calf training tips needed

[vracula]

need advice on growing my calves,please advice only from people who dont have genetically gifted calves and have had to work their butts off to gain some calf mass (no offense to the lucky bastards who have genetically gifted calves :grin: )

[Marcus]

I do 5 sets to failure per week. Each week I alternate between seated & standing calf raises. After I fail on each set I will do bodyweight standing raises until I fail on this also. This routine has been effective for me.

[teamfatboy]

I'll train calves twice a week - standing calf raises on a weights stack, seated calf raises, either 10-8-6-12 pyramids or 10/15 drop-sets... a mean workout is 100s on the incline press (toes on the sled, load up and then rep-out to failure as many times as it takes to get to 100).

I've now graduated away from cankles to something more like 'real legs' - but it ain't easy!

[rotangs on]

I just do 3 - 4 sets of 12 on the smith machine. Laying the bar across my shoulders and standing on a piece of wood or something and doing calf raises, really slowly and pausing at top and bottom. My calves are sore as for about 4 - 5 days..to be honest it's the worst muscle to have sore when you stand for 12 hours straight.

[Pseudonym]

If it's any consolation, Vracula, you're in good company... I noticed at the Pro show last weekend there was a pro (Troy Alves, I think, but I'm not 100% certain) whose calves were particularly miniscule. He obviously drew the short straw when it came to calf genes, poor bugger.

Sure, his upper body may be three times the size of mine, but I reckon my calves would be more than a match for his. It made my day. :grin:

[Flamer]

Bascially, like the others have said. Superset standing raises with seated. Cycling also helps - BIG TIME. Not sitting on the stationary bike, but getting out there, feet clipped to peddles doing hills. This is essentially one of the many definitiions of pain - but very effective. As a side effect, quads tend to also....expand?

[FoTwenny]

I used to have virtually no calves at all, and doing a few heavy sets of calf raises on leg day was doing nothing for me. So I watched the fitshow episode on bodybuilding.com with Flex Lewis, and learnt some invaluable tips. Now my calves are very noticeably larger.

I highly suggest you watch it, but i'll give you a few pointers that I got from it which helped in my development.

Firstly, do calves everyday you're at the gym. No less than 5 times a week.

Use drop sets. If you're doing standing calf raises, go straight from that into doing raises on the platform without the weight, then go straight into doing raises on the floor.

Rep to failure on every set.

What you want is a hellish pump, using the most weight you can while maintaining decent form.

Try it, i'm confident you'll see a difference.

[blairandkelly]

go real heavy and hit em frequently , youll have cows in no time :wink:

[BlueCollarLifter]

Walking to work for about 25mins+ a day for four days a week on Auckland city's hilly streets have shown me more progress on my calves than what had seen at the gym for about 2years+

Its the continuous workload and no option to just stop and rest that makes the difference (unless I don't want to get to work on time).

Taking shorter strides on inclines and letting the calves do more work have helped even more.

I guess you could replicate this on a steep inclined treadmill.

Which just isn't the same, for me anyway.

Also I remember a while back where someone suggested strapping something on the bottom of your shoe (on the front half) -leaving you heel lower than your toes.

So it would feel like your walking up-hill for every step you take.

Thought that was pretty ingenious.

[mr natural]

all of the above and site injections!

[mr natural]

If it's any consolation, Vracula, you're in good company... I noticed at the Pro show last weekend there was a pro (Troy Alves, I think, but I'm not 100% certain) whose calves were particularly miniscule. He obviously drew the short straw when it came to calf genes, poor bugger.

Sure, his upper body may be three times the size of mine, but I reckon my calves would be more than a match for his. It made my day. :grin:

might have been dexter or melvin both pretty weak in the calf department

[FoTwenny]

I don't suppose you tried my suggestions and have seen good results?

[mr natural]

I don't suppose you tried my suggestions and have seen good results?

i tried overtraining them like that in the past,worked for 2 weeks then they started to shrink.They get overtrained like any other muscle.

[fudoc5]

set treadmill to 60-80% incline and powerwalk for around 3-4km. try to use ur toes only if you can. and on leg days make sure to include calve raises,i find that at my gym, the calve raise platform is too low so i usually add a block of wood to raise the platform up which allows me to bring my heels further down.

[Dale]

I liked to alternate workouts doing 2 a week (i.e Mon and Thurs).

WORKOUT 1:

Leg Press calf raise

warmups 1x20, 1x15

working sets 4x12

dropset

1x20-25

Very very heavy but full range of motion of the ankle, knees stay slightly bent throughout movement

Seated Calf raise (partner pushing down on negatives)

no warmup

working sets 5x12

resist the negative and powerful contraction on the upward movement, partner must push down in a controlled fashion and stop when you are the bottom of movement

Donkey calf raise (partner on back holding 50kg dumbbell)

3 sets to failure

(no funny stuff!)

End of workout.....

