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spanish.iron
10-11-07, 12:22 am
I just read this, I can't believe i never thought of it. I've never seen anyone do this so I don't think it's something everyone knows about. Hopefully a few ppl will find this really useful for their calf development.

OK, so you walk on calves all day long, walk down stairs etc etc. In your regular day you're calves will experience way more force than anything you can throw at it in the gym because during the day it's getting a lot of heavy eccentric stimulation (the part where your muscle lengthens...in a rep this is where you let the weight down on a calf raise). In the gym you usually do concentric motions (the part where you shorten the muscle and contract) with both feet and let down with both feet. Now, a lot of us know that a lot of big gains come from the eccentric part of any exercise. SO, next time you do calf raises, do the concentric part of the rep with both feet, then when your at the top, remove one foot and it down (eccentric part of the rep) the other foot. So push the weight up with both feet, then bring it down slowly with one. Calves are one of those muscles that can handle this kind of added resistance without much risk of injury. Hope this helps.

EDIT: THis is kinda obvious but I thought I'd add this in... alternate which foot you let the weight down with.

LUCEE
10-11-07, 12:27 am
hmm..never thought of that...gonna have to try it friday...thanx

holla

feelthepain12
10-11-07, 4:14 pm
Good looking out, I'll have to try that next leg day.

Ronnie Chop
10-11-07, 4:40 pm
Good idea, but I'm not buying it.

All you need is heavy weight, high reps

spanish.iron
10-11-07, 5:52 pm
Good idea, but I'm not buying it.

All you need is heavy weight, high reps

That works for some ppl(btw, how do u do high reps with heavy weight? If you were actually using relatively heavy weight you'd only be able to do a few reps). I've also heard many times that the key is to go really heavy with low reps. Either way, try it for yourself and see how you like it. In terms of strength I don't think your calves will get stronger any other way.

musclealchemist
10-11-07, 6:25 pm
bro this is a good idea, its a good way to shock the calves. I will try it when i go hit the legs in a bit.

ChandlerXJ
10-11-07, 6:47 pm
I want to try this with BB curls for my arms, bring up 135 with both, down with 1.... HAHA


I will try this this week.

spanish.iron
10-11-07, 8:34 pm
I want to try this with BB curls for my arms, bring up 135 with both, down with 1.... HAHA


I will try this this week.

Whaaaa???????????? ahahha. I hope ur jokin lol.

Pizzalamp
10-11-07, 11:29 pm
hmmm i like this-i need all the calf help i can get
question would it be risky for the knees? ive got some knee problems which can surface easily

spanish.iron
10-11-07, 11:32 pm
hmmm i like this-i need all the calf help i can get
question would it be risky for the knees? ive got some knee problems which can surface easily

I'm really not too sure... the weight is straight down through your leg so I can't see anything happenin. Probably ease into it just to be sure.

NickSP
10-11-07, 11:35 pm
Good shit bro, here's some more thought....someone once pointed out, people who actually work their calves really only talk about high reps. But like you said, you're walking all day and they're getting a workout with that....which is already "high reps" through so much walking....so instead of doing the same thing in the gym, use higher weight....

Legacy
10-12-07, 8:03 am
I just read this, I can't believe i never thought of it. I've never seen anyone do this so I don't think it's something everyone knows about. Hopefully a few ppl will find this really useful for their calf development.

OK, so you walk on calves all day long, walk down stairs etc etc. In your regular day you're calves will experience way more force than anything you can throw at it in the gym because during the day it's getting a lot of heavy eccentric stimulation (the part where your muscle lengthens...in a rep this is where you let the weight down on a calf raise). In the gym you usually do concentric motions (the part where you shorten the muscle and contract) with both feet and let down with both feet. Now, a lot of us know that a lot of big gains come from the eccentric part of any exercise. SO, next time you do calf raises, do the concentric part of the rep with both feet, then when your at the top, remove one foot and it down (eccentric part of the rep) the other foot. So push the weight up with both feet, then bring it down slowly with one. Calves are one of those muscles that can handle this kind of added resistance without much risk of injury. Hope this helps.

EDIT: THis is kinda obvious but I thought I'd add this in... alternate which foot you let the weight down with.

