Do calf-raises with your toes elevated on a box or stack of two 45lb plates.
What about my forte, seated ISO calf raises?.
What is the difference between having your toes elevated on a box as opposed to just having the feet on the ground in plantar-flexion phase?. Is there any difference in terms of athletic benefit performing a seated calf raise ISO in either foot position (floor/raised on block)?.
I think it'll really make a difference in my speed since my calves are small and I'll probably get quick newbie gains out of them.
Charlie Francis opposed sprinters having big calf's & looking at Usain's, his are far from having lots of mass.
What he does have are achilles/foot tendons with more snap than a Woody band.
doesn't matter what charlie opposes though, calf size isn't going to change much with training, but strength of the calf certainly can improve greatly.. of course you're going to see sprinter's with smaller calves in general, this indicates they have longer achilles tendons, beneficial to sprinting/jumping etc.
seated calf work hits the soleus much harder than the gastrocs... standing calve raises hit the gastrocs primarily.. toes elevated slightly just allows for greater range of motion under tension.. ROM is very small regardless, so just a small increase in ROM can help lead to more strength gain in the calves, you just can't use an excessive rom (way too high of a block/box).
pc