The Most Underrated Exercise in the Room. And It Only Takes Five Minutes.

Kellie Varlet
May 14
4 min read

You've probably done it without thinking. Turns out you should be doing it a whole lot more intentionally.

I'll be honest with you. Calf raises have always been a quiet favourite of mine. Something about it just made sense to me. Simple, effective and something you can do absolutely anywhere.

But it wasn't until I started paying closer attention to what was actually happening in people's bodies as they got older that I realised just how important they really are. The wobbliness on uneven ground. The ankle that gives way unexpectedly. The sudden loss of confidence taking the stairs quickly or walking on a slippery surface. The falls that came out of nowhere.

And every single time I looked closely enough, the same overlooked little muscle group kept showing up.

The calves.

I tell everyone I work with the same thing. Don't skip this one.

Your Calves Are Doing What Now?

Here's the bit that genuinely stopped me in my tracks when I first learned it.

Your calves are basically your body's second heart.

Every time they contract they help pump blood back up from your lower legs toward your heart. Which means weak calves don't just affect your legs. They affect your circulation, your energy levels, how long you can stand before you feel completely wiped out and even how your heart has to work to compensate.

But wait there's more. Strong calves also support your ankle and foot strength, your balance and stability on any surface, your knee and hip health, your posture, your walking confidence and your overall ability to just move through life without having to think twice about it.

And here's the one that really gets me. A published study in the journal PMC looked at sixty healthy adults across three age groups and found that ankle plantarflexor strength — the exact muscle group worked in a calf raise — declined significantly with age and was directly linked to increased postural sway and fall risk.

In plain English? The weaker your calves get, the wobblier you become and the higher your risk of a fall.

You can read the full study here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3604218/

Falls are one of the biggest threats to independence and quality of life as we get older. And one of the best things we can do to protect against them is an exercise you can do while waiting for the kettle.

Three Variations. One Very Happy Calf Muscle.

Simply changing the angle of your foot works the muscle completely differently. Three small tweaks and you've covered the whole muscle in under five minutes.

No gym required. Kitchen bench, back of a chair, bottom of the stairs. Whatever you've got will do just fine.

1. Standard Calf Raise — Toes pointing straight forward

Feet hip width apart, toes at twelve o'clock.
Rise up slowly onto your toes, hold for a breath at the top, lower back down with control.
Ten to fifteen reps.

2. Wide Stance Calf Raise — Toes turned out

Feet a little wider, toes turned out to ten and two like a clock face.
Rise up slowly onto your toes, hold for a breath at the top, lower back down with control.
Ten to fifteen reps.

3. Single Leg Calf Raise — Toes turned slightly in

Stand on one foot, toes pointing in just slightly to about eleven and one.
Rise up, hold, lower down slowly.
Swap legs.
Ten to fifteen reps each leg.

*This one is brilliant for balance and works each leg independently which matters because most of us have one side significantly stronger than the other without even realising it.

Do all three back-to-back. That's your whole calf sorted in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea.

The Best Part About This Exercise

Calf raises don't need their own dedicated session. They don't need a gym or a programme or any equipment at all. They just need you to remember to do them.

Waiting for the kettle? Calf raises.

Brushing your teeth? Calf raises.

On a work call that didn't need to be a meeting? You know what to do.

Stack them onto something you already do every day and they become completely effortless to maintain. That's the kind of habit that quietly changes things over time without ever feeling like hard work.

A Gentle Note If Balance Feels Wobbly

Hold onto something. A bench, a wall, the back of a chair. Using support while you build strength is not cheating, it's just smart training.

And if the single leg variation feels genuinely hard at first that's completely normal. Start with a few reps, build from there and notice how quickly your body adapts when you give it a little consistent attention.

It will surprise you.

Tiny Exercise. Real Results.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do for your body is the simple thing done consistently over time. Not the complicated thing. Not the impressive thing. Just the small intentional thing that you actually keep doing.

Calf raises are proof of that.

Try all three variations this week. Notice how your legs feel. And if you find yourself doing them while waiting for the kettle and feeling quietly smug about it, that's exactly the right response.