Explosive Standing Calf Raises
First a little anatomy. By now, everyone is aware that the soleus is primarily composed of slow-twitch (ST) fibers and the gastrocnemius is made up of mainly fast-twitch (FT) fibers although other muscles are also involved in the calf raise (i.e. plantaris, tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, and flexor hallucis longus.)
However, it is the FT fibers that have the greatest capacity for the 3 S’s:
Size,
Strength and
Speed.
Yet, they have the least capacity for endurance. Also, since the gastrocs are so far away from the heart and have only one major blood supply (the sural artery), they tend to fatigue quickly as metabolic byproducts accumulate. This is the reason why calves are notorious for cramping. (I’m sure you’ve experienced this at least once in your life when, in the middle of your sleep, you are awakened to such severe knotting in your calves that all you can do is put the pillow over your face and scream as loud as possible until the pain subsides!) So, let’s take a look at all these factors. For strength of these FT fibers, high loads are necessary, but these loads should be moved at high speeds to garner their full potential. Since you are working at such high intensities (loads) and the capacity for endurance is low, do not perform high reps. Instead, do enough sets of lower repetitions to gain adequate size (hypertrophy.)
Next, let’s review some biomechanics. The soleus crosses only one joint – the ankle. That’s it! Therefore, it is primarily stressed with the knees bent (as in a seated calf raise.) Nothing new here. However, the gastrocnemius is a biarticular muscle meaning that it crosses two joints – the ankle and the knee. It is primarily stressed with the knees locked (as in standing calf raises.) Again, nothing foreign here. But, have you noticed that when you are doing a standing calf raise, you can lift more weight by bending your knees slightly? This reflexive action usually occurs near the end of a set as you fatigue. It is a natural way to perform a greater amount of work by eliciting an effective prestretch in the gastrocs (through the concurrent action of ankle dorsiflexion and knee flexion) and calling upon other muscles (i.e. hamstrings) to help out. Some call it cheating; we will term it controlled ballistic action in the context of this article. If you are not convinced, here’s an excerpt from the book “Facts and Fallacies of Fitness” by Dr. Siff that explains this phenomenon further:
“Try performing jumps on the spot with knees kept straight versus jumps which allow knee flexion. The fact that the latter permits you to reach a much greater height shows that bent knee action allows you to produce greater driving force, which in turn offers better conditions for calf development.”
Since some bodybuilders have a hard enough time spelling their name, I’m going to quickly review this exercise. Position yourself under the pads of a standing calf raise machine and lift the weight (the pads should be set low enough so that when you lower the weight to a full stretch position, the plates do not touch.) You will be pivoting, of course, on the balls of your feet. Let me make that clear: “of_your_feet!” If there are handles, grab on for the ride. And that’s all there is to it!
Positioning of the feet will influence the line of pull in the calf raise. Rotate the feet out and you stress more of the medial (inner) head; whereas, if you rotate the feet in, a greater emphasis is placed on the lateral (outer) head. This is old news that everyone should know. Well, here’s another trick to add to your arsenal of training info. Keep your feet straight (about hip-width apart) and roll over your big toe to emphasize the medial head or over your little toe to hit the lateral head. So, with just a few small adjustments, you can customize this exercise to fill in the gaps so to speak.
On the concentric (or weaker) contraction, it is important to: a) bend the knees slightly to create a prestretch or a spring-like hydraulic action to generate a great amount of force, and b) explode the weight up as fast as you can to activate as many motor units as possible. On the eccentric: a) the legs will extend at the top of the movement so keep them straight all the way down, and b) go slow on the way down (since you only recruit about half the fibers on the stronger eccentric contraction, the tension is actually double. This will induce some viscous microtrauma and encourage growth.)
I recommend a heavy weight (start with a load that is at least 20% greater than your regular 4RM load with the legs straight throughout.) If your machine does not have enough weight, do the exercise unilaterally – there should be more than enough weight if you use only one leg at a time (remember to start with your weak leg first.) Use a 4-6 set/rep scheme (4-6 sets of 4-6 reps.) The tempo is crucial: the positive contraction must be EXPLOSIVE (I mean put the machine through the ceiling!) and the negative contraction must be slow and controlled. A 4-1-X-1 tempo will dissipate some of the plyometric effect between contractions; an alternative would be no rest whatsoever between contractions (4-0-X-0) which will allow for even greater weight to be used. Take at least 3-5 minutes rest. You may wish to throw some abs in between.
To get a truly intense workout, another alternative is descending sets. Perform 2-4 reps and immediately drop the weight by about 10%. (Depending on your fiber type, you may need to adjust this percentage. Just try to achieve the same amount of reps – i.e. stay within the 2-4 rep bracket – with each drop.) Rest only long enough to change the weight and then go again. Repeat this process 2-3 times then make sure to take a minimum of 3 minutes rest before performing another set. This should give you just enough time to complete your rain dance (you’ll know what I mean once you try it!) I recommend a total of 3 sets every 4-5 days for optimum results. Hot bathes with epsom salts and some light stretching may be in order to deal with the subsequent soreness.
There you have it. Explosive standing calf raises may be the key that finally unlocks those stubborn calves into growth.
References
1. Bompa, T. Periodization of Strength. Toronto, ON: Veritas Publishing, 1993.
2. Siff, M.C. Facts and Fallacies of Fitness 4th ed. Supertraining International Denver, CO, 2000.
3. Supertraining Discussion Group.
John Paul Catanzaro, B.Sc., C.K., C.E.P., is a Certified Kinesiologist and Certified Exercise Physiologist with a Specialized Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science. He owns and operates a private gym in Richmond Hill, Ontario providing training and nutritional consulting services. For additional information, visit his website at http://www.CatanzaroGroup.com or call 905-780-9908.
Note: John Paul has just released his new book The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional. The book features 55 programs, dozens of training methods and cutting-edge techniques, and over 100 exercise illustrations. Pick up your copy today at http://www.TheEliteTrainer.com.
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