Foot position when doing calf raises

Does foot position matter when doing calf raises? Sure does. Here’s why:

One of the muscles in the calves is called the gastrocnemius, which is found on the back of your lower leg just below the knee. The gastrocnemius is composed of two muscles: the medial and lateral heads. The medial head is on the inside of your leg and the lateral head is on the outside. This distinction is important, as you’ll soon see.

A study conducted in 2011 measured the muscle activity of both heads when doing standing barbell calf raises using one of three different stance positions: neutral, toes in and toes out. What they found was that using a neutral position (toes straight) activated both heads equally. However, when the toes were pointed out there was greater activation in medial (inside) head. Conversely, when the toes were pointed in there was greater activation in the lateral (outside) head. Therefore, if you find one of the heads of your gastrocnemius lagging then try changing your toe position accordingly.