Place a block about a foot in front of a flat bench. Sit down on the end of the flat bench with the balls of your feet on the block. Then, place a barbell across your upper thighs (I usually place the barbell about 2 to 4 inches away from my knee); this is the starting position of the exercise. Raise your toes as high as you possibly can, squeezing the calves throughout the movement. After holding the peak contraction at the top of the motion, slowly allow your heels to descend until you are back in your starting position. Ensure that you are stretching your calves as far as you can in order to see maximum results. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions. This exercise can be varied by using a smith machine, a calf raise machine, or even dumbbells (by placing one dumbbell on top of each thigh).
