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Back to Study: Resistance training beyond momentary failure: the ...
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Analysis v1
Strong Support

If you're doing calf raises and keep going with smaller movements after you're too tired to do full ones, you might build more calf muscle—especially if you do those extra reps when your foot is pointed up.

60
Pro
0
Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

60

Community contributions welcome

60

Resistance training beyond momentary failure: the effects of past-failure partials on muscle hypertrophy in the gastrocnemius

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025

The study found that doing extra partial reps after you can't do any more full reps leads to more calf muscle growth, just like the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

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

Resistance training beyond momentary failure: the effects of past-failure partials on muscle hypertrophy in the gastrocnemius

Score: 60
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1494323

Similar Assertions

If untrained guys keep doing little extra calf lifts after they can't do any more full ones on a Smith machine, they'll probably grow their calf muscles a bit more over 10 weeks.

60
0
93%

If untrained guys do extra mini reps on calf raises after failure, pointing their toes upward, they gain more calf muscle than stopping when they can't do any more full reps with toes pointed down.

60
0
88%

If untrained guys keep doing partial calf raises after they can't do full ones on a Smith machine, they can nearly double their workout volume, which might help their muscles grow more.

60
0
85%

If new guys to lifting do calf raises on a Smith machine and finish each set with their toes pointed all the way up, they’ll gain about 6.7% more calf muscle thickness in 10 weeks with workouts twice a week.

60
0
85%

If untrained guys keep doing partial calf raises after they can't do full ones anymore, their calf muscles get slightly thicker — about 0.6 mm more on average — compared to stopping completely.

60
0
85%