Gastrocnemius vs. Soleus
These two exercises both train the two major muscles of the calves, but to different degrees. It is important to know that the calf has two major muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. To get developed calves, you need to work both of these muscles. The gastrocnemius (fondly known as the gastroc) is the larger muscle in the lower leg. It is the heart-shaped muscle that we primarily see when we look at our calves, and it branches into two heads that, with work, will acquire definition. The other muscle is the soleus. It is smaller and runs underneath the gastroc. It is typically what we think of as the lower calf muscle; it is the muscle you feel if you bend your knee slightly during a standard straight-leg calf stretch.
Put simply, both of these muscles are worked by both the seated and standing calf raise. But—the standing calf raise, because done with a straight leg, will target the gastrocs more than the soleus and also more than will a seated calf raise. Likewise, the standing calf raise will put tension on the lateral and medial heads of the gastroc muscle—so, you will get both thickness overall and definition in the heads of the muscle.
The seated calf raise, by contrast, by bending the knee will relax the gastroc (which crosses the knee) and reduce its contribution to the exercise. So, the majority of the work will be done by your soleus. To guys looking for bulk, this may seem like a negative. But in fact, since the soleus lies under the gastroc, by thickening the soleus, you will cause your gastroc to "pop out" more. You add volume to your calves by training your soleus in addition to your gastroc.
ik ben ook jaloers....
