Use a block of wood or telephone directory to raise yourself up. 

Lift and lower your heels with all your weight on the balls of your feet, ideally at least two inches off the floor. 

If you have poor balance hold onto a chair whilst doing this exercise. 

To make it harder, work one leg at a time, stay up for longer periods of time, or hold weights in your hands. 

Remember to keep your back straight and head up throughout the exercise. 

Sit on the end of a bench or chair, with a straight back. 

Rest a weight across your legs, about three inches above your knee, either using single dumbbell or bar. 

Lift the heel of the foot off the ground as high as possible, holding for a short while before lowering down again to the ground. 

For best results, use a platform to rest the balls of your feet on, giving a greater range of movement. 

 

To train the muscles of the calf (gastrocnemius and soleus), the motion requires resisted plantar flexion (heel raises). As a single-joint muscle, the soleus is involved in both standing calf raises and seated calf raises. However, in the seated version, the gastrocnemius is not working due to increased "slack" in this muscle.

Directing the toes in or out during either version of the calf raise won’t emphasize a different part of the calf musculature and may create undo stress on the ankle joint.

Copyright 2000 Apex Fitness Group

Lying Calf Pumps: Sit on the floor, and stretch your legs, but keep them parallel. Tighten your right leg's calf muscle and push your toes forward as if you are pushing a heavy weight away from your feet. Push your toes until your calf muscle contracts tightly and hold for 3-5 seconds. Then, while keeping it contracted, bring your toes toward your body. Repeat this motion without relaxing the calf muscle for 10-30 times. Repeat for other leg. 

Standing Calf Raises: Stand up straight, and raise yourself up on your toes as high as you can. Hold for 3-5 seconds and then go back down slowly. Without pausing to rest your heels on the floor, go back up again. Repeat this motion for 10-30 times or more as desired. 

Donkey Calf Raises: Standing up, bend down at the waist until your palms touch the floor. Keep a wide distance between your hands and your legs so you can keep your back straight. Also keep your legs straight. You should keep the pose of a cat perched up on all fours. Now, using your hands to support your body weight, push your hips up with your calves, as high up as you can go. Hold for 3-5 seconds, and repeat for 10-30 times or more as desired. 
 

The move - Go up on your toes. Move back down so your heels are slightly lower than the step. Go back to the staring position. Do 50 reps. (Yes, your vision is fine - it read 50 reps.)

Variations:

The version given to you is the full range of motion version, but if you do not have access to a step this movement can easily be modified to a move with a slightly limited range of motion: repeat the movement as you would normally do so except stand on the floor and go up on your toes and down again. This move limits you to the concentric contraction and it does not allow you the full down - eccentric contraction of the exercise. 

Doing calf raises on one foot is fine, a tad challenging for some but hey. Do whichever move you feel more comfortable doing, just as long you as get up and get moving that is what we ask. The variation? Hold the foot, of whichever leg you are not working, up so it is "hooked" onto the back of the calf you are working. (You may want to hold on to a chair or railing for balance here.) Repeat the movement by going up on your foot then down again. By the way: 50 reps still applies here.