calves·legs

Seated soleus raise

Sit on a chair, knees bent at 90°. Place feet flat. Push up onto your toes, lifting the heels. Knee-bent calf raise isolates the soleus — the deep half of the calf complex that straight-leg calf raises miss. Crucial for runners + post-achilles-injury rebuild.

Form cues

1Knees stay AT 90° — don't straighten
2Add weight on top of knees if bodyweight is easy
33 sec up, 3 sec down — slow wins

Common mistakes

Standing up to make it easier (then it's a gastroc raise, not soleus)
Bouncing — robs the muscle of the slow-twitch work it needs

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calves·legs

Seated soleus raise

Form cues

1Knees stay AT 90° — don't straighten
2Add weight on top of knees if bodyweight is easy
33 sec up, 3 sec down — slow wins

Common mistakes

Standing up to make it easier (then it's a gastroc raise, not soleus)
Bouncing — robs the muscle of the slow-twitch work it needs