9 Calf Strengthening Exercises for Better Mobility and Balance

When you drive to work and need to press on the gas pedal, or reach for an item at the very top of your kitchen cabinet, you rely on your calf muscles. Located at the back of the lower leg, your calf muscles act as a foundation for your entire lower body. 

“Your lower leg muscles are engaged every time your feet hit the ground, so your calves play a role in so much of what you do every day,” says Renee Bullis, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. 

Strong calf muscles stabilize your ankles and feet and play a very important role in maintaining balance. They also help with activities like walking, running, climbing stairs, standing on your tiptoes, and much more. Whether you’re experiencing pain in or around your calves, want to improve lower body fitness, or want to improve your ability to do your daily activities, calf strengthening exercises are essential in a balanced movement routine. 

Read on to learn more about calf strength and get calf strengthening exercises recommended by our Hinge Health physical therapists to support your body's needs and daily activities.

Best Calf Strengthening Exercises 

Calf strengthening exercises can prepare your body for more activity, or help treat different injuries, says Dr. Bullis. “If you want to start a new activity, especially one that requires more impact or agility — like tennis or pickleball — strengthening your calves can be really helpful. But I also recommend calf strengthening exercises for people who just want to improve their balance or mobility in everyday life.” 

The following exercises are a great place to start. These build strength and mobility in your calves, as well as surrounding areas, to support your entire body.

While not a calf strengthening exercise, this stretch provides an important foundation for building calf strength. “It helps ankle dorsiflexion, or backward bending, which tends to stiffen as we age,” says Dr. Bullis. “Improving ankle mobility helps with activities like stair climbing or even sitting and standing from a chair.”  

How to do it: 

• Stand facing a wall with your palms flat on the wall. 

• Step back with your targeted leg and press your back heel down toward the floor, moving your hips and front knee toward the wall. Your back leg should remain mostly straight.

• Return to the starting position.

This movement activates the calf muscles and puts them through their full range of motion in a non-weight bearing position. “This can be a good exercise for people who haven’t done a lot of calf strengthening before,” says Dr. Bullis.  

How to do it: 

• In a seated position on a couch, bed, or the floor, place a looped resistance band around the bottom of your foot with your hand stretching the band toward your belly. 

• Straighten that leg and point your toes toward the ceiling. 

• Point your toes away from you to stretch the band, then move your toes back to the starting position.

You can do these throughout the day as a movement snack. “You can also do these as a single-leg exercise and work one side at a time,” says Dr. Bullis.

How to do it: 

• Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. 

• Push evenly through your toes to lift your heels off the floor. Focus on raising your heels as high off the floor as you are able as you hold this position. 

• Relax your heels back to the floor.

“This exercise focuses on the gastrocnemius muscle in the calf, which is the muscle you see on the back of your leg that almost looks like an upside-down heart,” explains Dr. Bullis. “It attaches to your Achilles tendon and above your knee, so this exercise can help ankle and knee pain or injuries.” 

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and with one hand on a table for balance.  

• Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels off the floor. Focus on squeezing your calf muscles as you hold this position. 

• Relax your heels back to the floor. 

Get more information on how to do calf raises.

The soleus muscle sits deeper than the gastrocnemius. It connects to the Achilles tendon and attaches below your knee. “The deficit soleus raise is similar to the calf raise, but you bend your knees during the movement to engage the soleus muscle,” explains Dr. Bullis. 

How to do it: 

• With one hand on a table for balance, place the front half of both feet on a step with a slight bend in your knees. 

• Push through your feet to raise your heels while keeping a slight bend in your knees.  

• Lower your heels down.

This exercise isolates and targets the muscles in each calf individually, which is very good for muscle development and stability. It’s also good for ankle stability. 

How to do it: 

• Stand with one hand on a table or wall for balance, and your targeted foot flat on the floor with your opposite foot lifted off the floor. 

• Push up onto your toes to lift your heel off the floor, squeezing your calf muscles while you hold this position. 

