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Stand Up for Superior Calf Growth

Stand Up for Superior Calf Growth
Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD
Updated April 13, 2024

When it comes to developing muscular calves, the debate between standing and seated calf raises has always been a topic of interest among fitness enthusiasts.

Hypothetical question: If you could only pick one calf exercise, would it be standing calf raises or seated calf raises?

Groundbreaking new research from Japan provides compelling evidence on why the standing version may be the better of the two choices to maximize calf muscle growth.

Unpacking the Calf-Training Research

A recent Japanese study entailed a unique experiment where young men engaged in a 12-week training regimen performing calf raises. Each participant used one leg for standing calf raises and the other for seated calf raises, with both exercises periodized throughout the training protocol. The results were eye-opening: the calf muscle trained with standing calf raises exhibited more than double the growth compared to its counterpart engaged in seated calf raises.

The explanation behind this marked difference lies in the anatomy and biomechanics of the calf muscles. The calf is primarily composed of two muscles: the

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