The Smith Machine Calf Raise is a beginner-friendly machine strength exercise that targets the calves. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesCalves
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentMachine
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Smith Machine Calf Raise
Set the Smith bar just below shoulder height and place a block under it.
Step under the bar so it rests across your upper back, not on your neck.
Put the balls of your feet on the block with your heels hanging free.
Unrack the bar and straighten your knees, keeping them straight for the set.
Let your heels drop until you feel a full calf stretch.
Press up onto the balls of your feet, pause, and lower under control.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Loads the calves heavily without any balance demand from the bar.
Substitutes for a standing calf machine in gyms that do not have one.
Keeps the knee straight, which is the position associated with the most gastrocnemius growth.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Bending the knees to help the press, which turns it into a partial quarter squat.
Resting the bar on the neck instead of the upper back, which is uncomfortable and unstable.
Cutting the bottom range short, so the calf never reaches a loaded stretch.
Rushing the reps and bouncing the heels, which shifts work onto the tendon.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Smith Machine Calf Raise, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
