How many Soleus pushup a day is good for health.
“Soleus pushup” is a term coined by the study’s authors to describe what’s essentially a seated calf raise. In the study, researchers compared sedentary participants to those who continually performed soleus pushups. They found that the soleus pushup group experienced an increase in oxidative metabolic rate (the rate at which the body uses oxygen to convert fat or carbohydrates into energy) and a quicker decrease in blood glucose after ingesting a glucose drink.
The soleus push up looks a lot like a seated calf raise, but the benefits touted and real-world impact could potentially go far beyond that.
The exercise shot to fame after a recent study (discussed below) showed it has the ability to help the body regulate glucose and improve the metabolization of fat… i.e. it has the ability to help manage of all sorts of diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles.
What Is a Soleus Pushup?
Your calf is made up of two major muscles, the soleus and the gastrocnemius, with the soleus being the smaller of the two. Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal, explains that the gastrocnemius, which is composed mainly of fast-twitch muscle fibers, assists in explosive movements such as sprinting, jumping, and plyometrics. In contrast, the soleus consists of fatigue-resistant, slow-twitch muscle fibers that allow you to stand, walk, and run for long periods of time.
While standing calf raises target the gastrocnemius, seated calf raises, or soleus pushup, are more effective at isolating the soleus.
Here’s how to do a soleus pushup: Sit in a chair with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Push your toes into the ground as you raise your heels. Lower your heels and repeat.
Can Soleus Pushups Really Boost Your Metabolism?
Because the soleus pushup has a relatively low energy expenditure—it uses a muscle that makes up only one percent of your total body mass and burns half as many calories per minute as walking—researchers were impressed by how much it boosted metabolism and improved glucose regulation.
Do Soleus Pushups Build Calf Strength?
While soleus pushup may be effective in increasing metabolism and improving glucose regulation, they’re not the most efficient strategy for building stronger calves. “You don’t have overload, and you don’t have external load,” explains Tonal coach Kristina Centenari, a certified personal trainer and accomplished runner and triathlete. “So it’s probably not going to be the most optimal strength-training tool.”
If you’re looking to build bigger calf muscles or improve your performance in activities like running or plyometrics, Centenari recommends trying these exercises instead.
Soleus Push Up Vs Calf Raise
Soleus push ups require doing the movement for a long period and the benefits (as discussed below) are focused on metabolic changes. In contrast, calf raises are usually performed for 6-12 repetitions, repeated for 3-5 sets, with a focus of building strength and muscle. You might consider adding additional weight, and focus on recruiting the gastrocnemius for strength and power.
Benefits
Although we’ll outline some important things to consider about soleus push ups and the real world implications below, something that is clear, is that doing the exercise is likely better than just sitting.
It may also be very useful for those who struggle to walk for long periods, such as the elderly… who may benefit from exercise programs that include these sorts of movements. Being sedentary increases all sorts of risks, such as heart disease and diabetes, so any movement that helps tackle this is certainly worth taking note of.
Things to Be Considered
Although the research around soleus pushup is certainly interestingly… if not even exciting… but there are definitely some key things that need to be addressed about what this means for most people.
Firstly, it’s important to stress the hype around soleus push ups all comes from a recent research study out of the University of Houston. The benefits of soleus push ups are only just being discovered and understood, so it’s still quite early to make big sweeping statements of what this movement can do for most people.
We’ll likely see additional studies and research around the benefits over the coming years to help improve this understanding.
Finally, the praised benefits of soleus push ups actually requires you to do the movement for a long time… which begs the question whether it has real-world benefits for most people. Although the movement is simple, it does require concentration to keep it up for a long period. If given the choice, many of us may just prefer to go for a shorter walk if the benefits were the same.
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