Calf raises (2 up 1 down)

What you should feel?? When performed correctly, you will feel a “burn” or fatigue build up in the muscles of the calf or lower leg. You may also feel some fatigue or muscular pain in the feet or the sole/arch of your feet. This should only be a discomfort and not pain. If you feel anything that is out of the ordinary then consult with your therapist. If you are doing full range raises then the calf muscles should start to build up discomfort and fatigue quite quickly, but because the calves are predominantly and endurance muscle the pain will be able to be sustained throughout your set.

• Holding on to something for balance
• push through the balls of your feet to raise the heels as high as you can
• The higher you can go, the more effective the exercise will be
• Control the lowering phase at a steady speed to go as low as you can without resting at the bottom
• When you reach the top, take away the opposite foot and slowly lower yourself with one side only
• Control the lowering phase at a steady speed
• And repeat until finished the set

• Calf muscles
• Specifically, Soleus and Gastrocnemius
• Muscles of the foot and toes

A calf raise of 2 up and 1 down is done to emphasise the eccentric phase of a calf raise which is the lowering phase of a contraction. This is usually used with tendon rehabilitation but can also be used to for other reasons like increasing muscle damage to encourage muscular growth/hypertrophy.