Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise

How to Perform the Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise

Stand upright holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your arms fully extended.
Position the balls of your feet on an elevated surface such as a step or weight plate, allowing your heels to hang off the edge.
Stand tall with your chest up, shoulders back, and core engaged for balance.
Rise up onto your toes by contracting your calf muscles, pushing as high as you can.
Hold the top position for a one-second squeeze to maximize the contraction.
Slowly lower your heels below the level of the platform to achieve a full stretch in the calves.
Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions without bouncing at the bottom.

Bouncing at the bottom of the rep to use momentum

Lower under control and pause briefly at the bottom stretch before rising again.

Using a partial range of motion

Lower your heels fully below the platform and rise as high as possible on each rep for full range of motion.

Leaning forward or rounding the back

Keep your torso upright and core braced throughout the movement.

●Perform these single-leg for greater intensity if both-leg raises become too easy with available dumbbells.
●Hold the top contraction for 2-3 seconds to increase time under tension.
●Train calves with higher rep ranges as they are endurance-oriented muscles accustomed to daily use.

Strength

4-5 sets of 6-8 reps with heavy dumbbells

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 10-15 reps at moderate weight

Endurance

2-3 sets of 20-30 reps at light weight

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