Doing calf raises while standing builds more lower leg muscle than doing them while sitting. Over three months, standing raises increased overall calf muscle size by 5.6% compared to just 2.1% for seated raises, mostly because the main calf muscle grew more with the standing version.

Doing 12 calf raises a week for six weeks builds more lower leg muscle than doing just 6 a week for women who haven't trained before. This shows that doing more sets directly leads to bigger muscle growth in that area.

Doing more calf raises per week (12 sets instead of 6) over six weeks leads to bigger lower leg muscles in women who don't usually exercise. This suggests that lifting more frequently or with more sets helps build leg muscle faster in the short term.

Doing calf raises while standing up with your knees straight builds more calf muscle than doing them while sitting down with your knees bent. Research shows that keeping your legs straight during the exercise leads to much bigger muscle growth over a few months.

For young women who want to work all three muscles in their calf (the two parts of the gastrocnemius and the soleus), doing calf raises with straight legs works better than doing them with bent knees.

Doing calf raises while standing builds more calf muscle than doing them while sitting. This happens because changing the angle of your knee changes how much your calf muscles grow, making standing calf raises much more effective for building size.