Soleus

The soleus is a long flat muscle that runs down the posterior of the lower leg, underneath the gastrocnemius.

The soleus is recruited during extension of the ankle, especially when there is a bend in the knee of about 90°. This position shifts most the workload onto the soleus, as the gastrocnemius is mostly inactive.

The soleus is recruited during ankle extension when there is no significant bend in the knee also. This is usually when the load is only moderate, because of its majority type i make-up, especially during the concentric phrase of the movement.

The soleus is best stimulated during bent knee ankle extension, such as the seated calf raise. Exercises that recruit the Soleus can be viewed in the exercise section to the right.

Because of its high ratio of type i fibres the soleus is best stimulated with great time under tension during bent knee ankle extension. 25 reps and above have been shown to cause effective hypertrophy of type i fibres.