Feel the lift of the calves in your butt? Don’t worry, it’s normal (but here’s the catch)

The glutes and hamstrings are activated to some extent during calf raises. The glutes will not be isolated, but they will contract to hold you in a standing position. However, if you somehow rotate around your hips, the glutes will be activated to a much greater extent. Additionally, if you’re doing a heavy calf lift, there’s a tendency to lift some of that weight with your hips or knees, which will engage your glutes or hamstrings more.

Do calf raises work the glutes?

Calf raises isolate the major muscles of the calf, namely the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris. But you might also notice other muscles in your posterior chain (the muscles that make up the back lower half of your body), like your glutes and hamstrings, being engaged. This is even more visible if these muscles are weak.

The glutes and hamstrings are activated during calf raises

Something you should be aware of is that the glutes and hamstrings are activated to some degree during calf raises.

Well, actually, more so when you’re doing standing crunches.

Basically, in order to stay in a standing position when “carrying” a load, both the glutes and hamstrings will go through an isometric contraction.

This is true any time you are “burdened” by something while standing.

So if you have a heavy barbell over the back of your shoulders before you start squatting, you will see an isometric contraction of the glutes and hamstrings.

When performing standing biceps curls, the same thing will happen, but to a lesser extent.

And even carrying a few shopping bags will again involve isometric contraction of the glutes and buttocks.

Now, in reality the glutes (or hamstrings) are not actively involved in raising the calf.

However, I think it is important to emphasize that they will be “activated” in some way.

If they weren’t, as soon as you lifted the load, you would actually collapse and fall to the ground.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I hope you get my meaning.

So, whether you’re doing one-arm calf raises with dumbbells, a barbell, or a calf raise machine, the glutes will be stimulated.

In fact, this means you should never feel your glutes during seated calf raises, but I know some people do.

I will touch on this point in a moment.

You are on your hips

Although calf raises seem like a very simple exercise to perform, that doesn’t mean they’re never performed with poor technique.

In fact, I would rate the calf raise as one of those exercises where it is quite common not to feel the calf work due to the irregular shape.

Earlier I talked about pushing through the toes, as opposed to lifting the heels, inward my article on calf raises hurt your feet.

And this is just one of the many mistakes that can prevent you from feeling calf lifts in the targeted muscles, ie. leaves.

Something I see a lot is people bringing their hips into play during calf raises.

This is most often done with a slight tilt on the hips.

In fact, if you’re doing this, you probably don’t even realize it.

The movement can usually be so weak that it is barely noticeable.

It’s almost as if you’ve managed to get your body into a modified Romanian deadlift stance.

So your hips are slightly pushed back and your torso is slightly tilted forward.

By doing this, you activate the glutes to a far greater effect.

This is the reason why you can feel it in your glutes if you have assumed this body position during seated calf raises.

In fact, this also brings the hip flexors into the equation, which is why some people complain of tight hip flexors or sore hip flexors whenever they perform calf raises.

Additionally, this hinge-type stance at the hips can also cause you to bend at the knees, which will then activate the hamstrings to greater effect.

All these minor indiscretions take the effect of movement away from the calves and put stress on various other parts of the body.

And this is usually why you feel the “burn” in your glutes and not your calves.

Use too much weight

I’d say the main reason your hips or knees come into the equation during calf raises is because you’re trying to lift too much weight.

In fact, you can usually cheat on calf raises, once again, without even realizing you’re doing it.

This is generally why I think it is better to get the calf body weight at the absolute right time before adding weight.

You may actually find that you’re cheating when you’re using nothing but your own body weight, so you have no hope of performing the exercise correctly when using additional weight.

Anyway, back to the point, are you perhaps using too much weight during calf raises?

The The calves are obviously very small muscles compared to the quadriceps and other leg muscles.

So, it is quite common to allow larger muscles ie. glutes, to take control during the set.

