Lagging Calves...

[thatguy22]

alright fellas i need some help. my calves just won't grow and are the smallest part of my body. any routines that have worked for you? high or low reps?

[TheNaturalG]

alright fellas i need some help. my calves just won't grow and are the smallest part of my body. any routines that have worked for you? high or low reps?

If you have the will power, instensity, and tolerance for pain. Then try calves this way:

Go on any calve thing like seated machine, leg press, standing, hack squat, etc. Now do 10-15 reps and this will be your whole set. Except each rep you go down to the stretch and let it stretch your calve as hard as possible for 15 grueling seconds then try and explode up and slowly bring the weight back down to the stretch. The amount of weight you will be doing will be no where near the amount of weight you are used to doing for calves so any ego will have to be left at the door. The first 5 reps you will be thinking ok this isn't that hard. Every rep after that it gets worse and worse. By the time you get to 10 you will be wishing it was over and every rep after that is absolute torture. No more sets or stretching is required for calves after this.

[Big Jawn]

Natty G has the right idea, calves are one of the most stubborn bodyparts as I'm sure many can attest too. If you want to fill out those jeans, you've got to hit those stubborn muscles hard and heavy, with regular training (2-3 times a week) as the calves recovery very fast.

[BigAnt]

Try crushing your calves with 3 workouts a week, every other day for 6 weeks. Day one do heavy HEAVY work 5-10 reps, pick 2 exercises and do 4 sets each. Day two do lighter but high, very high reps. Pick 3 exercises and do 3 sets each, rep range 20-25. Day 3 is a killer! GIANT SETS. Try standing calf raises heavy, 6-10 reps, right into seated calf raises, moderate 15-20 reps, right into 1 legged leg press calf raises 50 reps! Do this giant set 3 times and make sure you stretch them out after every work out.

[BeastofBurden]

I'm definetly trying that BigAnt, thanks.. I've been workin my calves now twice a week with great results in size and strength and I'm itchin to see what this is gonna do..

[Toni69]

I concur with BigAnt...train 'em hard 3x a week. Do any variation you can think of and make 'em burn, and when they start burning...don't stop there...do another 50 reps!

[SDR]

Personally I have found standing barbell calf raises (heavy) to be good, more important is doing partials after failure.


Secondly, partner donkey raises, with someone on ya back, for 3 sets, first one get 12-15 clean reps, the next two till your calves burn like hell....


stretching them is so important too before, during and after.

Good luck

[thatguy22]

thanks guys i want people to be like what the fuck are those things

time to work

[king1]

Ive gotten the most out of my calvess from being instinctive while training them. Obviously I go into the gym with a plan, but many ideas just come to me when I'm there. Like 21's on the leg press, or doing one leg at a time to failure then finishing them off together. Another brutal one is to set a number of reps maybe 15 no more than 20, and perform a full rep, and one just at the bottom with a deep stretch, so each rep is really 2. Ive found this to give me the best pump and stretches it to the fullest. I have a question though.....my calves and my arm's measure the same, but my arms look big and my calves look small. Should my calves be larger (Arnold claimsto be in proportion they should measure the same) than my upper arms?

[JLDUBS]

dude just hit em all out switch the angles of your feet to hit all parts of the calve...blitz the hell out of em

[IronHouse]

Try crushing your calves with 3 workouts a week, every other day for 6 weeks. Day one do heavy HEAVY work 5-10 reps, pick 2 exercises and do 4 sets each. Day two do lighter but high, very high reps. Pick 3 exercises and do 3 sets each, rep range 20-25. Day 3 is a killer! GIANT SETS. Try standing calf raises heavy, 6-10 reps, right into seated calf raises, moderate 15-20 reps, right into 1 legged leg press calf raises 50 reps! Do this giant set 3 times and make sure you stretch them out after every work out.

Sounds like this is the way to get the big calves. I'm going to try this aswell. Thanks for advice BigAnt!

