight but not pushed back. Trunk upright, hips level, fingertips of both hands resting lightly on the wall or rail at chest height.
The movement
Only the left ankle moves. The body rises and falls as one straight piece over the working foot. Lower the left heel slowly below the step until the calf is fully stretched, pause briefly, then push through the ball of the foot and rise as high as possible. Hold the top, then lower again. The weight stays over the base of the big toe; the ankle does not roll out and the hips do not drop to the free side.
End position
Bottom: heel below the step, ankle in about 20° of dorsiflexion. Scale with foot length.
Tempo
1.5 s up, 0.5 s hold at the top, 2 s down, 0.5 s pause in the stretch. The clinical heel-rise test runs faster (about 1 s up, 1 s down) [3]; the demo is slower so the pauses read clearly.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step height | 15 cm | 10–20 cm | |
| Working knee flexion, held through the rep | 0–5° (straight, not locked back) | 0–10° | [1][2] |
| Free knee flexion (foot behind the ankle) | 60° | 45–90° | |
| Ankle dorsiflexion at the bottom | 20° | 10–25° | [2] |
| Ankle plantarflexion at the top | 30° | 25–40° | [1][2] |
| Toe-out, working foot | 0° | 0–10° | |
| Pelvis drop to the free side (front plane) | 0° | ≤ 5° | |
| Trunk lean from vertical | 0° | ≤ 5° |
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 Single-Leg 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
- ACE, Get Stronger Calves With These 5 Exercises
- Kinoshita et al. 2023, Front Physiol, "Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training"
- Hébert-Losier et al. 2017, Physiotherapy, "Updated reliability and normative values for the standing heel-rise test in healthy adults"
- NASM, Calf Training: How to Program This Stubborn Muscle Group for Clients