As soon as you do this, you are no longer training your calves, and your glutes (or other leg muscles) are receiving all the stimulation from your movement.

You will be able to tell if you are using too much weight, as there is a tendency to bend at the knees or re-bend at the hips.

In addition to using a lighter weight, I would also suggest starting with the mind-muscle connection.

You can do this by first doing a few reps of body weight calf exercises (or using the calf strength test I mentioned above) and really concentrating on using your calves.

So don’t push your toes, just lift your heels.

Perform each repetition slowly and in a controlled manner.

Hold at the top of the movement for a count of 3 and really contract your calf muscles.

After you’ve done a few bodyweight reps, you can add weight.

However, focus on using the exact same technique as above.

So keep it slow and controlled, hold on top and really squeeze your calf muscles.

You’ll find that if you’re trying to rush reps at a breakneck pace, that usually means you’re using too much weight.

And then you will excessively activate the glutes.

Try calf rearing variations

One thing I will say is that calves tend to respond better to variety.

So looking at the above example of maybe using too much weight, you can change that in your next workouts.

So maybe do your first calf workout in the 8-12 rep range and then another workout later in the week in the 15-25 rep range.

You can also change the position of your feet with each set.

So, have your toes point forward for one set, inward for the next set, and outward for the second set.

You can also vary the apparatus (or lack thereof) you use for calf raises.

I know many people who swear by doing calf raises on the leg press (or squat) machine compared to any other method.

There’s usually no glute involvement, and the calves really get pounded.

I’ve already talked about using bodyweight calf exercises with weights.

💪 Complete your calf exercise routine 🦵
Practice	Repetitions/Series	Primary muscle	Secondary muscle
Standing Plate Raises	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Lifting a plate weight in a seated position	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Soleus	Gastrocnemius
Calf raise in a sitting position on one leg	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets per leg	Soleus	Gastrocnemius
One leg raise in a standing position	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets per leg	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
The pulse increases	15-20 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus equally
1.5 Calf Raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 series	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
3-Way Calf Raises	12 repetitions (each direction), 3 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus equally, with emphasis on different fibers due to changes in direction
Wall Drive Calf Raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Raising the lower leg in a squat	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus and quadriceps as a stabilizer
Calf Raise Hold	Hold for 30-60 seconds, 3 sets	Gastrocnemius and Soleus equally
Walking on tiptoes	30-60 seconds or a certain distance, 3 sets	Gastrocnemius	Soleus
Glute Bridge Calf Raise	12-15 repetitions, 3-4 sets	Soleus	Gastrocnemius and gluteus
Gluteal bridge and single leg raise	10-12 repetitions, 3 sets per leg	Soleus and gluteus	Gastrocnemius
Growth cycles of calves	10-12 repetitions (each direction), 3 series	Gastrocnemius and Soleus alike, engaging different fibers with circular movements
Powered by mybodyweightexercises.com

Additionally, you can change the type of load you use.

You have a choice of one-arm dumbbell crunches, two-arm dumbbells, barbells, smith machines, sandbags, resistance bands, and of course seated or standing crunches.

Basically, if your butt is really burning with the calf raise variation you currently prefer, try something else.

I know we tend to look for the “best exercise” with all different parts of the body.

And when it comes to calves, we most often consider standing calf raises to be the best way to train gastrocnemiusand sat down to train soleus.

However, a little variety could help you once again fire up your calves and reduce the strain on your glutes.

Key learning points

• The glutes will always be activated in some way during standing calf raises.
• If you can feel your glutes, you’re probably in your hips or overweight.
• Make sure your body stays perfectly straight for each repetition.
• Do not bend your knees or hips when performing calf raises.
• Perform calf raises in a slow and controlled manner.
• Gather the leaves at the top of the movement.
• Try variations of calf raises with weights or your own body weight and also change the position of your feet to hit different parts of the calf muscles.

If you know you know, check it out my article on the calf lift that makes you feel like you need to pee!