11 Best Calf Workouts: Strength From The Bottom Up

Have you ever seen someone in great condition…and then you see their lower legs are out of proportion? 

You know the type, a nicely defined upper body, quads, and hamstrings, with puny calves to support the weight.

If you don’t want to second guess yourself when looking in the mirror, you should be doing calf workouts. These muscles are often forgotten about in the gym to work on larger muscle groups instead.

However, the legs take us places, and should always be a priority in any workout routine. Building strong calves helps your body carry your weight around, stay balanced, and are essential for explosive movements.

Don’t be the guy (or girl) at the gym with tiny calves that aren’t proportionate to the rest of your body. Use this calf workout, which can mostly be done at home, to build a strong foundation.

First, let’s look at the calf muscles to know what you’ll be focusing on. Then, we’ll get into the best exercises to do for your calves to improve mobility and reduce the risk of injury.

How to Get Bigger Calves

The calf is made up of two main muscles, the soleus, and the gastrocnemius.

The soleus is a small muscle that comes from either side of the knee, winding down the leg to the back of the ankle. The primary responsibility for this muscle is to help you point your toes. They aren’t visible from the outside but play an important role in mobility and balance.

The gastrocnemius is the two-headed large muscle right under the knee, on the back of the calf. Highly developed gastrocnemius will be thick and well defined, visible from all sides. The interior gastrocnemius is the caput medial while the exterior is the caput lateral.

The remaining muscles that make up the calf:

• Tibialis anterior and posterior
• Fibularis brevis, tertius, and longus
• Extensor digitorum longus
• Extensor hallucis longus
• Poplitues 

All these muscles work together to provide explosive movements and ankle mobility. An underdeveloped calf can lead to muscle strains, leg cramps, and shin splints.

Here are some of the best calf exercises to do that are simple but effective.

1. Jumping Jacks

A popular warmup exercise, jumping jacks are a great calf exercise that will also get you ready for your leg workout.

You can do this bodyweight calf exercise from just about anywhere and will help with explosive movements.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your feet together, arms at your sides.
2. Jump and spread your legs until they are about shoulder-width apart while bringing your hands overhead to clap. 
3. Jump again and return to the starting position.

This is an easy calf exercise to include in your warmup for leg day or any other day to keep your calves flexible. Complete as many jumping jacks as you can for one minute before stopping to rest.

2. Jumping Rope

Improve your coordination with this warm-up exercise while building mass in your calves. This will also help with explosive movements and improve your jump height.

How to do it: 

1. Place the jump rope under your feet and a handle in each hand.
2. Jump with both feet while you bring the rope behind you and over your head.
3. Engage your core and keep your shoulders down so only your lower arms are moving as the rope goes around.
4. As the rope comes around to the front of your feet, jump again.
5. Continue jumping as the rope circles your body, timing the jump with the rope going under your feet.

Complete this calf exercise for a full minute. If you can’t at first, do 30-seconds and then take a 10-second break before you finish the minute.

3. Toe Raises

This is another great bodyweight calf exercise to help build mass and also avoid shin splints. Sit down on a stair, bench, or chair to complete this workout.

How to do it: 

1. Sit down with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Bring your toes up as high as you can so that only your heels are touching the ground.
3. Squeeze your calf muscles at the top before you bring your toes back down to the starting position.

Complete this exercise for a full minute, going as fast as you can between reps.

4. Standing Wall Calf Stretch

Stretch out the gastrocnemius, release tension in the Achilles tendon, and help with plantar fasciitis pain compound calf exercise.

This is another calf exercise done without equipment, though you will need a wall to complete it.

How to do it:

1. Stand facing the wall, at least a few feet away.
2. Place one foot on the wall so your toes are touching and your heel is still on the ground.
3. Place your hands on the wall in front of you and lean forward until you feel a deep stretch in the calf.
4. Hold for 15 – 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat.

5. Downward Dog

This exercise made our list for a great full-body workout without equipment. It’s also an excellent way to get a full calf stretch, which will help with mobility and balance.

We already provided step-by-step instructions on this exercise here, so we won’t go through it again. Consider adding this exercise to increase your calf flexibility. It can also be a fantastic way to warm up your muscles prior to a workout.

To get a great stretch, pedal the feet back and forth by bending one knee and then the other. Wait until you are fully into the downward dog when doing this.

6. Agility Ladder

If you don’t have an agility ladder, you can create lines using chalk or tape. This move will help with coordination, maneuverability, and balance, which is why it’s used so much in sports.

