Ankles and calves · 30–60 seconds of slow repetitions

Heel raises, for ankles that carry you

The calf is the engine of every step, and it is trained by going slowly down, not quickly up.

Calf strength is what pushes you off the ground with each step and what keeps an ankle steady on uneven pavement. The lowering half of a heel raise is where most of the useful work happens, and it is the half people usually drop through.

How to do it

1. 1

   Stand with your feet hip-width apart, near a wall or chair

   Rest your fingertips on the support for balance — you are not leaning on it, just borrowing a reference point.

2. 2

   Rise onto the balls of your feet

   Push evenly through the big toe and the little toe side so the ankles do not roll outward.

3. 3

   Lower slowly, over about three seconds

   This is the important part. Come down under control rather than dropping the heels to the floor.

Make it easier

Do them seated, or keep more weight in your hands on the support. Reducing the load is better than rushing the lowering.

Make it harder

Stand on one leg at a time, or take the movement to the edge of a step so the heel can travel below the level of the toes — the library's step version.

The mistake that undoes it

Bouncing. Fast repetitions use the tendon's spring rather than the muscle, which feels easier and builds much less.

Sharp pain in the heel or the back of the ankle is a reason to stop and have it looked at rather than push on.

Also called heel raises, calf raises, heel lifts. Drawn from the clinically authored Vinys exercise library — how the method works. General movement guidance, not medical advice.