Single Leg Calf Raise

Muscles worked by the Single Leg Calf Raise

Primary

CalvesGastrocnemius

Secondary

Soleus

Also called: calf, calves, gastrocnemius, gastroc.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Single Leg Calf Raise

1. Stand on one foot with the ball of the foot on a raised platform, heel free.
2. Hold a wall or rail for balance with one hand.
3. Drop the heel below platform level for a deep stretch.
4. Drive up onto the toes as high as possible.
5. Lower under control. Complete reps per side, then switch.

Form tips

• Pause at the top to maximize the contraction.
• Use a slow eccentric for full stretch.
• Hold a dumbbell on the working side once bodyweight is too easy.

At a glance

Single Leg Calf Raise 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
• Machine Calf Raise
• Plate-Loaded Donkey Calf Raise
• Seated 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": "single-leg-calf-raise",
  "name_en": "Single Leg Calf Raise",
  "name_de": "Einbeiniges Wadenheben",
  "name_es": "Elevación de Pantorrilla a Una Pierna",
  "description_en": "A unilateral calf raise that loads one calf at a time, exposing strength imbalances side to side.",
  "description_de": "Ein einseitiges Wadenheben, das eine Wade zur Zeit belastet und Seitenungleichgewichte aufdeckt.",
  "description_es": "Una elevación de pantorrilla unilateral que carga una pantorrilla a la vez y expone desequilibrios laterales.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "lower_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gastrocnemius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "soleus"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "leg_day",
    "calf_focus"
  ],
  "variation_group": "calf-raise",
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand on one foot with the ball of the foot on a raised platform, heel free.",
    "Hold a wall or rail for balance with one hand.",
    "Drop the heel below platform level for a deep stretch.",
    "Drive up onto the toes as high as possible.",
    "Lower under control. Complete reps per side, then switch."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe auf einem Fuß, Fußballen auf einer erhöhten Plattform, Ferse frei.",
    "Halte dich mit einer Hand zur Balance an einer Wand fest.",
    "Senke die Ferse unter Plattformhöhe für tiefe Dehnung.",
    "Drücke so hoch wie möglich auf die Zehen.",
    "Senke kontrolliert ab. Wiederholungen pro Seite, dann wechseln."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Mantente sobre un pie con la punta sobre una plataforma elevada, talón al aire.",
    "Sujétate a una pared o barandilla con una mano para equilibrio.",
    "Baja el talón por debajo de la plataforma para un estiramiento profundo.",
    "Empuja arriba sobre la punta tan alto como puedas.",
    "Baja con control. Repeticiones por lado, luego cambia."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Pause at the top to maximize the contraction.",
    "Use a slow eccentric for full stretch.",
    "Hold a dumbbell on the working side once bodyweight is too easy."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte oben kurz inne, um die Kontraktion zu maximieren.",
    "Nutze eine langsame exzentrische Phase für volle Dehnung.",
    "Halte eine Kurzhantel auf der Arbeitsseite, sobald Körpergewicht zu leicht wird."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Pausa arriba para maximizar la contracción.",
    "Usa una excéntrica lenta para el estiramiento completo.",
    "Sostén una mancuerna del lado que trabaja cuando el peso corporal sea fácil."
  ],
  "met": 3.5,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/single-leg-calf-raise-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/single-leg-calf-raise-peak.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 === "single-leg-calf-raise");

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.