This article is really well written and easy to understand. I think that people will find this very useful, I for sure have learnt a lot from it.

The thing I wanted to add is the speed of rep. I notice that if I do the rep slowly and smoothly I feel the burn in my calf a lot more than doing it quickly. I have a feeling that when you speed up, the achilles tendon area attached to your ankle engages more (a bit like a safety reaction so the muscle doesnt tear), and you place less emphasis on the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Also whilst doing the rep slowly, I concentrate mentally (squeeze) on the muscle area as opposed to the lower tendon. Using this technique doing one-legged raises, I really feel the workout even without using any weights.

Best Regards,
Af

I think you’re absolutely right, and you’re nailing the point of this post right on the head. Most people should focus on building size and strength by using heavy weights, pointing the toes forward, and working the calves as a whole.

I decided to do an article on this since many places online are recommending pointing your toes for added variation in your calf workout. This can have it’s place for people who have already built up large calf muscles, but most people (myself included) should stick to the basics.

I appreciate the feedback and I’ve added an extra header near the end for clarity.

P.S.- Glad to hear you also enjoy reading Copyblogger.com ;)

I’m not so sure I agree with you on pointing the toes out but I don’t think it will be too much harm.

Question: do you think you would point your toes in or out if you were doing calf raises with a big weight on your shoulders?

RT