Keiser Seated Calf

The Best Seated Calf Raise Machine On The Market.

The Keiser Seated Calf machine is a piece of strength training equipment designed to target and strengthen the calf muscles, especially the soleus.

The Keiser Seated Calf was designed to enhance the training of Long Jump world record holder Mike Powell, as well as for Willie Banks. Mike's coach Randy Huntington needed a more effective way to develop the calf muscles of his athletes, and Keiser came through an innovating and remarkably effective machine for developing the calves.

For athletes who want to sprint faster, especially during acceleration, the Keiser Seated Calf should be a mainstay in their arsenal of strength training equipment.

Where To Buy The Keiser Seated Calf Machine

The Keiser Seated Calf is available through SimpliFaster. You can purchase the machine outright, or use their installment option to pay for the machine over time.

Keiser Seated Calf - Pneumatic Resistance

What sets the Keiser seated calf raise apart from other calf machines is its use of Keiser's pneumatic air resistance system. Instead of using traditional weight plates or a weight stack, the Keiser seated calf machine uses compressed air to provide resistance.

Air resistance is isotonic, meaning that the load will stay the same regardless of how fast you move it or where in the movement you are. Because air resistance has no inertial qualities, athletes can rapidly switch between eccentric and concentric muscle actions, allowing for higher loads to be used at higher velocities compared to if one was training with a mass based system.

 

On a typical seated calf raise, the load gets lighter at the top and heavier at the bottom due to momentum and inertia. This leads to feeling too much resistance at the bottom of the movement, and not enough resistance at the top of the movement.

Overall, the Keiser seated calf machine can be an effective tool for strengthening the calf muscles and improving athletic performance, especially for sprinters or other athletes who have to run fast in their sport.

Why Seated Calf Raises Are Important For Athletes

The seated calf raise is a staple exercise for sprinters or any other athlete who needs to improve their acceleration sprinting. While tempo running and upright calf raises target the gastrocnemius, the soleus muscle is often underdeveloped in athletes.

Because of this, athletes have trouble stabilizing the ankle during acceleration, leading to poor ankle stiffness and force transfer. If you ever see your athletes' ankles collapse during acceleration, it is likely that they need to improve their soleus strength as well as their skills regarding foot placement.

The soleus muscle is an important muscle in the lower leg that plays a crucial role in sprinting. The soleus muscle is located in the back of the lower leg, below the knee joint, and it connects the tibia and fibula bones to the heel bone (calcaneus) via the Achilles tendon.

During sprinting, the soleus muscle works in conjunction with other muscles in the leg to generate force and power the movements of the foot and ankle. The soleus helps set the ankle joint up so that the gastrocnemius can do its job. Specifically, the soleus muscle functions to plantarflex the ankle, meaning it helps to point the toes downward and push off the ground during the propulsion phase of the sprint stride.

As the foot contacts the ground during the sprint, the soleus muscle contracts eccentrically to absorb the impact of the landing and then rapidly contracts concentrically to generate force and propel the body forward. The ability of the soleus muscle to generate rapid, powerful contractions is critical for explosive sprinting movements.

Strengthening the soleus muscle can be an important aspect of sprint training and can help to improve sprint performance. Exercises like calf raises and plyometric jumps can be effective in targeting the soleus muscle and improving its strength and power.

Personally, I have found that doing bent leg calf extensions with Keiser equipment has led to massive improvements in power outputs through the ankle. This has helped to improve my acceleration, and it didn't even require that much work! By incorporating 3 sets of 10-15 quick repetitions at the end of my workouts, I saw major improvements in soleus function.

Keiser Seated Calf Features

The Keiser Seated Calf has a number of features which set it apart from your typical plate-loaded seated calf machine.

• Offers both unilateral and bilateral movement options so you can ensure your body is being developed symmetrically through the calves and feet.
• Increased resistance range for more intense functional workouts allows you to hit the exact positions you want to be stronger in.
• Smooth Keiser Dynamic Variable Resistance ensures you feel resistance in all the right places, at the right time.
• Fully adjustable to accommodate a wide range of users with varying leg lengths.
• Large digital display shows your resistance level, power output, and counted repetitions.

Keiser Seated Calf Specifications 

• Height: 53” / 1346 mm
• Width: 29” / 737 mm
• Depth: 47” / 1194 mm
• Weight: 166 lbs / 75 kg
• Resistance Range: 0 - 860 lbs / 0 - 390 kg
• Price: $6,690

Conclusion

If you are looking for the best seated calf raise machine for athletes, the Keiser A300 Seated Calf Raise is the piece of equipment you need.

Keiser equipment has helped me reach new levels of athleticism at 31 years old, pushing me to new heights in my strength, power and speed performance.

Athletes who need to accelerate fast in their sport benefit greatly from using the Keiser Seated Calf Raise. If you are looking to expand your gym to incorporate more lower leg training, the Keiser Seated Calf should be at the top of your list of equipment to buy.