Calf exercises - FreeTrainers.com Forums

Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 379, Messages: 54578

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Calf exercises

spanishgirl Posts: 157 Joined: 2001/06/06	2001/07/20, 09:49 AM Which calf exercise is the best...standing calf raises or seated? And what different parts of the calf does the seated incline calf raise hit that the regular one does not? About two years ago I tried doing single calf raises...and they got REALLY REALLY sore...I mean...I had some terrible pain for about a week...coulnd't walk..I think I shocked them a little too much! What is the best for calfs? Thanks!!

jbennett Posts: 1,558 Joined: 2001/02/28	2001/07/20, 12:20 PM Seated and standing calf raises actually target slightly different muscles in the calf. Seated calf raises affect the soleus muscles of the lower calf, while the upper muscles are targeted more by standing calf raises. Be sure to use a nice high block to stand on to get full range of motion when performing calf raises.
andezzz999 Posts: 12 Joined: 2001/07/20	2001/07/20, 07:57 PM The answer is both. Mix it up but start slowly and increment the weight and reps to allow your muscle to get used to the burn. I work my legs hard but skip the hamstring area, when I go back to that area, I too notice some pain.
jpcorrao Posts: 117 Joined: 2001/02/12	2001/07/23, 03:11 PM It helps to stretch between each set to elongate the muscle
tt_rocker Posts: 389 Joined: 2001/01/25	2001/07/24, 04:36 PM I find seated calf raises a lot harder than the standing version since they islote the calf muscle more. Alternate between both versions for better results.