I’ve designed an effective 10-minute calisthenics calf workout for those who want to bolster and grow their lower legs using your body weight only.
This 10-minute workout involves performing ten different bodyweight exercises that will hammer your calves from all angles and help them grow.
The calves are made of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.
The gastrocnemius is the larger muscle, visible from the outside, while the soleus is a smaller muscle that lies beneath it.
The burly calves provide power and stability to the ankles while squatting, jumping, and running and help enhance functional and athletic fitness.
10-Minute Bodyweight Calisthenics Calf Workout to Sculpt Your Lower Legs
| Minute | Exercise | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gait Toe Walk | 15-second work, 15-second rest x 2 sets |
| 2 | Leaning Single-leg Calf Raises | 15 reps per leg, 15-second break |
| 3 | Standing Deficit Calf Raises | 10 reps, 10-second rest |
| 4 | Lunge Calf Raises | 6-8 reps per side, 30-second rest |
| 5 | Plie Squat Calf Raise | 10 reps, 30-second rest |
| 6 | Donkey Calf Raises | 15 reps, 30-second rest |
| 7 | Deep Squat Calf Raises | 10 reps with 3-sec pause, 30-second rest |
| 8 | Isometric Calf Raises | 5 reps with a 5-sec pause at the top and bottom |
| 9 | Toes Turned-Out Heels Raises | 10-15 reps, 30-second rest |
| 10 | Negative Calf Raises | 10 reps of 5 seconds each |
Let’s find out how to perform each exercise in detail.
Minute 1 – Gait Toe Walk
This exercise will increase blood flow around your calf muscles and prepare you for your next exercises.
How to do it: Stand on your toes with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your heels raised, and walk at a normal pace for 15 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds, then repeat. Now, you are ready for the next exercise.
Minute 2 – Leaning Single-leg Calf Raises
This exercise will allow you to work on each leg individually and help you build balanced and symmetrical calves.
How to do it: Place your palms on the wall and step back until your body is in a diagonal position. Lift your right foot off the floor and place it on the lower calf of your left leg. Now, lift your heels off the ground until you feel a good contraction in your calves. Pause for a moment, then return to the start. Concentrate more on your weak side.
Minute 3 – Standing Deficit Calf Raises
The deficit calf raises provide more stretch to gastrocnemius muscles than the other exercises and help build resilient lower legs.
How to do it: Place a foot platform or a flat, thick object close to the wall and stand on it on your toes. You can place your one hand on the wall for additional support. Now, raise your heels as high as possible, pause for two seconds, then lower them down as far as you can, feel the stretch for three seconds, then repeat again.
Minute 4 – Lunge Calf Raises
Doing calf raises in a lunge position allows you to hit your calves more precisely and helps increase lower body strength and mobility.
How to do it: Place your right toe on a stepper and stand in a split stance. Lean your torso forward and lift your right heel until your calves are engaged. Pause for a moment, then drop it as low as possible. Perform 6-8 reps on each side.
Minute 5 – Plie Squat Calf Raise
Performing calf raises in a wide-legged plie squat position activates gastrocnemius effectively without weights and helps improve your ankle’s flexibility and mobility.
This exercise also keeps your quads and adductors engaged and helps you build athletic legs.
How to do it: Position your feet two times wider than hip-width apart and sit in a squat position. Keep your toes slightly turned outward, and lift your heels off the ground as high as possible. Stay at the top for two seconds, then lower them down and repeat.
Minute 6 – Donkey Calf Raises
Donkey calf raises involve keeping your torso parallel to the floor and lifting your heels high. The unique position of this exercise helps build strong and flexible calves, activate the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, and enhance overall leg health.
How to do it: Stand on the surface with your toes on the edge and heels hanging off. Bend forward and hold onto a railing or wall for support. Keep your legs straight and slowly lower your heels as far as possible to feel a stretch in your calves. Then, raise your heels back up as high as you can, lifting your body onto your toes.
Minute 7 – Deep Squat Calf Raises
The deep squat provides decent for doing calf raises that help build strength and muscle. It also improves muscular endurance, mobility, and functional fitness.
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward. Lower into a deep squat, then rise up onto your toes, feel the stretches in your soleus muscles for a few seconds, then lower back down. Perform 10 reps with 2-3 seconds pause at the top.
Minute 8 – Isometric Calf Raises
The isometric heel raise is another great exercise for hammering calf muscles and building firm lower legs. It increases time under tension, which can stimulate muscle growth over time and build firm lower legs.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lift your heels off the ground onto the balls of your feet, hold for a few seconds, and lower your heels back down. I recommend performing five reps with a 5-second hold at the top and a 5-second pause at the bottom and focusing on engaging your calf muscles throughout the movement.
Minute 9 – Toes Out Soleus Raises
The toes-out calf raises engage the soleus muscles from a different angle, and mixing it with the above exercises can help build more defined calves.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed outward. Next, lift your heels off the ground by rising onto the balls of your feet. As you do so, focus on contracting the muscles in your calves. Hold this position for a moment before slowly lowering your heels back down to the ground. Perform 10-15 reps, take a 30-second break, then move on to the next exercise.
Minute 10 – Negative Calf Raises
Negative or eccentric calf raises focus on the lowering phase of an exercise. The negative reps help build strength, enhance mind-muscle connection, and develop muscular bottom legs.
How to do it: Start on a raised surface, like a block or a step, with your toes on the edge and your heels off the surface. Now, lift your heels as high as possible. Now lift your one foot off the floor and lower the left one in a slow and deliberate manner, feeling the stretch in your calf muscles. Perform 5 reps per leg, spending five seconds per repetition.
