Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise
oec:dumbbell-standing-calf-raise
A lower-leg isolation exercise performed by holding dumbbells at your sides and elevating your heels to strengthen the calves.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Dumbbell Calf Raise, Standing DB Calf Raise, Dumbbell or Machine Calf Raise
How to do it
Setup
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms hanging naturally at your sides.
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and toes pointing straight ahead, optionally placing the balls of your feet on a raised ledge or weight plate for greater range of motion.
- Keep your knees straight but unlocked and maintain an upright torso.
Movement
- Press through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible.
- Pause briefly at the top of the contraction, squeezing your calf muscles.
- Lower your heels under control back to the starting position until you feel a full stretch.
Breathing
Exhale as you press up onto your toes; inhale as you slowly lower your heels.
Cues
- Push straight up through the big toes.
- Control the descent; do not bounce out of the bottom.
- Keep the knees stable without bending them to generate momentum.
Common faults
- Bouncing at the bottom of the movement.
- Pause for a split second at the bottom stretch before initiating the next repetition to eliminate the stretch reflex.
- Bending the knees to assist the lift.
- Keep the knees extended throughout to maintain tension on the gastrocnemius.
- Rolling onto the outer edges of the feet.
- Drive primarily through the balls of the feet and big toes to keep ankle alignment neutral.
Safety
- If performing off an elevated surface, ensure the ledge is stable to prevent slipping.
Muscles
Joints
- Ankle: Plantarflexion, Dorsiflexion
- Subtalar: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Ankle isolation
- Modality
- Strength, Hypertrophy
- Mechanics
- isolation
- Force
- push
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Record
- Repetitions and Load
- Load
- external, per implement
Related
- variation of Standing Calf Raise
- progression of Standing Calf Raise
- variation of Dumbbell Calf Raise
- substitute for Machine Standing Calf Raise
- substitute for Leg Press Calf Raise
- substitute for Hack Squat Calf Raise
Sources
- wger: Dumbbell or Machine Calf Raise (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.