Why reach the leg forward instead of keeping the foot under the knee?

With the heel out in front, the shin slopes forward and the foot starts pointed with the toes on the floor, so the toes travel farther before they reach the top. With the foot flat under the knee, the floor stops the foot at a right angle and only the upper part of the range gets trained.

Can toe raises help prevent falls?

They can be one part of it. The tibialis anterior keeps the toes clear of the ground as the leg swings through, and nursing home residents who had fallen have been found to have far weaker dorsiflexors than those who had not, but toe raises on their own are not a fall-prevention program and work best alongside balance and leg strength training.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Start with 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps per leg and build toward 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 25, two or three times a week. Because the only load is the weight of the foot, a 2 to 3 second lowering phase does more than adding speed.

Why do my shins burn or cramp?

The front of the shin is rarely trained directly, so a strong burn near the end of a set is normal fatigue, and a cramp usually passes if you relax the foot and rest. Numbness, tingling or sharp pain is not normal and is a reason to stop.

What if I can barely lift the front of my foot?

See a doctor or physical therapist before training it. A foot that hardly lifts, or toes that drag or catch while walking, can be foot drop, which often comes from a nerve problem such as pressure on the peroneal nerve below the knee and needs a diagnosis, not just exercise.

Seated Single-Leg Toe Raise

What Is the Seated Single-Leg Toe Raise?

Seated Single-Leg Toe Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the lower legs, working the tibialis anterior at the front of the shin. It is a beginner-level movement done on a chair, with one leg reached forward and the heel resting on the floor while the toes and the top of the foot are pulled up toward the shin and lowered again.

The tibialis anterior lifts the front of the foot. In walking it holds the toes up as the leg swings through so they clear the ground, then lowers the forefoot under control just after the heel lands. This seated version trains that action with no balance demand and no load beyond the weight of the foot, which makes it a practical starting point for older adults, for people building back after time off their feet, and for anyone not yet ready for standing toe raises.

Older clients often do it for walking confidence. Toes that drag are easy to catch on a step edge or a rug, and weak ankle dorsiflexors are one of the deficits seen in people who fall: a study of nursing home residents found that those with a history of falls produced much less knee and ankle strength and power than residents who had not fallen, with dorsiflexion power the most affected. That is a link between weakness and falls, not proof that this exercise prevents them, so it belongs inside a broader routine of balance and leg strength work.

Reaching the leg forward matters. With the heel out in front, the shin slopes forward and the foot starts pointed with the toes on the floor, so the toes travel through a larger arc than they can with the foot flat under the knee. Because the knee is most of the way straight, tight calves can limit how high the toes come up, and working one leg at a time lets each side be trained and compared on its own.

When the full range feels easy for high reps, the next steps add load or body weight: the Band Seated Tibialis Raise adds resistance in the same seated position, while the standing Tibialis Raise and the Heel Walk bring the shin muscles into standing and walking.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Tibialis Anterior: Primary

Instructions

Sit upright on the front half of a sturdy, armless chair, back clear of the backrest, with your hands resting on your thighs.
Plant your non-working foot flat on the floor with that knee bent.
Reach the working leg forward so the heel rests on the floor well in front of the knee, keeping the knee most of the way straight with a slight bend.
Start with the foot relaxed and pointed, the toes resting on the floor.
Keeping the heel planted, pull the top of the foot and the toes up toward your shin as far as you comfortably can.
Pause for a moment at the top.
Lower the foot slowly until the toes touch the floor again.
Keep the thigh and knee still throughout, so the ankle is the only joint moving.
Complete your reps, then switch legs.

Common Mistakes

Lifting or sliding the heel
The heel is the pivot, so letting it lift or slide turns the rep into a leg movement and takes the work off the front of the shin.
Lifting only the toes
Curling the toes up while the top of the foot stays down works the toe extensors and leaves the ankle barely moving.
Dropping the foot
Letting the foot fall back to the floor skips the slow, controlled lowering the tibialis anterior does every time the heel lands in walking.
Cutting the range short
Stopping partway up, or never letting the toes return to the floor, trains only a small slice of the movement.
Moving the leg instead of the ankle
Bending the knee or rocking the thigh to lift the foot uses the hip and knee, when the ankle should be the only joint moving.

Injuries

Seated Single-Leg Toe Raise is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The only load is the weight of the foot, the chair removes any balance demand, and the ankle moves through a short, controlled range.

The most common complaint is a burning or cramping feeling in the front of the shin toward the end of a set, since the tibialis anterior is rarely trained directly. Fatigue burn is normal; a cramp usually eases if you stop, let the foot relax down and rest before continuing. Use a sturdy, armless chair that will not slide or tip, ideally with its back against a wall, and sit on the front half of the seat rather than perched on its edge.

If the full range is hard to reach, do fewer reps or bring the heel a little closer to the chair to shorten the arc, then work back out. To progress, slow the lowering and pause at the top before moving on to the Band Seated Tibialis Raise, the standing Tibialis Raise or the Heel Walk.

Stop and get checked if you feel sharp pain at the front of the ankle, numbness or tingling in the foot, or if the front of the foot barely lifts at all. Toes that drag or catch while walking, or a foot that slaps down, can be signs of foot drop, which often comes from a nerve problem and needs a doctor or physical therapist to assess it.

Overview

Primary Focus: Calves
Equipment: Body weight and other
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why reach the leg forward instead of keeping the foot under the knee?: With the heel out in front, the shin slopes forward and the foot starts pointed with the toes on the floor, so the toes travel farther before they reach the top. With the foot flat under the knee, the floor stops the foot at a right angle and only the upper part of the range gets trained.
Q: Can toe raises help prevent falls?: They can be one part of it. The tibialis anterior keeps the toes clear of the ground as the leg swings through, and nursing home residents who had fallen have been found to have far weaker dorsiflexors than those who had not, but toe raises on their own are not a fall-prevention program and work best alongside balance and leg strength training.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: Start with 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 15 slow reps per leg and build toward 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 25, two or three times a week. Because the only load is the weight of the foot, a 2 to 3 second lowering phase does more than adding speed.
Q: Why do my shins burn or cramp?: The front of the shin is rarely trained directly, so a strong burn near the end of a set is normal fatigue, and a cramp usually passes if you relax the foot and rest. Numbness, tingling or sharp pain is not normal and is a reason to stop.
Q: What if I can barely lift the front of my foot?: See a doctor or physical therapist before training it. A foot that hardly lifts, or toes that drag or catch while walking, can be foot drop, which often comes from a nerve problem such as pressure on the peroneal nerve below the knee and needs a diagnosis, not just exercise.