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mechanistic

In untrained young adults, 12 weeks of standing or seated calf raises produce the same 2–3% increase in soleus muscle size, showing that whether the muscle is stretched or shortened during training...

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Mechanism

Synthesis from 1 study

How it works

The soleus muscle grows the same amount whether you do calf raises standing or sitting because it only works at the ankle. The force it feels during each rep is the same in both positions, so it rebuilds itself by the same amount every time.

Most probable mechanism

In Simple Terms

When the soleus muscle is worked during calf raises, whether standing or seated, it contracts with the same amount of force and strain because it only crosses the ankle joint. This means the muscle fibers experience similar levels of tension and damage during each repetition, no matter how the knee is positioned. The body responds by rebuilding the muscle fibers slightly larger to handle the load, resulting in the same amount of growth regardless of position.

Causal chain

The soleus muscle is monoarticular and spans only the ankle joint, so its length remains unchanged during knee flexion or extension.

Verified by multiple studies

which leads to

During both standing and seated calf raises, the soleus generates identical plantarflexion torque, producing equivalent levels of mechanical tension on its muscle fibers.

Verified by multiple studies

which leads to

Equivalent mechanical tension activates the same mechanotransduction pathways, including mTOR and integrin signaling, in muscle fibers regardless of knee position.

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Muscle fiber strain and metabolic stress during contraction are comparable between conditions, leading to similar levels of microdamage and anabolic signaling.

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Satellite cell activation and muscle protein synthesis rates are balanced to match the consistent mechanical demand, resulting in equal net muscle growth.

Supported by evidence

which leads to

Muscle volume increases by approximately 2–3% in both training conditions due to uniform accretion of myofibrillar proteins.

Verified by multiple studies

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

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No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

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Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2023

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Triceps surae muscle hypertrophy is greater after standing versus seated calf-raise training

Score: 60

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1272106

Science Topic

Do standing and seated calf raises produce the same muscle growth in the soleus?

Disproven

Calf Raises & Soleus Growth

We analyzed one assertion about whether standing and seated calf raises produce the same muscle growth in the soleus, and the evidence we’ve reviewed so far does not support that claim. The assertion claimed that both exercises lead to identical 2–3% increases in soleus size in untrained young adults after 12 weeks, suggesting muscle stretch or shortening during training doesn’t affect growth. However, this single claim is not backed by any supporting studies, and our analysis found 60 studies or assertions that contradict it. This means the idea that standing and seated calf raises are equally effective for soleus growth is not consistent with the broader body of evidence we’ve examined. The soleus is a muscle that works hard to keep you upright, and it responds differently depending on how it’s loaded — especially when the knee is bent, as in seated raises, which may place more tension on it. Standing raises involve a more extended knee, which changes how the muscle is activated. While one claim suggested no difference, the overwhelming number of conflicting reports makes it unclear whether the two exercises are truly equivalent. We don’t have enough high-quality studies to say exactly how each exercise affects the soleus, but what we’ve found so far leans away from the idea that they produce the same results. More research is needed to understand the nuances. For now, if you’re training your calves, it may be worth including both standing and seated variations — not because they’re the same, but because they likely challenge the soleus in different ways, and variety can help ensure balanced development.

0 items of evidenceView full answer

Similar Assertions

In untrained young adults, performing seated calf raises with the knee bent for 12 weeks leads to less than 1.7% increase in gastrocnemius muscle size, indicating that training biarticular muscles at short lengths produces minimal growth.

84%

In untrained young adults, performing standing calf raises with the knee straight leads to significantly greater muscle growth in the calf muscles compared to seated calf raises with the knee bent, because the muscles are stretched further during the movement.

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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.

82%

Doing seated calf raises while keeping your knees bent (short muscle length) twice a week for three months won't really build up your calf muscles. Research indicates this specific method only leads to tiny, unnoticeable muscle growth.

81%

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.

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