Standing calves on the calf machine allow you to build up and develop the calves, mainly the upper part (the twins), because of the stretched leg position. As they are made up of both slow and fast fibres, it is interesting to work them in both long and short series. It is ideal to start your calf training programme with standing exercises before moving on to seated exercises.
How to perform this exercise?
Select the desired weight on the machine and adjust the height according to your morphology then position your feet on the plate of the calf machine, heels in the void and shoulders under the sleeves. Your legs should be straight but not locked, your back should be straight and your abdominal muscles well sheathed, then push the load by contracting your calves to the fullest extent and come back down to full amplitude then repeat until the end of your series.
CAUTION: Do not load the machine too quickly, raise the weight gradually so as not to stress the Achilles tendon and warm it up well. The back must be as straight as possible to avoid any disc pinching.
Tips
- Inhale as you lower the load and exhale as you contract your calves on the way up
- Tighten your abdominal muscles for a good sheathing and keep your back straight throughout the movement.
- Perform the exercise in full range of motion at both the top and bottom of the movement.
- Stretch your calves regularly to maintain full range of motion.
Variant
- The standing calf exercise can be performed on a guided bar with a foot wedge or on a squat machine if you do not have a standing calf machine in your gym.
Find this exercise in the following program:
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