Seated Calf Raise
Sit with the pad across your lower thighs, balls of feet on the platform, heels hanging off. Release the safety and lower heels for a full stretch. Press through the balls of your feet to raise heels as high as possible, squeezing at the top. Lower with control. Targets the soleus muscle, complementing standing calf work.
Muscles worked
Primary
Equipment
How to do it
- Sit in the machine with the pad across the lower thighs and the balls of the feet on the platform.
- Release the safety and let the heels drop into a full calf stretch.
- Brace the core and press through the balls of the feet to raise the heels as high as possible.
- Pause briefly at the top with the calves squeezed.
- Lower under control all the way back to the stretched position.
- Keep the toes pointed straight ahead through every rep.
Watch for
- Cutting the range short at the top or the bottom.
- Bouncing out of the stretch.
- Toes drifting outward to shift the load.
Breathing
Exhale as you raise, inhale as you lower.
Tip
The seated version biases the soleus; pause at the top long enough to feel the squeeze before lowering.
Track this exercise in the SmartReps app
Log sets, reps and weight, and let the AI coach plan your progression — free on iOS and Android.
Log this exercise in SmartReps