• Relax your heel down.

This is more of a complementary exercise for your calf, explains Dr. Bullis. “I recommend it because it gives you a good calf stretch and works your ankle mobility.”  

How to do it: 

• Start on your hands and knees, then lift your knees off the floor as you bring your hips back and up toward the ceiling. 

• Keep your arms straight as you stretch your chest toward your feet. You can have a slight bend in your knees. 

• Bend your knees and return to the starting position. 

Get more information on how to do downward dog.

This challenges your single-leg stability. “It works your ankle muscles, but you still have to engage your calf muscles to maintain your balance,” says Dr. Bullis.  

How to do it: 

• Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart, then move your chest toward the floor by hinging at your hips. 

• Lift one leg off the floor behind you and up toward the ceiling. Your knee can be slightly bent as you hinge. 

• Slowly return to the starting position.

This targets the muscles in your feet, making it a nice adjunct to calf strengthening exercises. “It’s an important part of building a stronger lower leg to help with all the daily activities you want to do,” says Dr. Bullis. 

How to do it: 

• Start by sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, then slide the ball of your foot toward your heel. 

• Focus on holding the arch in your foot as you hold this position. 

• Relax your foot back to the starting position.

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

Importance of Calf Strengthening Exercises 

Calf strengthening exercises aren’t just for athletes — they’re helpful for treating and preventing a whole host of injuries, as well as helping with everyday activities. Here’s more on the benefits. 

• Better balance. Your calf muscles play a major role in maintaining balance and preventing falls. “They stabilize your ankles and help with push off and foot control when you walk, especially on uneven surfaces,” says Dr. Bullis.   

• Enhanced mobility. Calf strength contributes to efficient movement so you can walk longer distances and do recreational activities.  

• Injury prevention. Your calf muscles support nearby tendons and ligaments, especially during high-impact activities. Strong and flexible calves help prevent common injuries like Achilles tendonitis, calf strains, ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis, hamstring issues, and a whole host of knee injuries, explains Dr. Bullis. 

• Comfortable posture. There’s no such thing as perfect posture, but your calf muscles contribute to your ability to stand and move comfortably without getting fatigued. 

• Efficient circulation. “Calf muscles work like something of a muscle pump to improve circulation,” explains Dr. Bullis. They help pump blood back up from the lower extremities to the heart. 

• Enhanced athletic performance. Strong calves are crucial for explosive movements such as sprinting, jumping, and quick direction changes. 

• Functional independence. Calf strength helps you do all your daily activities. Maintaining strong calves can help you stay independent as you age by enabling you to continue your normal routines easily and safely.

PT Tip: Patience, Patience, Patience

Building strength helps you build tolerance to a variety of activities. If you start a new activity, or increase the frequency or intensity of an activity, and you feel any signs of calf strain or tendon issues, that can be your body saying you need to focus on some strengthening exercises to tolerate that new load you’re putting on it, Dr. Bullis explains. “Just remember: Building strength takes time. Try to strengthen affected areas before starting a new activity — and keep up with strengthening as you keep engaging in the activity,” she suggests.  

How Hinge Health Can Help You

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program. 

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you. 

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you. 

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References 

1. Ercan, S., Çetin, C., Yavuz, T., Demir, H. M., & Atalay, Y. B. (2017). Effects of isokinetic calf muscle exercise program on muscle strength and venous function in patients with chronic venous insufficiency. Phlebology: The Journal of Venous Disease, 33(4), 261–266. doi:10.1177/0268355517695401

2. Maritz, C. A., & Silbernagel, K. G. (2016). A Prospective Cohort Study on the Effect of a Balance Training Program, Including Calf Muscle Strengthening, in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 39(3), 125–131. doi:10.1519/jpt.0000000000000059

3. Van Schaardenburgh, M., Wohlwend, M., Rognmo, Ø., & Mattsson, E. (2017). Calf raise exercise increases walking performance in patients with intermittent claudication. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 65(5), 1473–1482. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2016.12.106