Standing Isometric Calf Raise
Key notes
- Type of exercise: Isotonic
- Muscles used:Gastrocnemius and soleus
- Good for: Developing strength and power
- When to use during rehab: Early to middle stages of rehab
Equipment options
If you’re doing this exercise with a patient in clinic, it’s best to use an Olympic bar and squat rack. If your patient is doing this in the gym, there is usually specialist equipment for calf raises. However, if they’re at home the best alternative is to use a weighted backpack instead.
Method
- With the bar across the tops of the patient’s shoulders, have them take it off of the squat rack and stand firmly.
- Next, have them push up onto their tiptoes in a slow controlled manner (this should take roughly 2-4 seconds to do).
- Once they’re done this, have them bring their heels back down to the ground, controlling the weight as they do so (this should also take around 2-4 seconds).
Escalating difficulty
There’s no need to escalate the difficulty of this exercise as the patient should be close to failure when completing the final rep, of the last set.
- The weight that is used should be determined by the number of reps and sets that you set for your patient.
