Standing One-Leg Dumbbell Calf Raises
Overview
This exercise focuses on your calves, like you might assume. The scientific name for your calves is “triceps surae,” but people often confuse that with your arm triceps, so we’ll just call them calf muscles. They extend from just behind your knee to your Achilles tendon.
Standing calf raises won’t hit your soleus muscle, only the gastrocnemius muscle. You need to combine standing calf raises with seated calf raises.
Instructions
To begin, place your left foot on the step, so your heel is over the edge. Keep a slight bend in the knee, to put even more emphasis on your calf. Hold your dumbbell on the same side that you’re stepping with.
Lift your other leg slightly, so you’re not putting any weight on it.
Lift yourself in a smooth, steady motion, exhaling as you do, then lower yourself down while inhaling.Try to move in a controlled manner, especially when coming down.
Tips
It’s totally okay to use your free hand to balance, but a common mistake is to try and support your weight with that free hand. All your weight should be on your calf.
Calf muscles are very dense, so you need to do a lot of reps, at least fifteen or twenty, for each set. I recommend three sets of fifteen.
So that’s the one-leg dumbbell calf raise. Very simple, but very effective. Thanks for watching!
