By RealJock Staff

This exercise provided courtesy of Mike Clausen, founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006.

Benefits
Make use of the your rest period on the incline leg press by sneaking in a set of seated calf presses—you’ll develop both strength and power in one exercise.

Muscles Worked
Legs (calves)

Starting Position
Sit on the incline leg press with only the balls of your feet on the foot pad, your knees slightly bent, and your legs engaged. You'll be flexing your foot, so your heel should be off the foot pad and extended beyond it. Make sure that the safety handles are locked throughout this exercise (see Photo 1).

Exercise

1. From the starting position, use your calf muscles to push off the plate, as though trying to spring away from it. Your legs will straighten, but do not lock your knees at the top of your motion. You will end your motion with only the tips of your toes touching the plate (see Photo 2).
2. Hold your flexion for a moment at the top of your motion before returning to the starting position and repeating the calf press for 12 repetitions.
3. At the end of the first 12 reps, hold your feet flat for eight seconds (so that the plates are still engaged and toes are perpendicular to the floor—see Photo 3), and then begin another 12 reps.
4. After the second set of reps, again hold the plate with your feet flat for eight seconds, and go into a final round of calf presses. For these last reps, try to make the presses quicker, keeping them controlled and the range of motion slightly smaller. Do as many presses as you can, until you are too fatigued to maintain good form for any more repetitions.

About Mike Clausen: Clausen is the founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006. He has been actively involved in sports and weightlifting since high school, and continues to use that knowledge when training his clients. Clausen is both A.C.E. and N.A.S.M. certified and has been training clients professionally for six years. He enjoys making his clients stronger, both physically and mentally, giving them the tools to create an efficient body and to do things they thought were not possible.