• All
  • Back / Lats
  • Biceps
  • Chest
  • Coaches Corner
  • Delts
  • Exercise Execution
  • Hormones & Physiology
  • Legs
  • Nutrition
  • Premium Articles
  • Supplements
  • Training
  • Triceps

Shopping Guidelines: Meat & Dairy

Grocery shopping can be a daunting task. Organic, cage-free, grass-fed, non-GMO, certified, fortified, petrified…there are so many choices and so ...

Read More

Hack Your Sleep for Faster Results

In today’s society, emphasis is placed on work and productivity over anything else.  This could mean sacrificing quality of nutrition ...

Read More

What Carbs Are Best For Gaining Muscle and Losing Fat?

Muscles store carbohydrates exclusively as glycogen, which is basically a long chain of glucose molecules linked together. The level of ...

Read More

Lactic Acid: The Power of the BURN!

The ‘BURN’... both masochistically loved and hated at the same time. We’ve all felt it. We’ve all heard varying opinions ...

Read More

Resistant Starch: Part 1 of 3 – What is it?

What if I told you there was a starch that increased insulin sensitivity, preserved muscle, and helped burn body fat? ...

Read More

The Serotonin Advantage

In a startling feat of biological engineering, our body must involuntarily produce an array of chemicals to promote specific actions ...

Read More
  See More

Bent-Knee Calf Movements


Guidelines for all Bent-Knee Calf movements
(unless specifically stated otherwise)

  • place the ball of the foot in contact with the pad / platform / ground
  • medium stance unless stated otherwise (hips, knees and ankles inline)
  • keep knees stable throughout (when standing, lock out quads and contract the glutes)
  • ensure full ankle flexion and extension (not foot)
  • only come up from the bottom when the tibialis anterior at the front contracts
  • focus on driving the weight through the big toe (not via the outsides of the feet)
  • when you think you’re up all the way, go a little further (max height); aim for a huge peak contraction and really fight for those inches, bring the heels up as high as physically possible.
  •  
    * Consciously think also about pulling the knees / ankles together throughout (inward ‘intent’).

 

Seated Calf Raises

    Exercise Specific:

  • some assistance with the last few reps (pulling with forearms) is acceptable, though use common sense to determine if you’re just being too ambitious with the weight and adjust accordingly next time if so.

 

Squatting Bodyweight Calf Raises

    Exercise Specific:

  • hold onto something for support, then squat down until the bottom position is reached
  • ensure centre of gravity is over the toes
  • remaining in this position throughout, raise up onto the tips of the toes at the top
  • attempt to momentarily touch heels to the ground at the bottom if ankle flexibility allows (with no compromising of form); this may not be possible for some but not others – just work within the range achievable with perfect execution.