Part of these sets

This exercise rarely works alone. It appears in the following routines, where it is sequenced alongside the others that support it.

What it works

Primary muscles

Gastrocnemius, with the knee straight
Soleus, with the knee bent

Also involved

Tibialis posterior, supporting the arch as you rise
Small muscles of the foot, gripping through the toes

Equipment: None to start. A step for the eccentric version, a rolled towel for heel pain, and a rucksack or dumbbells to add load.

How to do it

1
Stand tall with the feet hip width apart, fingertips resting on a wall or counter for balance rather than support.
2
Rise slowly onto the balls of the feet over three seconds, pushing up through the big toe and second toe rather than rolling out towards the little toe.
3
Pause for a second at the top, as high as the ankles will take you.
4
Lower over three seconds until the heels touch, and pause briefly instead of bouncing into the next repetition.
5
Then repeat the whole set with the knees bent to about 30 degrees and kept bent throughout, which moves the work from the gastrocnemius down onto the soleus.

How much to do

3 sets of 12 to 15 with the knee straight, then 2 sets of 15 with the knee bent

Every other day

Slow and heavy beats fast and light for tendon and heel problems. The last two or three repetitions of a set should be genuinely hard, and once 15 are easy, add load rather than more repetitions.

Stop and get assessed if

Stop and get assessed if you feel a sudden sharp pain or a snapping sensation at the back of the ankle, or if the heel is painful to squeeze from the sides after an increase in running, which needs a stress fracture ruled out. A calf that becomes swollen, hot or tender at rest needs same day medical review rather than more exercise.

Common mistakes

Bouncing up and down: Speed lets the Achilles spring you along like a rubber band, which loads the tendon briefly and trains very little. Three seconds up and three seconds down is what changes tendon tissue.
Rolling out onto the little toe side: That roll unloads the big toe and the muscles that support the arch, which is often the exact weakness behind heel and arch pain. Keep the weight travelling out over the first two toes.
Only ever doing the straight knee version: The soleus sits underneath the gastrocnemius and only loads properly with the knee bent, so skipping that version leaves half the calf untrained and the half that matters most for walking.
Leaning on the counter: Hanging on the arms takes body weight off the calves, which is precisely the load you came for. Fingertips only, reducing towards one finger as balance improves.
Cutting the range short at the top: A half height raise trains a half range, and the top of the range is where the calf is weakest. Rise as high as the ankle allows, and if the heel barely lifts, the ankle needs mobility work alongside.

Making it harder

Single leg calf raises. Twenty controlled repetitions each side is the standard used when testing readiness to return to running, and it is a harder target than most people expect.
Eccentric lowering off a step: rise on both feet with the heels over the edge, shift onto one leg, and lower that heel slowly below the level of the step over three to five seconds, then step back up with both.
For plantar heel pain, prop the toes on a rolled towel so they are bent upwards, which lengthens the tissue under the foot and loads it along with the calf. Slow, heavy repetitions in this position, three sets, every other day, are the part that resolves it.
Add load with a rucksack or dumbbells once bodyweight repetitions are comfortable.

Making it easier

Seated calf raises, pushing up through the balls of the feet with the knees bent at a right angle, which removes most of the body weight.
Both feet, reduced range, with both hands on the counter, and build the range before you build the load.

Calf Raise