How to do it:

1. Place the ladder on the floor and stand at one end.
2. Run or hop from one end to the other, going as fast as you can without losing your balance.
3. Go back to the start and complete.

Do as many rounds as you can in one minute. Rest up to 45 seconds before moving to the next exercise.

7. Standing Calf Raise

Once you’ve done your calf stretches, you’ll be ready to try this next exercise. It stretches and strengthens, creating a full range of motion for the gastrocnemius. 

You’ll need an elevated surface, either a riser or step to complete this exercise. The standing calf raise should be done without weights at first. Gradually add in weight, using dumbbells or kettlebells.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet on the edge of the riser or step, with your heel hanging off.
2. If you are holding a weight, keep it down to your side throughout your reps.
3. Engage your core to maintain stability.
4. Lift your heels as high as you can and pause for a second at the top.
5. Lower yourself back down, this time going as low as you can to get a full stretch in the calf muscles.
6. Continue this up and down motion to complete your sets.

Complete up to 30 reps and three sets for this exercise. Stop to take a break if needed, try to limit this time to no more than 30 seconds between sets.

Bonus: To hit all the muscles in the calf, change your foot position as you progress through the sets. Keep your foot straight for one set, move your toes out to focus on the outside muscles for the next. Then finish your calf raises with your toes facing inward to target the interior muscles.

8. Seated Calf Raise

The seated calf raise is a great way to isolate the soleus muscle. You’ll need a place to sit, like a chair or weight bench.

Grab two heavy dumbbells to complete this calf workout.

How to do it:

1. Sit tall on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the floor. 
2. Place each dumbbell on your thighs, close to your knees, holding them steady.
3. Keep your core engaged while you lift your heels up as high as they’ll go.
4. Lower your heels back down slowly. Repeat.

Complete 12 – 15 reps for three or four sets. Take up to 45-second breaks between sets as needed.

You can also do this calf workout seated at the leg press machine. You won’t need the dumbbells if you do it this way. Sit down with your toes on the bottom of the platform. Push back as far as you can, keeping your toes on the platform at all times. Continue to step four and repeat.

Bonus: Just like the standing calf raise, you can move your toe position in seated calf raises, too. 

9. Weighted Toe Walks/Farmer’s Carry on Toes

Strengthen your calves and ankles while also improving mobility and balance. You’ll need kettlebells or dumbbells for this one, which will also strengthen your grip. Start with a lighter weight to make sure your balance is even before progressing to heavier weights.

How to do it:

1. Stand at one end of the room with a weight in each hand at your sides.
2. Rise up on your tiptoes and walk in small steps to the other end of the room.
3. Turn around and walk back to the beginning, staying on your toes the entire time.

Depending on the length of the room, one set is either the entire length or walking back and forth. Complete three sets, taking up to 90 seconds between sets as needed.

10. BOSU Ball Squat

This calf workout will improve stability throughout the calf and ankle. It’s also a great workout for the hamstrings, quads, and core.

This squat will require a barbell and a BOSU ball. Use an unloaded barbell to get the form down before adding weights.

How to do it:

1. Place the BOSU ball with the flat side up. Grab the barbell like you are preparing to do a regular squat.
2. Place one foot on the edge of the ball. Place your other foot opposite the first and balance yourself evenly on the ball.
3. Get into a squat position and squat down while breathing in and up while breathing out.

Complete 10 – 12 reps for three sets, taking up to 60-seconds between sets to rest as needed.

If you don’t have your squat form down, learn how to squat like a pro before trying this move. Want more BOSU ball exercises? We’ve got them right here.

11. Dumbbell Jump Squat

This plyometric exercise helps with stabilization and balance while working to improve calf muscle mass.

As the name suggests, you’ll need a dumbbell for this exercise to complete your intense calf workout.

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasping each end of the dumbbell in your hands.
2. Push your hips back to lower down into the squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3. In one explosive movement, straighten your legs and jump up to come out of the squat.
4. Land with your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact.
5. Lower back down into the squat position and repeat.

Complete 8 – 12 reps for two to three sets. Take up to 90 seconds as needed between sets.

Wrapping Up

These calf exercises will give you an intense workout and can be done at home with little equipment. Sure, you can go to the gym and use the calf machine, but you can get a powerful workout right at home, too.

These calf workouts will improve stability, balance, mobility, and build strength in the lower legs. Vintage Boost™ will build testosterone for strength and energy while also speeding up the recovery process.

What are your favorite calf exercises? Do you incorporate them into other muscle groups you’re already working that day? We’d love to hear your routine in the comments below.