Rocking Standing Calf RaiseMuscles Worked
The rocking standing calf raise works your calves as you rise onto your toes, then rocks you back onto your heels so the tibialis anterior on the front of your shin works too. Moving continuously between the two keeps your lower legs working through every rep, which builds endurance.
PrimaryCalves
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
How to do it
- Set a barbell in a squat rack just below shoulder height, step under it and rest it across your upper back.
- Lift the bar off the hooks, step back and set your feet about shoulder width with your toes slightly out and knees soft.
- Rise onto the balls of your feet as high as you can and hold the top for a second.
- Lower your heels to the floor, then keep rocking back to lift your toes and squeeze the muscles along your shins.
- Hold briefly, lower your toes, and flow straight into the next calf raise without resting.
Form tips
- Start light, because rocking onto your heels with a bar on your back takes more balance than a normal calf raise.
- Keep your hips and knees still so the rocking comes only from your ankles.
- Do it inside the rack with the safety arms set just below the bar, so you have somewhere to set it down if you lose balance.
Why it made the list
No. 9 of 11
Best Calf Exercises
Continuous rocking motion for calf endurance. Barbell version adds progressive loading to the movement.
More calf exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Rocking Standing Calf Raise sets in KasMaker and watch your calves fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
