Single-Leg Calf Raise (Dumbbell)
The Single-Leg Calf Raise (Dumbbell) is a unilateral isolation exercise designed to build calf mass and correct muscle imbalances. By standing on one leg while holding a weight, you increase the load on the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles while simultaneously challenging ankle stability.
Calves are notoriously stubborn muscles that require specific volume and intensity to grow, which the AI optimizes by tracking your performance data to prescribe the ideal progressive overload. Since this is a unilateral movement, the app analyzes strength discrepancies between your left and right sides to ensure balanced development over time. Additionally, by integrating your daily recovery metrics and pain feedback, the AI can adjust the volume to prevent Achilles tendon overuse while ensuring you are training close enough to failure for results.
Form Cues
- Stand with the ball of one foot on the edge of a step
- Hold the dumbbell in the hand opposite the working leg
- Lower your heel slowly until you feel a deep stretch
- Drive through your big toe to fully extend the ankle
- Pause briefly at the peak contraction
- Don't bounce out of the bottom position
- Don't bend the knee of the working leg significantly
- Don't roll your ankle outward as you push up
- Don't cut the range of motion short
Common Mistakes
- Using momentum to initiate the lift
- Failing to get a full stretch at the bottom
- Supinating (rolling out) on the foot
- Bending the knee too much
- Rushing the repetition tempo
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calf, which are essential for walking, running, and jumping power. The straight-leg position emphasizes the gastrocnemius, while the unilateral nature of the movement recruits the stabilizing muscles of the ankle and foot, along with the core and forearms to maintain balance.
Primary
Secondary
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