Muscle group
Calves Exercises
Two muscles: the gastrocnemius, which crosses the knee and works with the leg straight, and the soleus underneath it, which works with the knee bent. Standing raises train one, seated raises the other.
Do both, or accept training half of them. Calves are used to daily walking, so they need load and full range — all the way down, all the way up, no bouncing. They tolerate frequent training well.
12 calves exercises in Gym Journal
0 compound and 12 isolation, each with a default rep range and rest interval already set. Everything here is in the free app.
| Exercise | Equipment | Type | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Seated Calf Raise | Barbell | isolation | 10–15 |
| Calf Press | Plate-loaded machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Calf Press On The Leg Press Machine | Plate-loaded machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Calf Raise With Dumbbells | Dumbbell | isolation | 10–15 |
| Calf Raises | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Donkey Calf Raise | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Seated Calf Raises | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Single Leg Calf Raise | Bodyweight | isolation | 10–15 |
| Smith Machine Calf Raise | Smith machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Standing Calf Raise | Bodyweight | isolation | 10–15 |
| Standing Calf Raise Machine | Machine | isolation | 10–15 |
| Tibialis Raise | Bodyweight | isolation | 15–20 |
Log them, and watch the numbers move
Every exercise here is in the free app, with form instructions, its own progression chart and PR tracking. No account needed to start.