Training guide
Your calves are two muscles: the gastrocnemius you can see, and the soleus underneath. They have a reputation for being stubborn, and your genes do shape their size, but they grow when you train them the right way. In a 12-week trial, straight-knee calf raises grew the gastrocnemius by 9 to 12% while seated raises barely grew it, and in another trial, raises that used the stretch at the bottom grew it most.
To grow your calves, do mostly straight-knee raises through the full stretch, about 6 hard sets a session twice a week, and add weight as you get stronger. Give it 8 to 12 weeks before you judge: calves can be slow, and people differ a lot.
This guide covers the two calf muscles, whether calves are genetic, which raises to do and how deep to go, how many sets and how often, building calves at home with just a step, how to measure them, how long it takes, and the warning signs, including a sudden snap at the back of the heel that needs same-day care.
In 14 adults over 12 weeks, standing (straight-knee) calf raises grew the gastrocnemius by about 9 to 12%, seated (bent-knee) raises grew it by under 2%, and the deeper soleus grew about the same either way.
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In 42 young women, raises through the bottom, stretched half of the range grew the inner calf by 15.2%, against 6.7% for full raises and 3.4% for the top half. Lower all the way, pause, and don't bounce.
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In 61 untrained women, 12 sets of calf raises a week beat 6 for parts of the calf. About 6 hard sets a session, twice a week, is our calf raise guide's starting point.
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Calves grew less than other muscles in some trials, and one 6-week trial in trained adults found no growth. Genes shape calf size, but calves grew in the trials that trained them hard with straight-knee raises through a full stretch.
The trials grew calves training them 2 or 3 times a week, and light and heavy loads grow muscle similarly when the sets are hard, so 10 to 20 reps works.
The load on your Achilles tendon climbs steeply from seated raises to hopping, so build up from two legs to one, then add weight, before you do any jumping.
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The calf muscle you can see, with an inner and an outer head. It crosses both your knee and your ankle, so it works hardest when your knee is straight and goes slack when your knee is bent.
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A broad, flat muscle under the gastrocnemius that crosses only your ankle. In MRI scans of 13 men, it made up about 52% of the calf muscles' volume, against about 32% for the inner gastrocnemius and 16% for the outer. Both muscles join the Achilles tendon.
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The soleus is mostly slow-twitch, as our soleus guide explains. The gastrocnemius is a mix: in one 2024 study of 40 people, with repeated biopsies of its inner head, about 65% of the fibres were slow-twitch on average.
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A tape measure takes in skin, fat and bone as well as muscle, so your calves can measure smaller while you lose fat even as the muscle grows (our reading).
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In the legs, women and men gain similar amounts from the same training. People vary hugely in how fast they grow, partly through their genes.
In the 12-week standing raise trial, the whole calf grew about 2 to 6%, which its authors set against 9 to 20% for the hamstrings and triceps in their earlier trials. They call the calf relatively hard to grow, and suggest, as their own interpretation, that muscles used all day for standing and walking may respond less. In 16 men aged 65 to 81, the calf muscles grew 5.0% against 7.4% for the thigh, and in 27 trained adults, 6 weeks of calf training brought no measurable growth. So calves can be slow, and why isn't settled.
In 105 pairs of twins aged 10 to 14, genes explained 87 to 95% of the differences in limb girth, including the calf, at most ages. Girth takes in bone and fat as well as muscle, so that figure isn't about muscle alone. In 585 adults, the same arm training changed muscle size by anything from a little smaller to much bigger.
Calves grew in the trials that trained them hard with straight-knee raises through a full stretch: the gastrocnemius by about 9 to 15% over 8 to 12 weeks, and parts of the calf by 12 to 14% over 6 weeks with 12 sets a week. Your genes set part of the outcome; training still moves it.
14 untrained adults (7 women and 7 men) trained one leg with standing raises and the other with seated raises, knee bent to a right angle: 5 sets of 10 at 70% of their maximum, 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down, twice a week for 12 weeks, measured with MRI. The outer gastrocnemius grew 12.4% against 1.7%, the inner 9.2% against 0.6%, and the soleus 2.1% against 2.9%. There was no untrained control group.
