SEATED
CALF RAISE
CORRECT FORM
1)
Place your feet on the seated calf-raise platform. The balls of
your feet should be what contacts the ledge of the platform.
The thigh pads
should fit over the end of your thighs just above the knee.
Grasp the hand
grips.
Let the weight
push you down until your heels have dropped all the way down.
2) Push straight
upward coming completely up on your toes. Actively contract your
calves at the top of the motion.
3) Lower slowly
and under control. Do not bounce at the bottom.
4) Inhale as
you lower yourself. Exhale as you push up.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
Short of getting your hand caught somewhere in the machine or dropping
weight on yourself while you are racking it on the machine, it is
pretty difficult to injure yourself on a seated calf raise machine!
Remember though:
Do not bounce
at the bottom of the movement. The achilles tendon which attaches
the calf muscles to the calcaneus (heel) has a tendency to rupture
under extreme loads and fast velocities. If you perform the exercise
slowly and pause at the bottom, this should never happen unless
you have a had a previously severe injury to the achilles heel.
Always make sure
you feel the tension in this exercise in the calf muscle itself
and NOT in the achilles tendon. This tendon can become inflammed
easily and cause an achilles tendonitis.
EFFECTIVENESS
The seated calf raise primarily works the soleus muscle. The gastrocnemius
muscle crosses the knee joint and since the knee in this case is bent
to 90 degrees, the gastroc is on slack and is rendered less effective.
For many, training
the calves can be very frustrating. Typically, the calves are difficult
to grow primarily because they are so active during our lives.
Another reason
may the fact that because of the mechanical advantage of the achilles
tendon complex (what is called a second class lever), we have the
potential to lift large amounts of weight. Some bodybuilders and
weightlifters have been known to lift in excess of 1200 pounds.
Many people are reluctant to lift upwards of 300-400 pounds, despite
the fact that they are capable of lifting 6-8 repetitions of that
weight.
Fortunately
for most athletes, despite the use of the calves primarily with
jumping, having large, super-strong calves is not a necessity. After
all, if large, strong calves were THAT important in sports, bodybuilders
would be the most highly recruited pro basketball players wouldn't
they?
For athletes,
training the calves may be only necessary to achieve a baseline
level of strength. In this case, the standing
calf raise is really all you need since it hits both the gastrocnemius
and the soleus.
For bodybuilders,
it is much more important to train the calves in every way possible.
To make seated calf raises more effective, shorten your rest
time between sets and incorporate more eccentric (negatives) movements
one session every 3-4 weeks or so.
HELPFUL WITH TRAINING FOR
Bodybuilding. |
