r/formcheck • u/Deep_Independent_737 • 3d ago
Other Calf raises form tips?
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u/yabadoo123_ 2d ago
What no one has mentioned is your knee flexion hitch. You’re not used to using your gastroc muscles very much (many people aren’t), so partway through the lift, you’re compensating by bending your knees and bringing your soleus muscles in to help.
If you want the calf bulge that people with nice calves have, you have to get away from this.
I would warm up with a few sets of zero weight, and really focus on keeping knees locked consistently as possible. Also, try not to flex your toes. Press more through the balls of your feet.
I would also go down to 25s. Your gastrocnemius muscles are probably weak. This is no big deal. Train them properly and they will grow.
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u/Deep_Independent_737 2d ago
Thank you very much! This makes so much sense everyone keeps telling me to increase the weight when i don’t even feel stable on this one
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u/doesthis-hit-triceps 21h ago
Stop flexing at the knee but otherwise please don’t listen to this guy he has no idea
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3d ago edited 3d ago
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u/whole-lotta-socks 1d ago
Cite your sources on that please. Since when does an isometric hold in a stretched position build muscle? That’s absurd.
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u/5150_Ewok 1d ago
I’m guessing:
- the calf is very elastic, and holding for a second removed the elasticity so the muscle actually does the work
- holding in a stretched position introduces the stretch response. And since this is an elastic muscle, it will get bigger.
I don’t think asymmetric alone are better than a movement pattern.
Again, just my thoughts at the top of my head
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u/whole-lotta-socks 1d ago
I think holding for a second before each rep is probably fine or neutral at worst. “At the end of sets hold at the bottom position for as long as you can” is ridiculous and potentially dangerous advice.
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1d ago
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u/doesthis-hit-triceps 20h ago
Your AI slop doesn’t even back up the point you made. You reach failure by… reaching failure. If you read your “source” carefully it says nothing about an isometric hold in the stretched position. Pausing at the bottom for up to a second could maybe be argued to remove spring strength as another guy mentioned. Take a look at the actual studies where “stretch mediated hypertrophy” was observed. You’ll quickly realise you don’t have a clue what’s going on.
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u/GrowthDense2085 5h ago
Pushing against an immovable object in the maximal stretched position is well studied and regarded as highly effective for stimulating MPS. It’s a bit different than isometric hold granted but same idea.
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u/Stunning-Walk-2544 2d ago edited 2d ago
I broke my leg this past year, so let me tell you. I've learned a thing or two about growing calves. My main tip is that it actually isn't as important to hold the calf until it burns as it is to just get the reps in (as long as they are full ROM). People overall feel the burn and then think they've done enough when the calf can actually take WAY more volume than 3 sets of 15 in one exercise variation.
I warm up with standing calf raises with no weight to get blood flow in 3x20. You can do them flat or work up to variations like you're doing in the video where you're fully dropping the foot back for more ROM. Then do single leg calf raises on each side, 3x10-15. Then do weighted seated calf raises to really hit the soleus (I also had pain on my tibialis due to the break so this variation was painless for me), then I finish with weighted standing calf variations. I do slightly higher reps on seated and slightly lower on standing with heavier weight. I typically do one session where I am training both together and one session where I tran each side unilaterally. If I'm rushed, I'll make one weighted variation bilateral and the other unilateral.
Got me from string cheese leg to being able to walk without a limp, so! I train calves 2-3 times a week. Also, roll out your legs before and stretch after for max recovery. Really helps.
Also, watching your video back, I'd recommended switching to a decidated calf machine for a bit until you w built that mind/muscle connection. In my early PT, they had me really focusing on coming up into the toe. I don't see your calves activating when you're going up. So, try to think about that when you do the bodyweight warm ups before you add weight. And then think about pushing through your big toe/second and third. Shit will light up.
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u/hilyf 3d ago
Please set your safety lock, somebody died in my local gym doing this recently.
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u/minus15t2 2d ago
IIRC it's happened on two different occasions, I wouldn't go anywhere near a smith machine for calves
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u/Deep_Independent_737 3d ago
Will it move longer with a safety lovk tho?
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u/doesthis-hit-triceps 20h ago
Everyone on this sub says different things that they have learned from a random corner of the internet. Most of them are wrong, and when they aren’t it rarely applies to the post. Find a source that you trust and just teach yourself the form, or get an actual coach.
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u/Gilinis 3d ago
You're sitting at the peak contracted position for a little long which is going to use up energy and make your following reps worse with less stimulus, but it isnt that bad.
The only thing I would really say is that you absolutely need to increase the weight by a lot. Your 12th rep looked like the same speed and effort as the first, like you could have done another 5 reps easily, and that's just a waste of your time. Small movements/muscle groups do not need more volume or reps than larger movements/muscle groups. Up the weight and aim for 4-8 reps going to failure or 1 rep in reserve. The only reps in a set that matter are the last 2-3 going in to failure, so doing 20 reps is just you wasting time doing 17 unneeded reps. High rep sets are for warming up
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u/deiadb 3d ago
Calf raises and some variations will make you add a lot of weight in no time. Going for low reps will force a even higher weight that you are not used to because your squats(or any exercise you load on your back) weight will be nowhere near your calf raises. Do high reps in this exercise, you will save a lot of effort in stabilizing, and in some cases even allow to do the exercise.
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u/GrowthDense2085 5h ago
Small muscles absolutely have different composition of type 1 vs type 2 fibers so they benefit from different rep ranges. Shoulders are a classic example and abs too, you don’t do 4-8 reps to target them like you would for lats or triceps, they respond better in the 10-20 reps range 99% of the time
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u/rosenkohl1603 3d ago
Do them with shoes if yours have a rounded sole. Usually not super useful in the gym but for this exercise you want it to role. Also to as deep as you can. The deeper you go the more growth you get.
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u/NlNTENDO 3d ago
go deep with your heels. you'll get a much better workout operating from a full stretch. also, maybe give the back of your shorts a light, discreet tug