A lot (if not most) of the older bodybuilders (Arnold included) did all their calf work BAREFOOTED! Two questions. Any of you guys do your calf work barefooted? Is there any advantage to doing barefoot calf work that you can see?
Mufasa, I prefer to do my calf work barefooted because it seems to give me a better “purchase” on the ground/machine/whatever (don’t try this at a “fluffy” gym, especially if your feet stink). Also, shoes can restrict ROM and, in the case of high-tops or cross trainers, actually WEAKEN the stability of the ankles. It seems logical that if wearing a weight belt constantly can weaken the abs and back muscles, then “support” shoes could do the same for ankles.
Converse Chuck Taylors are THE shoes for squats, by the way. Only an opinion, though.
I did this where I used to live, not now. The place I go now has too many women and “trainers” in polo shirts walking around. They would tell me to keep my shoes on. Definitely work em barefoot if you can. My old gym had Larry Scott’s donkey calf machine, which Larry designed with a gum rubber pad for the specific purpose of doing them barefoot. Used to get killer calf burns/pumps. No mas. 
On the other hand, I remember one of the counselors at the M&F camp in the 80s telling me that this would harm my feet. So who knows.
You get a better stretch in your calves, but the thought of having a weight accidentally dropped on one of my dogs has me keepin my shoes on. outlaw.
I used to think I had genetically weak ankles. all the time growing up my ankles would just slip out from under me giving me a sprained ankle. I figured out later it was because all those high top tennis shoes were popular when I was growing up and that was all I wore - when I didn’t wear them I hurt my ankles. Weight training reversed my problem, but I just thought you might wanna know that I have had real life experience with your theory.
Thank Ironbabe. I too stopped wearing high tops and “support” shoes when I broke my right ankle playing racquetball three years ago. Ever since, I’ve never had a problem with weak ankles. Remember those inflatable “pump” shoes? Those were great for screwing up stability, too.
I do squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and calves barefoot. I get a better ROM for calf workouts, and it feels better when doing the other lifts.
I too have weak ankles. I’ve managed to sprain my right ankle consistently the last few months. I seemed to sprain it every three weeks, four times in a row. Needless to say, my ankle is constantly sore. It doesn’t affect my weight training, running or biking. But it tends to get stiff at times and is a problem when I do things that require me to make sudden turns or foot movements.
Vince Gironda used to throw people out of his gym for doing calf raises with their shoes ON. His argument: you get a better range of motion without shoes, and therefore a better training effect, and since you should do whatever exercise you’re doing RIGHT if you’re going to do it at ALL…
Lion King, King o’ the Jungle…I too belong to the “barefoot” camp that the Dogg speaks of–mostly just DLs and ALL calf work. For calves I feel I just get a dramatically better range and control and feel are remarkable. I suggest trying it. I personally feel that by concentrating the exercise on either the inside or outside of your arch and by performing the calf roll, you can really stress the calves from different angles.
Well, my gym wont let me train bare foot (bastards), but I cant stand keeping my shoes on, because my feet tend slide down on my last couple of reps, which is makes my calf workout suck!
I have always heard that you should do deads, squats, almost anything without shoes. Apparently the new space age air soles, gel soles, take your pick, it messes with the “reactors” in the feet. Try this, next time you are doing squats or deads, try gripping the floor with your feet and really tense everything in your body, you’d be amazed at the power you generate. It’s called irradiation. All that tensing gets your muscles to start working as a team. Pavel gave a great example of learning to use irradiation to generate more power.
If you took a bunch of football all stars, best in the business, and threw them on the field and had them play, chances are they would suck. If they had a chance to practice together they would be unstoppable. Isolation is not a great idea, getting the most muscles to work together will generate more power, you lift more, the more you lift, the more you grown (depending on diet, sets, TUT, etc.)
My point that was lost in this whole rambling, with these new shoes now-a-days you can’t really grip anything and cannot get true feedback from you feet. I just bought some deadlift slippers. I haven’t got them in the mail yet but they are supposed to have a very flat, if any sole at all. It looks a bit like a kung fu shoe. So with these I think you can get away with wearing them at a fluffy gym (where I go, at any HOUR of the day, hint hint) and get a great stretch. If anyone is interested I could look up wear I bought them and send you the link. I believe wrestling shoes work well too but they are expensive. With shipping these were 18 bucks.