How to do it
- Set a block under the bar and rest the bar across your upper traps.
- Stand with the balls of your feet on the block and legs straight.
- Lower into a full stretch, then press up as high as possible.
Cues that matter
- The fixed bar path means you can focus purely on the calves.
- Pause one second top and bottom.
Common mistakes
- Setting the bar too low and straining the neck.
- Bouncing through the stretch.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Calves
- Gastrocnemius
Also works
- Soleus
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Smith Machine Calf Raise in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the calves with different equipment — for a day the machine is taken, or a gym that does not have one.