Smith Machine Calf Raise

Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Calf Raise

Primary

CalvesGastrocnemius

Secondary

Soleus

Also called: calf, calves, gastrocnemius, gastroc.

Equipment

Smith Machine

Also called: smith bar, guided barbell, fixed barbell, smith press.

How to do the Smith Machine Calf Raise

1. Place the Smith machine bar across your upper back and shoulders.
2. Stand on a small platform so your heels can drop below your toes.
3. Unrack the bar and raise up onto the balls of your feet.
4. Squeeze your calves hard at the top.
5. Lower your heels below the platform for a full stretch.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Avoid bouncing out of the bottom stretch position.
• Keep your knees straight but not forcefully locked.
• Use a slow tempo through the full range rather than pumping short reps.

At a glance

Smith Machine 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": "smith-machine-calf-raise",
  "name_en": "Smith Machine Calf Raise",
  "name_de": "Smith Machine Wadenheben",
  "name_es": "Elevación de Talón en Máquina Smith",
  "description_en": "A standing calf raise under the Smith machine bar, performed on a platform for a full stretch and contraction.",
  "description_de": "Ein stehendes Wadenheben an der Multipresse, bei dem eine Erhöhung unter den Fußballen den vollen Bewegungsumfang ermöglicht.",
  "description_es": "Una elevación de talones en máquina Smith de pie sobre una plataforma, que aísla los gemelos con un estiramiento completo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "smith_machine",
  "body_part": "lower_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gastrocnemius"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "soleus"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "shoulder_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "calf-raise",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Place the Smith machine bar across your upper back and shoulders.",
    "Stand on a small platform so your heels can drop below your toes.",
    "Unrack the bar and raise up onto the balls of your feet.",
    "Squeeze your calves hard at the top.",
    "Lower your heels below the platform for a full stretch.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Lege die Smith-Machine-Stange auf den Oberkörper und die Schultern.",
    "Stehe auf einer kleinen Plattform, sodass die Fersen tiefer als die Zehen sinken können.",
    "Entracke die Stange und hebe dich auf die Fußballen.",
    "Spanne die Waden oben kräftig an.",
    "Senke die Fersen unter die Plattform für einen vollständigen Stretch.",
    "Wiederhole die Übung für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Coloca la barra de la máquina Smith sobre la parte superior de la espalda y los hombros.",
    "De pie sobre una pequeña plataforma para que los talones puedan bajar por debajo de los dedos.",
    "Desbloquea la barra y elévate sobre las puntas de los pies.",
    "Aprieta las pantorrillas con fuerza en la parte superior.",
    "Baja los talones por debajo de la plataforma para un estiramiento completo.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Avoid bouncing out of the bottom stretch position.",
    "Keep your knees straight but not forcefully locked.",
    "Use a slow tempo through the full range rather than pumping short reps."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Drücke dich über den großen Zeh ab, nicht über die Fußaußenkante.",
    "Halte die Knie gestreckt, aber nicht hart überstreckt.",
    "Federe unten nicht ab, sondern halte die Dehnung kurz."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Haz una pausa arriba y otra abajo para eliminar el rebote.",
    "No dobles las rodillas; el movimiento sale solo del tobillo.",
    "Mantén el cuerpo erguido, sin inclinarte hacia delante."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/smith-machine-calf-raise-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/smith-machine-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 === "smith-machine-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.