Source 1
42 young women did 3 sets of 15 to 20 on a leg press calf raise, three times a week for 8 weeks, through the bottom half, the full range or the top half. The inner calf grew 15.2%, 6.7% and 3.4%, and the outer calf 14.9% with the bottom half against 7.3% and 6.2%. In 23 trained adults over 8 weeks, bottom-range partial reps and full reps followed by extra partials past failure grew the calves about equally.
61 untrained young women did 6, 9 or 12 sets a week of 15 to 20 reps, three times a week for 6 weeks. Every group grew; 12 sets beat 6 for the outer calf (14.3% against 8.1%), the soleus (12.7% against 6.7%) and the whole calf (12.0% against 6.9%), while the inner calf's difference (9.9% against 6.6%) could have been chance.
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In 22 young men over 9 weeks, turning the toes out grew the inner head more and turning them in grew the outer head more. Straight feet work well; turning them is optional.
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An hour a day of calf stretching for 6 weeks thickened the calf in trials, and in 69 adults it matched calf training for strength and thickness, but it took up to 7 hours a week against about 45 minutes of calf raises.
Across 28 studies of 747 adults, light, moderate and heavy loads built similar muscle when the sets went to failure, and stopping a few reps short cost little growth. The calf trials used 10 reps at 70% of maximum or sets of 15 to 20.
With the weekly sets matched, 25 studies found no real difference between training a muscle once, twice or three times a week. The calf trials trained 2 or 3 times a week.
In 8 adults, the load on the Achilles tendon ranged from about half of body weight in a seated heel raise to 7.3 times body weight in a forward single-leg hop. Build up gradually, and leave jumping until last.
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Single-leg raises from a step at 3 sets of 12 to 20 each leg (our calf workout), or 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 20 on a machine, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure and 60 to 90 seconds' rest (our calf raise guide). Let your heel drop below the step, pause, and don't bounce.
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall
3D demoStanding dumbbell calf raiseIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoStanding calf raise with a bandBeginner · A band
3D demoStanding calf raise (machine)Intermediate · Strength machine
3D demoCalf press on the leg pressIntermediate · Strength machine
3D demoSmith machine calf raiseIntermediate · Strength machine + Weight plates
3D demoDonkey calf raiseIntermediate · Other / check instructions
3D demoStanding barbell calf raiseIntermediate · A barbellOptional extra work for the soleus: seated one-leg raises with a dumbbell at 3 sets of 12 to 20 each leg (our calf workout). Standing raises grew the soleus about as much, so don't make these your only calf work.
Not for size: tibialis raises for the front of the shin, and heel drops and isometric holds, which our Achilles guides use for sore tendons. Leave hopping until single-leg raises with extra weight feel easy.
Aim for about 12 hard sets a week, the dose that beat 6 in the trial of 61 women: about 6 hard sets a session, twice a week, as our calf raise guide suggests.
2 or 3 sets of 10 to 20 per exercise, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure, which our guides call RIR (reps in reserve: how many more you could have done). In your first two weeks, stop every set with 3 or 4 reps to spare.
Lower until your heel is well below the step and you feel the stretch, pause for a second, then rise as high as you can. Pausing rather than bouncing keeps the work in the muscle (our suggestion).
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Do most of your calf sets with straight knees, and add a bent-knee raise afterwards if you like (our suggestion).
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60 to 90 seconds between sets, as our plans' notes say, and twice a week, at least a day apart. With the weekly sets matched, training more often doesn't add growth.
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When you reach 20 reps on every set of single-leg raises, hold a dumbbell or wear a loaded backpack, as our calf raise guide suggests. On machines, add the smallest weight step you have.
The shape of our calf workout, with doses from our calf raise guide and calf workout.
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The movement on the figure: Single-leg calf raise from a step
Single-leg calf raises off a step, with your heel dropping below it, are hard enough for most people, and straight-knee raises are the ones that grew the main calf muscle in the trial.