You can say that you walk all day on your calves but they arnt gonna grow like that man. And you do not get heavy stimilution from it either. If that was the case, everyone would have big calves and there would be no reason to train them. I type of the computer a lot all day, but that didnt build my big forearms. Weights are what do the trick. Your calf is a muscle just like every other muscle and needs to be continuely overloaded in order to grow, which means putting some heavy ass weights on the machines and repping them out

spanish.iron
10-12-07, 8:53 am
You can say that you walk all day on your calves but they arnt gonna grow like that man. And you do not get heavy stimilution from it either. If that was the case, everyone would have big calves and there would be no reason to train them. I type of the computer a lot all day, but that didnt build my big forearms. Weights are what do the trick. Your calf is a muscle just like every other muscle and needs to be continuely overloaded in order to grow, which means putting some heavy ass weights on the machines and repping them out

Well I appreciate ur input. But that's a pretty bad analogy. Think about it...when you walk down a set a stairs...each foot is eccentrically handing 200lbs (if your a 200 lbs man).... If your going down the stairs faster...then the force increases due to nature of gravity. Forearms don't do shit by typing... People that do mountain running(uphill and esp. downhill) have pretty big calves. In any case, if it doesn't make them bigger it'll sure make them stronger.

Ronnie Chop
10-12-07, 9:38 am
That works for some ppl(btw, how do u do high reps with heavy weight? If you were actually using relatively heavy weight you'd only be able to do a few reps). I've also heard many times that the key is to go really heavy with low reps. Either way, try it for yourself and see how you like it. In terms of strength I don't think your calves will get stronger any other way.

Spanish, what's your idea of high reps? 100 or 25. I mean I could bench the bar alone for 100 reps but that's not what I mean. What I meant was put on a relatively heavy weight and rep any where from 15 - 25 reps. Forearms and calves respond better to high reps IMHO.

Shukin
10-12-07, 9:53 am
All the evidence I need is to look at a set of pins that are in high heels.... When women wear heels their calves look great!
mmmm... Heels for men...
I remember ads in M&F years ago, I think it was Tom Platz, he had these special sneakers where the toes were elevated....

spanish.iron
10-12-07, 5:16 pm
Spanish, what's your idea of high reps? 100 or 25. I mean I could bench the bar alone for 100 reps but that's not what I mean. What I meant was put on a relatively heavy weight and rep any where from 15 - 25 reps. Forearms and calves respond better to high reps IMHO.

I see what your saying Ronnie. When I hear heavy I think of near 100% of 1RM.

SolidTongan
10-12-07, 5:54 pm
Thanks, man. Calves are stubborn as fucc! And they're hard as hell to make grown. Could alwayz use something new in my repertoire! (I think that's how you spell it. Oh well.)

Riesjs
10-12-07, 7:17 pm
High reps, low reps, in, straight, out....change is good

LegendKillerJosh
10-12-07, 8:43 pm
This makes sense since CALVES NEED TO BE STRETCHED TO GROW.

BigAnt
10-12-07, 9:23 pm
I just read this, I can't believe i never thought of it. I've never seen anyone do this so I don't think it's something everyone knows about. Hopefully a few ppl will find this really useful for their calf development.

OK, so you walk on calves all day long, walk down stairs etc etc. In your regular day you're calves will experience way more force than anything you can throw at it in the gym because during the day it's getting a lot of heavy eccentric stimulation (the part where your muscle lengthens...in a rep this is where you let the weight down on a calf raise). In the gym you usually do concentric motions (the part where you shorten the muscle and contract) with both feet and let down with both feet. Now, a lot of us know that a lot of big gains come from the eccentric part of any exercise. SO, next time you do calf raises, do the concentric part of the rep with both feet, then when your at the top, remove one foot and it down (eccentric part of the rep) the other foot. So push the weight up with both feet, then bring it down slowly with one. Calves are one of those muscles that can handle this kind of added resistance without much risk of injury. Hope this helps.

EDIT: THis is kinda obvious but I thought I'd add this in... alternate which foot you let the weight down with.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------make sure you are properly warmed up before trying this...could lead into a muscle tear!

LetsGetNastyNow
07-10-10, 6:14 pm
Spanish, what's your idea of high reps? 100 or 25. I mean I could bench the bar alone for 100 reps but that's not what I mean. What I meant was put on a relatively heavy weight and rep any where from 15 - 25 reps. Forearms and calves respond better to high reps IMHO.

Yeah i agree, I think people get too caught up in trying to find these "secret training techniques" when all you need to do is change up exercises, and bust your ass in the gym.

prowrestler
07-10-10, 8:46 pm
if you dont have calves before stepping in the gym...

gain fucking weight.

when your 250lbs, they will need to grow to carry your heavy ass 24/7.


as far as training goes, pause in the stretch position for 3-5 seconds before each rep of any calf raise. im experimenting with doing `100 total reps of single leg calf raises every other day.

The Misfit
07-10-10, 9:27 pm
I agree with the method brought forward by the OP. It makes sense.
Not to hijack the thread but I am a big believer in Dante Trudels methods as they make a lot of sense. Here's his take on a particular method for calves:

Ok lets see here....

Calves: I wasnt ever going to put this on the net because its very hard to describe and I usually only used it with people in person (and i would say about 4-5 trainees online)....but what the hell....lets try it.

