Benefits of Heel Raise Exercises & How to Do It

Our calf muscles play a key role in many everyday activities, from walking to climbing steps, but they don’t get much of a workout beyond this. Working on your calf muscles can quite literally put a spring in your step, as well as make activities, like running, easier.

If you haven’t been doing heel raise exercises as a part of your workout routine, it might be time to start including them.

We’re all about feet at Capital Podiatry, and one of the common problems that we treat is foot and heel pain. If this sounds like you, book an appointment today and let one of our podiatrists in Canberra assess your feet. We may recommend heel raise exercises to treat your pain and prevent it from returning in the future.

What is the Heel Raises Exercise?

Also known as heel lifts or eccentric calf raises, this is a simple bodyweight exercise that offers a convenient way to keep your calf muscles in good shape. It can be a standalone exercise or it can be integrated into your workout.

Heel raises work the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the calf area. These muscles are essential for standing and walking – they help to bend the knee and allow the foot to point. When running, they activate each time you push off the ground and raise your leg.

Weak calf muscles can make your legs feel slow and heavy like you’re wearing heavy boots all the time. This can have an effect on your running speed and endurance, not to mention make you feel like you’re moving sluggishly.

What are the Benefits of Heel Raise Exercises?

Regularly performing the heel raises exercise as a part of your workout can actually offer a number of key benefits:

• Strengthen your calves
  Simply put, heel raises make your calf muscles stronger. This will support everyday movements, like walking, climbing steps, jumping and even reaching for something on the topmost shelf.
• Stronger & more stable ankles
  The calf muscles provide support to your foot and ankle. Working them out is one way to improve this support during everyday activities, as well as stay safe when running or jumping.
• Reduce running injuries
  Working out your calves helps to develop more balanced muscle groups in the legs. As a result, this strengthens your legs and makes them less prone to injury whilst walking and running.
• Helps manage Achilles tendonitisHeel raises enable you to place a healthy load on your Achilles tendon. This could help to reverse the unhealthy load that is placed on the tendon as a result of a tendon condition.
• Achieve more shapely calvesHave you ever noticed how beautiful the calf muscles of a ballerina are? This is because they do dozens of heel raises every day – pretty much every time they stand on their toes.

How Often Should I Do Heel Raise Exercises?

If you’re dealing with foot or heel pain, your podiatrist will let you know how many times to perform this exercise each day.

If you aren’t dealing with pain and just want to incorporate heel raises into your usual workout, you can start with just one set every day. Each week, you can progressively increase the number of reps and sets until you’ve worked up to 3 workouts of 3 sets each week. Aim for 8 to 15 repetitions and up to 3 sets at a time, allowing yourself a short break between sets.

How do I Perform a Basic Heel Raise Exercise?

Ensure that you are on a flat, non-slippery surface. Use a wall, table, countertop or the back of a chair for support.

1. Stand with your feet comfortably apart (about shoulder width).
2. Place one or both hands on the support (to steady yourself).
3. Slowly raise both your heels, so that you’re standing on your toes.
4. Hold this position for at least one second.
5. Slowly lower your heels back to the floor with a controlled movement.

Variations to the Basic Heel Raise Exercise

Once you’ve mastered the basic exercise, there are a few challenging variations that you can move on to.

• Double heel raise with weightsFor this one, you can hold a dumbbell in one hand or put on a weighted vest or belt. Slowly raise both heels off the ground, hold for at least one second, then slowly lower both heels back to the floor.
• Single-leg heel raiseThis one is very similar to the basic exercise, except that you only raise one heel at a time and all your weight will be shifted to that same leg (bend your other leg at the knee so that it doesn’t touch the ground).
• Weighted single-leg heel raiseThis is a great exercise if you’re planning on running hill sprints or doing tough hikes. Follow the instructions for the single-leg heel raise, but hold a dumbbell in one hand or put on a weighted vest or belt.

What Should I Avoid When Doing Heel Raises Exercise?

The simplicity of this exercise means that it’s easy to rush it. To ensure that you’re enjoying all the benefits of the heel raise exercise, here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Not going up and down fully.
• Bouncing and jerking – don’t bounce once your heels touch the floor.
• Not supporting your body with your hands.
• Performing the exercise when you feel pain – if you experience pain during the exercise, stop and rest until it goes away.
• Arching your back or locking your knees – your posture should feel natural and comfortable.
• Not wearing flat shoes on a hard surface – better yet, perform the exercise without shoes on a soft surface.

Getting to the Bottom of Heel Pain with Capital Podiatry

Whilst there are many benefits to heel raise exercises, you will only enjoy them if you’re performing the exercise correctly. Although they can be used to help prevent foot and heel pain from returning, it’s recommended that you find and treat the source of the pain before adding this exercise to your workout regime.

Capital Podiatry has many years of experience treating foot and heel pain. Book an appointment with us today to get to the bottom of your pain and find out whether heel raises could help to prevent it from returning in future.

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