CALF
RAISE - LEG PRESS
CORRECT FORM
1) Place the balls
of your feet on the bottom edge of the leg press platform.
Push up and unlock the leg
press. Let the weight push your feet down until your ankles are
maximally flexed. Keep a slight bend in your knees. Do NOT lock
your knees.
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.
You can also do this
exercise with one leg at a time as shown:
MUSCLES USED
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
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
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 leg press calf raise
is really all you need.
For bodybuilders, it is much more important to train the calves
in every way possible. To make leg press calf raises more effective,
shorten your rest time between sets and incorporate more eccentric
(negatives) movements one session every 3-4 weeks or so.
The one-leg calf raise is effective also because you if gives you
a chance to overload the muscle without using as much weight. Being
pinned down by lots of weight on a leg press can get very uncomfortable.
HELPFUL
WITH TRAINING FOR
Bodybuilding, possibly
sports involving jumping. |