You got weak calves....they suck....you know it, your girlfriend knows it, Jill Pettengill that hot blonde in high school you had the fever for knew it, and your lifting partner that you blow away in spades on all bodyparts except calves knows it (thats why he wears shorts 24/7 around you.)

Hmmmmmm lets think it out.....who has good calves?

a) genetically gifted people who have no idea where they came from, never had to bust their ass for them but love to give calf training advice to everyone who will listen....even though it wont do jack crap for you.

b) fat people (almost universally) and I surmise you would too if you had to one leg calf raise a great deal of bodyweight all the time when walking (remember this concept for below though)

c) geeks - guys who walk up on their toes since kindergarten, yes they look a little light in their loafers and like they just came from a starring role in Peter Pan but no doubt.....those geeky toewalkers got some gastrocs and soleus's to be proud of. (remember this concept for below though also)


So what does the above (a b c) do for you?

Dante wants you to do cardio on your days off training correct? You have to do it anyway AND YOUR CALVES SUCK! Hmmmmm....

So Im going to show you a way to get those babies up bigtime and kill 2 birds with one stone.

****Please be very hydrated and take some Taurine before you do this ok---there is a very good chance you will cramp if you dont (Trust me on this as someone who has been doing this for years.....learn this lesson from someone its happened to...me...taurine + water especially if you are using creatine)

Allright you now do your cardio like this if you have suckass calves ok

We are going to start out so you dont kill yourself

Incline at 15 (yes the highest it will go), MPH at 3.0......I want semi-long strides and a slightly concious effort to push with your big toe during these long strides ok......and here is the key below--this is what must be done and the problem of why i never have described this on the net (and i still dont know if you guys are going to get it)

Lean forward so you are leaning over the (push button display board)...in fact you know what i would like you to do if possible so you are positioned just right? Bring your arms up on the display board and i want them straight out in front of you all the way to the crook of the elbow hanging off the top of the display board ok?

Grasp your thumb with your other hand if you have to...whatever feels right.

So stand up straight from the computer right now--and then put your arms straight out in front of you----see the crook of your elbow (where bicep and forearm meet)----that is going to be where the top of the treadmill display board is--at that crook--you probably are going to have to put a towel up there because you are going to be huffing and puffing and sweating. To accomplish that you are going to have to lean forward a little bit but i dont want you resting totally on the display board--i just want to put you in a mechanical position for your calves on the highest incline using one calf at a time ("oh dante i see what you are doing you freaking **&%$&^ slavedriver!")

So we are in position now....ready?

6 minutes at 15 incline and 3.0mph
4 minutes at 15 incline and 2.5mph
3 minutes at 15 incline and 2.0mph
2 minutes at 15 incline and 1.5mph

and you might think those slower mph is going to make it much much easier---oh it is on your breathing but not on your calves.

So 15 minutes is what you will start out with and lets see who has balls or not....and then with time you could work your way up to whatever you wanted to do....but remember your going to be expending alot of energy in this 15 minutes so i would never be doing 45 minutes cardio like this.

i honestly think you could get great benefit sticking at 20 minutes with this and do a

10 minutes / 15 / 3.5mph
5 minutes / 15 / 2.5 mph
5 minutes / 15 / 1.5mph

or if absolutely topped out (and i dont think this is neccessary but for someone who does alot of cardio or needs alot of cardio and also needs some calves you could try this)

10 minutes / 15 / 3.5mph
10 minutes / 15 / 2.5 mph
10 minutes / 15 / 1.5mph

Id be personally destroyed with that at 275lbs bodyweight - but hey it really is up to you guys here on the timing you want to do---i just want the mechanics of it done right.

Try the 15 minutes first on your next cardio day and tell me how it goes--you are probably going to be pretty darn spent.

This is my promise to you---I promise you bigger calves with this in a short timespan if you do it mechanically correct---I PROMISE YOU THAT---actually I absolutely guarentee that.

And as you get larger and weigh more and keep doing this they are going to keep getting larger if you keep doing it.

Once again (water and taurine).....this would be the time to put some glycerol in your daily water intake if you are going to do these things.

again in my personal opinion 20 minutes tops would probably be all that is needed here but Ill let you guys do your thing and decide how you want to do it timing wise....just promise me you do it as I described above.

out...

PS: no you dont have to wear a Peter Pan outfit during it....and Jill Pettengill isnt that hot anymore so stop sweating her.

Legacy
07-11-10, 12:01 pm
I agree with the method brought forward by the OP. It makes sense.
Not to hijack the thread but I am a big believer in Dante Trudels methods as they make a lot of sense. Here's his take on a particular method for calves:

Ok lets see here....

