How To Do & Muscles Worked

one leg calf raises

Calf raises work just the calves in the lower leg. Performing them on two legs is easiest and mostly focuses on strength. However, performing them on only one leg is more challenging as you have to lift all your body weight with just one leg now - while balancing. It’s a functional exercise for when you must reach up high into cabinets.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
Moderate
Challenging

Which Muscles Are Worked?

Diagram of primary and secondary muscles worked from One leg calf raises

Primary Muscles

Calves

Secondary Muscles

Exercise Type

How to do one leg calf raises Properly

Step by Step Guide

Begin standing with all of your weight on one leg. Lift the other leg off the ground and hover it in the air a few inches off the ground. Hold onto a wall, countertop, or chair in front of you, if desired.

Raise up onto your toes as you lift the heel as high as possible.

Then, lower your heel back down.

Repeat for the desired repetitions, on both legs.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is not going up high enough onto your toes. So as you raise up, shift the weight into your big toe a little more. And rise up as high as you possibly can to strengthen those calves through a larger range of motion.