WORKOUT 2

Standing Calf Raise (2 second hold at top under peak contraction)

warmups 1x20, 1x15

working 7x15-20

dropset (no hold at top just pump the calves out full range always) 1x50

(10sets total)

One legged standing calf raise

bodyweight only to failure 2 sets per leg

Stretch gently between every set.

Keep weight over the ball of the big toe (i.e push on big toe not roll your ankle to outside) for the most part of the reps.

10mins walking treadmill on steepest angle it will go, speed 4.5 to 5 (not too fast or you cant push up on calf and are just walking)...as per Fudoc5's earlier post..very good as a finisher to pump them out to the max at end of workout.

End of workout....

[FoTwenny]

I don't suppose you tried my suggestions and have seen good results?

i tried overtraining them like that in the past,worked for 2 weeks then they started to shrink.They get overtrained like any other muscle.

Not true mate.

[2guns]

y is that not true?

i think calves are something u either got or u dont got, sure training them will help but they either ther or they aint lol

[mr natural]

I don't suppose you tried my suggestions and have seen good results?

i tried overtraining them like that in the past,worked for 2 weeks then they started to shrink.They get overtrained like any other muscle.

Not true mate.

well from my experience they are sorry.

anyway,what are you trying to say? that the calf muscle does not need recovery time from intense stress because its a high endurance muscle and you walk on it all day so its impossible to overtrain it and it requires no recouperation time?yeah right.

go back to high school mate.

[FoTwenny]

well from my experience they are sorry.

anyway,what are you trying to say? that the calf muscle does not need recovery time from intense stress because its a high endurance muscle and you walk on it all day so its impossible to overtrain it and it requires no recouperation time?yeah right.

go back to high school mate.

I'm just saying it's a sound method, used by bbers with some of the best calves in the game. Priest, Flex lewis, Arnold etc.

I'm not saying train them hardcore everyday, just 4-5 times a week. Of course they need rest like any other muscle. But calves are different than the rest of the muscle groups, that's why so many people have trouble with them.

Of course if you have good calf genetics then you could probably get away with not training them like that. But if you have poor genetics, then a few sets 1 day a week isn't going to cut it. If your calves are actually shrinking then I think you may have lost the training battle either way.

[mr natural]

well from my experience they are sorry.

anyway,what are you trying to say? that the calf muscle does not need recovery time from intense stress because its a high endurance muscle and you walk on it all day so its impossible to overtrain it and it requires no recouperation time?yeah right.

go back to high school mate.

I'm just saying it's a sound method, used by bbers with some of the best calves in the game. Priest, Flex lewis, Arnold etc.

I'm not saying train them hardcore everyday, just 4-5 times a week. Of course they need rest like any other muscle. But calves are different than the rest of the muscle groups, that's why so many people have trouble with them.

Of course if you have good calf genetics then you could probably get away with not training them like that. But if you have poor genetics, then a few sets 1 day a week isn't going to cut it. If your calves are actually shrinking then I think you may have lost the training battle either way.

like i said,for me they responded well for the first week of training em 5 times a week, i think the shock of training em like that made them respond as a wake up call for the first week but after that nadda! shrinkage even.

i think its a good shock tactic,but other than that i would not recommend doing it for long.

2 times a week works much better for me,around 20-25mins each workout.

I had pretty crap straight calves early on and they are much better now.

[Dale]

fuk, now i'm agreeing with you Mr N!!!!! definitely 2 times a week, same for forearms for best results :grin:

[FoTwenny]

Fair enough, it's all about trying the different methods and going with what works best.

[mr natural]

fuk, now i'm agreeing with you Mr N!!!!! definitely 2 times a week, same for forearms for best results :grin:

lol,you know i'm always right!

yeah 2 times a week for lagging body parts has worked well for me in general.

I think the odd shock/overload period of a week can be good,but only for a short period and infrequently.

forearms i have never really trained but have decent size from curls ect...

Dale,do you train your forearms twice a week to wringe your naughty gym members necks with?

please get back to me.

lol

[Dale]

i actually dont train them at all anymore unless i know im meeting up with you to shake your hand! :pfft:

If I train them they grow, if they grow my pathetic upper arms look even more pathetic..but yes when i wanted them to be strong and as large as possible (as you do when you are starting out) i trained them twice a week..once was using 6-8 reps 4 working sets after 2 warmups; and the second was 4 working sets of 15s after 2 warmup sets. Usually did 2 exercises for the flexors and 2 for the extensors

[mr natural]

i actually dont train them at all anymore unless i know im meeting up with you to shake your hand! :pfft:

If I train them they grow, if they grow my pathetic upper arms look even more pathetic..but yes when i wanted them to be strong and as large as possible (as you do when you are starting out) i trained them twice a week..once was using 6-8 reps 4 working sets after 2 warmups; and the second was 4 working sets of 15s after 2 warmup sets. Usually did 2 exercises for the flexors and 2 for the extensors

pathetic upper arms-please! :^o

i better start forearm training so you don't crush my hand and wring my neck!