Calves: I wasnt ever going to put this on the net because its very hard to describe and I usually only used it with people in person (and i would say about 4-5 trainees online)....but what the hell....lets try it.

You got weak calves....they suck....you know it, your girlfriend knows it, Jill Pettengill that hot blonde in high school you had the fever for knew it, and your lifting partner that you blow away in spades on all bodyparts except calves knows it (thats why he wears shorts 24/7 around you.)

Hmmmmmm lets think it out.....who has good calves?

a) genetically gifted people who have no idea where they came from, never had to bust their ass for them but love to give calf training advice to everyone who will listen....even though it wont do jack crap for you.

b) fat people (almost universally) and I surmise you would too if you had to one leg calf raise a great deal of bodyweight all the time when walking (remember this concept for below though)

c) geeks - guys who walk up on their toes since kindergarten, yes they look a little light in their loafers and like they just came from a starring role in Peter Pan but no doubt.....those geeky toewalkers got some gastrocs and soleus's to be proud of. (remember this concept for below though also)


So what does the above (a b c) do for you?

Dante wants you to do cardio on your days off training correct? You have to do it anyway AND YOUR CALVES SUCK! Hmmmmm....

So Im going to show you a way to get those babies up bigtime and kill 2 birds with one stone.

****Please be very hydrated and take some Taurine before you do this ok---there is a very good chance you will cramp if you dont (Trust me on this as someone who has been doing this for years.....learn this lesson from someone its happened to...me...taurine + water especially if you are using creatine)

Allright you now do your cardio like this if you have suckass calves ok

We are going to start out so you dont kill yourself

Incline at 15 (yes the highest it will go), MPH at 3.0......I want semi-long strides and a slightly concious effort to push with your big toe during these long strides ok......and here is the key below--this is what must be done and the problem of why i never have described this on the net (and i still dont know if you guys are going to get it)

Lean forward so you are leaning over the (push button display board)...in fact you know what i would like you to do if possible so you are positioned just right? Bring your arms up on the display board and i want them straight out in front of you all the way to the crook of the elbow hanging off the top of the display board ok?

Grasp your thumb with your other hand if you have to...whatever feels right.

So stand up straight from the computer right now--and then put your arms straight out in front of you----see the crook of your elbow (where bicep and forearm meet)----that is going to be where the top of the treadmill display board is--at that crook--you probably are going to have to put a towel up there because you are going to be huffing and puffing and sweating. To accomplish that you are going to have to lean forward a little bit but i dont want you resting totally on the display board--i just want to put you in a mechanical position for your calves on the highest incline using one calf at a time ("oh dante i see what you are doing you freaking **&%$&^ slavedriver!")

So we are in position now....ready?

6 minutes at 15 incline and 3.0mph
4 minutes at 15 incline and 2.5mph
3 minutes at 15 incline and 2.0mph
2 minutes at 15 incline and 1.5mph

and you might think those slower mph is going to make it much much easier---oh it is on your breathing but not on your calves.

So 15 minutes is what you will start out with and lets see who has balls or not....and then with time you could work your way up to whatever you wanted to do....but remember your going to be expending alot of energy in this 15 minutes so i would never be doing 45 minutes cardio like this.

i honestly think you could get great benefit sticking at 20 minutes with this and do a

10 minutes / 15 / 3.5mph
5 minutes / 15 / 2.5 mph
5 minutes / 15 / 1.5mph

or if absolutely topped out (and i dont think this is neccessary but for someone who does alot of cardio or needs alot of cardio and also needs some calves you could try this)

10 minutes / 15 / 3.5mph
10 minutes / 15 / 2.5 mph
10 minutes / 15 / 1.5mph

Id be personally destroyed with that at 275lbs bodyweight - but hey it really is up to you guys here on the timing you want to do---i just want the mechanics of it done right.

Try the 15 minutes first on your next cardio day and tell me how it goes--you are probably going to be pretty darn spent.

This is my promise to you---I promise you bigger calves with this in a short timespan if you do it mechanically correct---I PROMISE YOU THAT---actually I absolutely guarentee that.

And as you get larger and weigh more and keep doing this they are going to keep getting larger if you keep doing it.

Once again (water and taurine).....this would be the time to put some glycerol in your daily water intake if you are going to do these things.

again in my personal opinion 20 minutes tops would probably be all that is needed here but Ill let you guys do your thing and decide how you want to do it timing wise....just promise me you do it as I described above.

out...

PS: no you dont have to wear a Peter Pan outfit during it....and Jill Pettengill isnt that hot anymore so stop sweating her.

That surely is one hell of an interesting aspect to training calves. I am gonna give it a try and see how it works. Nice post, different than typical calf training, a good way to switch things up.