Calf Raise Hold

Muscles worked by the Calf Raise Hold

Primary

CalvesGastrocnemius

Secondary

Soleus

Also called: calf, calves, gastrocnemius, gastroc.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Calf Raise Hold

1. Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Push through the balls of your feet and rise onto your toes as high as you can.
3. Keep your knees straight and your weight over the middle of your feet, not rolling out to the little toes.
4. Stop at the top and hold the position, heels as high as possible.
5. Keep your hips level, your chest tall and your breathing slow while you hold for the planned time.
6. Lower your heels slowly to the floor and rest.

Form tips

• Hold on to a wall or a rack with one hand if you wobble; the aim is the calf contraction, not the balance.
• Do not let the heels sink during the hold; if they drop, end the set instead of bouncing back up.
• Add a pair of dumbbells or a loaded backpack once you can hold bodyweight for a full minute.

At a glance

Calf Raise Hold in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Barbell Calf Raise
• Bodyweight Calf Raise
• Donkey Calf Raise
• Dumbbell Calf Raise
• Hack Squat Calf Raise
• Kettlebell Tibialis Raise
• Machine Calf Raise
• Plate-Loaded Donkey Calf Raise

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "calf-raise-hold",
  "name_en": "Calf Raise Hold",
  "name_de": "Wadenheben-Halt",
  "name_es": "Elevación de Talones Isométrica",
  "description_en": "An isometric calf exercise: you rise onto the balls of your feet with the knees straight and hold the top position. The gastrocnemius and the soleus stay under constant tension at the point where a calf raise is hardest, with no movement to hide behind.",
  "description_de": "Eine isometrische Wadenübung: Du stellst dich mit gestreckten Knien auf die Fußballen und hältst die obere Position. Gastrocnemius und Soleus stehen am schwersten Punkt des Wadenhebens dauerhaft unter Spannung, ohne dass eine Bewegung die Arbeit kaschiert.",
  "description_es": "Un ejercicio isométrico de pantorrillas: te elevas sobre las puntas de los pies con las rodillas estiradas y mantienes la posición alta. Los gemelos y el sóleo permanecen bajo tensión constante en el punto en que la elevación de talones es más difícil, sin movimiento que lo disimule.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "lower_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gastrocnemius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "soleus"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "endurance",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day",
    "calf_focus",
    "knee_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "calf-raise",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides.",
    "Push through the balls of your feet and rise onto your toes as high as you can.",
    "Keep your knees straight and your weight over the middle of your feet, not rolling out to the little toes.",
    "Stop at the top and hold the position, heels as high as possible.",
    "Keep your hips level, your chest tall and your breathing slow while you hold for the planned time.",
    "Lower your heels slowly to the floor and rest."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle dich aufrecht hin, die Füße etwa hüftbreit auseinander und die Arme locker seitlich am Körper.",
    "Drücke dich über die Fußballen ab und erhebe dich so hoch wie möglich auf die Zehenspitzen.",
    "Halte die Knie gestreckt und dein Gewicht über der Fußmitte, ohne zu den kleinen Zehen wegzurollen.",
    "Stoppe oben und halte die Position, die Fersen so hoch wie möglich.",
    "Halte die Hüfte waagerecht, die Brust aufrecht und die Atmung langsam, während du für die geplante Zeit hältst.",
    "Senke die Fersen langsam zum Boden und ruhe dich aus."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie, erguido, con los pies separados aproximadamente al ancho de las caderas y los brazos relajados a los costados.",
    "Empuja con la parte delantera de los pies y elévate sobre las puntas tan alto como puedas.",
    "Mantén las rodillas estiradas y el peso sobre el centro de los pies, sin dejar que ruede hacia los dedos pequeños.",
    "Detente arriba y mantén la posición, con los talones lo más altos posible.",
    "Mantén las caderas niveladas, el pecho elevado y la respiración lenta mientras aguantas el tiempo previsto.",
    "Baja los talones despacio hasta el suelo y descansa."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Hold on to a wall or a rack with one hand if you wobble; the aim is the calf contraction, not the balance.",
    "Do not let the heels sink during the hold; if they drop, end the set instead of bouncing back up.",
    "Add a pair of dumbbells or a loaded backpack once you can hold bodyweight for a full minute."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte dich mit einer Hand an einer Wand oder einem Rack fest, wenn du wackelst; es geht um die Kontraktion der Wade, nicht um die Balance.",
    "Lass die Fersen während des Halts nicht absinken; wenn sie fallen, beende den Satz, statt wieder hochzufedern.",
    "Nimm ein Paar Kurzhanteln oder einen beladenen Rucksack dazu, sobald du das Körpergewicht eine volle Minute halten kannst."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Si te tambaleas, apóyate con una mano en una pared o en un rack; el objetivo es la contracción de la pantorrilla, no el equilibrio.",
    "No dejes que los talones se hundan durante el aguante; si bajan, termina la serie en lugar de volver a subir con rebote.",
    "Añade un par de mancuernas o una mochila con peso cuando puedas mantener el peso corporal durante un minuto completo."
  ],
  "met": 3.5,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/calf-raise-hold-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "calf-raise-hold");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.