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When you reach 20 reps, hold a dumbbell, wear a loaded backpack or use a band, as our calf raise guide suggests.
Single-leg raises from a step and seated one-leg raises with a dumbbell, each at 3 sets of 12 to 20 per leg (our calf workout).
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall3D demoStanding dumbbell calf raiseIntermediate · A dumbbell3D demoStanding calf raise with a bandBeginner · A band
3D demoSeated one-leg calf raise with a dumbbellBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoSeated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoTibialis raiseBeginner · No equipmentFrom the calf measurement in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's measuring manual; measuring every 4 weeks is our editorial suggestion.
The gastrocnemius grew by about 9 to 15% over 8 to 12 weeks in trials that trained it hard, and parts of the calf by 12 to 14% over 6 weeks with 12 sets a week. Give it 8 to 12 weeks before you judge, as our calf workout says.
The same training can change one person's muscle size a lot and another's barely at all, and part of that is genetic. Compare yourself with your own log.
Count how many single-leg calf raises you can do every 4 weeks. Our calf raise guide gives typical numbers and how big a change counts as real progress.
Bathroom body-fat scales estimate fat poorly, so judge your progress by your raises and a tape measure.
The calf workout needs only a step. The leg workouts include calf raises, and the bodybuilding lower body workout has both standing and seated raises.
A 25-minute calf workout with a step and a dumbbell: single-leg raises for the big calf muscle, then seated raises for the soleus, with gym swaps for each move.
25 minIntermediate7 movesA wall, A stepA gym leg day: back squats, leg press, leg curls, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions and calf raises.
55 minIntermediate9 movesA wall, A barbellA 45-minute leg day on machines only: the leg press, then leg extensions and seated leg curls for the muscles it misses, hip abduction and calf presses.
45 minBeginner10 movesCardio machine, Strength machineA 60-minute lower-body session for muscle growth: hack squats, Romanian deadlifts, leg curls, leg extensions, hip thrusts and standing and seated calf raises.
60 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, A wallA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesA wall, A stepLegs and glutes with dumbbells: goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, step-ups, split squats and calf raises.
35 minIntermediate10 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 15-minute barefoot routine for stronger toes, arches, calves and ankles, finishing with balance. You need only a towel, a wall and a resistance band.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, Other / check instructionsThese plans give about 6 calf sets a week. The 2-day, 3-day and women's plans have no calf raises, so add our calf workout once or twice a week if calves matter to you (our suggestion).
A 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate6 days a weekA 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced5 days a weekA 5-day gym split that trains every muscle twice a week: upper, lower, push, pull and legs, with an honest look at the bro split.
5 training days50 minIntermediate4 days a weekA 4-day gym workout routine for men: upper and lower days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps, progression and the evidence.
4 training days50 minIntermediateWomen and men gain similar amounts in the legs from the same training. Calf raises won't make your calves bulky by accident: growth is slow and follows the sets you choose.
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In 16 men aged 65 to 81, 16 weeks of training grew the calf muscles by 5.0%, and adults over 50 gained lean mass in 49 studies. Start with two-leg raises holding a support, and progress steadily.
Keep pain to about 5 out of 10 or less, settling by the next morning. If the pain is where the tendon meets the heel bone, do raises on flat ground rather than dropping below a step, as our Achilles tendinopathy guide explains.
If running makes your calves sore, our calf pain from running guide covers it.
A sudden snap or pop at the back of the heel or calf, or a feeling of being kicked there, then walking flat-footed and being unable to push off, stand on tiptoe or climb stairs. It could be an Achilles tendon rupture or a broken heel bone: go to A&E or a minor injuries unit, or contact NHS 111, the same day, as our Achilles rupture guide explains. In the US, go to urgent care or the emergency department.
Throbbing pain and swelling in one leg, usually the calf or thigh, sometimes with red, blue or darkened skin around the painful area (harder to see on brown or black skin) or swollen veins: ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111. Call 999 if you also have breathlessness or chest pain. In the US, contact your doctor, or call 911 if you're short of breath.
