6 Best Soleus Exercises (For Stronger & Defined Calves)

The soleus is one of three muscles in the calf complex; it’s the flat and broad muscle located behind your gastrocnemius muscles (the meaty upper part of the calves).

The soleus runs from just below your knee joint down to the ankle joint and inserts at the Achilles tendon.

The soleus comprises predominantly slow twitch muscles, so they’re pretty resistant to fatigue.

However, they still play an integral role in explosive movements like jumping and sprinting.

The primary function of the soleus is plantar flexion, the movement that points your toes downwards.

Based on our experience with training calves, this exercise seemed to be the most effective in targeting both the soleus and gastroc calf muscles.

While it doesn’t isolate the soleus, it effectively targets it by allowing you to add more weight to the exercise.

Here’s how to perform the donkey calf raise with a weight plate:

1. Find a step or study platform that won’t topple if you stand on the edge. It should have enough space to rest the balls of your feet and allow a full range of motion for your heels without touching the floor.
2. Position your feet with the balls of the feet at the edge of the step.
3. Place a plate on your back and above the hips.
4. Bend your knees slightly and hinge at the hips.
5. While holding onto a stable surface, lower your heels as far as they can go. Hold at the bottom for a second (you should feel a stretch in your Achilles tendon).
6. Explode up (without jumping) till you achieve full calf flexion, and hold that position for a second.
7. Repeat for reps.

You can also do this exercise on a Smith machine squat rack. Make sure there’s someone there to help you unrack and rack the bar.

3. Inverse Standing Calf Raise

Inverse calf raises are calf raises performed on your heels instead of the balls of your feet.

They work the tibialis (muscles on the shin) and the eccentric motion of the soleus.

To do this exercise, you will need a Smith machine.

Here’s how to do it correctly:

1. Under a loaded Smith machine, place a firm and sturdy platform that’s taller than half the height of your foot.
2. Place both your heels under the platform and load the bar on your traps.
3. Keeping the knee straight, drive your heels down and raise the top half of your feet as high as you can (your tibialis should be flexed).
4. Slowly let your toes down till your calves are flexed.
5. Raise your toes up again and repeat for reps.

You can also do the seated variation of this exercise with weight plates, called seated heel raises.

Squats with soleus raise is a compound exercise that combines a deep squat with a calf raise at the bottom to engage the soleus.

This compound movement works the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. The balance required for this exercise can help you build ankle stability.

Here’s how you can do them:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with toes pointing slightly outwards.
2. Engage the core, lift your chest up, and keep your shoulders back.
3. Squat down and maintain a neutral spine until you reach the bottom of the squat.
4. At the bottom, lift your heels off the ground while maintaining the squat position and hold for a second.
5. Let your heels down and return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for reps.

You can make this exercise more challenging by holding a dumbbell or barbell.

5. Lunge With Soleus Raise

The lunge with soleus raise combines the lunge (which works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes) with a soleus raise.

Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. With your core engaged and chest lifted, step forward to a lunge (keep the front knee directly above the ankle and lower your back knee to the ground without touching it). Maintain a neutral spine throughout the motion.
3. At the bottom of the lunge, raise the heel of your front leg all the way up, keeping the ball of the same foot down.
4. Lower your heel, come back up, and repeat for reps.
5. Do the same number of reps with the opposite leg.

Like the squat with soleus raise, you can make this exercise more challenging with a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand.

Also Read: How To Do Lateral Lunges Properly

The resistance band-assisted calf flexion targets both the soleus and gastroc. This workout helps increase calf strength, balance, and stability.

Here’s how to do it:

• Pick a band with the appropriate resistance level.
• Sit on the floor with your legs extended and loop the resistance band around the ball of one foot; hold the end of the band with your hands.
• Adjust your back until you feel the band reach the right tension.
• Slowly point your toe away from your body, flexing the calf.
• Pull your toes back to the starting position and repeat for reps.
• Repeat with the other calf muscle.