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A sudden sharp pain in the calf as you push off can be a strain. Stop, and see our calf pain guide.
Achilles pain during or after calf raises should stay at about 5 out of 10 or less and settle by the next morning, as our Achilles tendinopathy guide says. See a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps getting worse.
Calf pain that comes on with walking and eases when you rest needs a GP check; our calf pain when walking guide explains why.
Beat says a drive to be more muscular, sometimes called muscle dysmorphia, can be part of an eating disorder, especially in men. Worrying a lot about one part of your body can be body dysmorphic disorder, and the NHS lists exercising too much among the signs of an eating disorder. See a GP; our eating disorders guide has Beat's helplines.
Genes shape calf size, and calves can be slow to grow. But they grew in the trials that trained them hard with straight-knee raises through a full stretch, by about 9 to 15% in 8 to 12 weeks.
The trials grew calves training 2 or 3 times a week, and how often you train makes little difference once your weekly sets are the same.
The inner gastrocnemius was about two-thirds slow fibres in one study, a mix rather than a reason for 50-rep sets. Calves grew with 10 reps at 70% of maximum and with sets of 15 to 20, and light and heavy loads grow muscle alike when the sets are hard.
The soleus grew about as much with standing raises (2.1%) as with seated raises (2.9%), and standing raises also grew the gastrocnemius.
Source 1
Light and heavy weights grew muscle similarly when the sets were hard; heavier weights built more strength.
Yes. Calves grew by about 9 to 15% over 8 to 12 weeks in trials that trained them hard with straight-knee raises and a full stretch at the bottom. They can be slow, and your genes shape their size, but they do respond.
Partly. In twins, genes explained most of the differences in calf and other limb girth, a measure that includes bone and fat as well as muscle, and the same programme gives very different results in different people. But calves grew in the trials that trained them hard, so training still makes a difference.
Common reasons are doing only seated raises, cutting the range short, too few sets or not enough time. Seated raises barely grew the main calf muscle in a trial, and the stretched bottom half of the raise grew it most. Do straight-knee raises with a pause at the bottom, about 12 hard sets a week, for 8 to 12 weeks before you judge.
Mostly standing. Standing raises grew the gastrocnemius by 9 to 12% in 12 weeks against under 2% for seated raises, and the deeper soleus grew about the same with either. Seated raises are optional extra work.
2 or 3 sets of 10 to 20 per exercise, with the last set 0 to 2 reps short of failure and 60 to 90 seconds' rest. About 12 hard sets a week beat 6 in a 6-week trial.
About twice a week. The trials that grew calves trained them 2 or 3 times a week, and how often you train matters little once your weekly sets are the same. Every day isn't needed.
No. Calves grew with 10 reps at 70% of maximum and with sets of 15 to 20, and light and heavy loads build similar muscle when the sets are hard. The inner calf muscle was about two-thirds slow fibres in one study: a mix, not a reason for 50-rep sets.
Yes. Single-leg calf raises off a step, with your heel dropping below it, are hard enough for most people; when you reach 20 reps, hold a dumbbell or wear a loaded backpack. Our calf workout needs only a step.
Give it 8 to 12 weeks before you judge. In trials, the main calf muscle grew by about 9 to 15% over 8 to 12 weeks, but some people grow faster than others. Count your single-leg raises every 4 weeks.
You don't need to. In one trial, toes out grew the inner head of the calf more and toes in the outer head more, so turning them is an option if one part lags; straight feet work well.
Sit down with the leg relaxed, wrap a tape round the thickest part of your calf at right angles to your lower leg, and slide it up and down to find the widest point. Keep it snug but not tight, and measure the same leg at the same time of day every 4 weeks or so.
Stop and get seen the same day at A&E or a minor injuries unit, or contact NHS 111 (urgent care in the US), especially if you're walking flat-footed and can't push off or stand on tiptoe. A snap, a pop or a feeling of being kicked there can be a torn Achilles tendon.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