Peace Out,IronHouse

[Trapz]

Any tips for calves development??? Any workout suggestions? I train them twice a week before upper leg training. However they are still lagging. Here's my work-out:
- Seated Calves 4x12
- Standing Calves 4X12
- Leg Press Machine Calves Raises 3X16

[ironshaolin]

I think the best thing for calves is regardless of whatever excersise you do superset it with bodyweight calf raises at a high speed for like 20-30 reps, then drop down to just standing on the floor and stand on your toes for 20 reps or so. Also I find it good to stretch the calves in between each set. Do like 4 of those tri-sets with standing and 3 with seated, and give it like 6 weeks. Remember also that calves are smaller and can heal quicker so you can hit them every other day.

[BigAnt]

Any tips for calves development??? Any workout suggestions? I train them twice a week before upper leg training. However they are still lagging. Here's my work-out:
- Seated Calves 4x12
- Standing Calves 4X12
- Leg Press Machine Calves Raises 3X16



Try crushing your calves with 3 workouts a week, every other day for 6 weeks. Day one do heavy HEAVY work 5-10 reps, pick 2 exercises and do 4 sets each. Day two do lighter but high, very high reps. Pick 3 exercises and do 3 sets each, rep range 20-25. Day 3 is a killer! GIANT SETS. Try standing calf raises heavy, 6-10 reps, right into seated calf raises, moderate 15-20 reps, right into 1 legged leg press calf raises 50 reps! Do this giant set 3 times and make sure you stretch them out after every work out.

[Simps]

I would say, work 'em at the beginning of your lift, and hit 'em hard! Modify your lifts, and bring up the slack! Stay motivated bro!

[pdiesel]

dont forget to hit the tibialis, which is located on the front of your shin..do a set of 10 solid reps, and then bang out 30 seconds of partial reps..youll have a hard time walking after that..i remember one time i was walking back to my dorm and i had to stop twice bc my calves were so pumped..

[man in black]

Alot of guys go high rep only on calves. I like going heavy on calves too, and I've responded well. I throw everything at them. They can take it, and you've got to hammer them. Think outside the box for calves. Donky lifts with two buddies on your back, and two 130's hanging between your legs, stuff like that.

I love calves.

Jeff

[Kiwi129]

I'm on my first TRUE bulk and it's going great for all my muscle groups (chest and hammies lacking a tadbit...). All I'm doing is heavy (4 x 6) squats and deads to hit my calves and they're growing. I'd imagine that won't work for more advanced guys though. Maybe if it slows down soon I'll throw 2-3 sets of 20 or so calf presses in there. Good luck with yours!

[Beast1]

I've been doing this for awhile and got a good explosion of development and cut from this. At the end of a leg workout once a week use the smith machine for everything, if you have a box at your gym maybe a couple of inches high use it. Put as much weight on the smith machine that you can do 20 reps with, Do 4 sets of 20 reps of standing calf raises, heels about a half inch from the floor and all the way up on every rep, take about a minute between each set to rest and don't walk just sit. Then take a a seated bench or something that allows you to bend over to almost a 90 degree angle and do 4 sets of reps of donkey calf raises, same off of a box or weights. Trust me this work great, just be careful getting out of bed about 2 days after you do this, you'll be so pumped that you'll have to walk on your tiptoes.

[spanish.iron]

Try crushing your calves with 3 workouts a week, every other day for 6 weeks. Day one do heavy HEAVY work 5-10 reps, pick 2 exercises and do 4 sets each. Day two do lighter but high, very high reps. Pick 3 exercises and do 3 sets each, rep range 20-25. Day 3 is a killer! GIANT SETS. Try standing calf raises heavy, 6-10 reps, right into seated calf raises, moderate 15-20 reps, right into 1 legged leg press calf raises 50 reps! Do this giant set 3 times and make sure you stretch them out after every work out.

sounds fuckin sweet. I'm going to do exactly this for the next few weeks. My calves are way too sissy. It's genetics; my dad has real tiny calves. But I'm make these things grow.

[Good-Riddance]

alot of great info here. I train mine 3 day's a week with 3set's of 3 exercises supersetted, like said before I hit em really heavy one day with reps in the 15 range, then the next for about 30 reps, then the last day I blow them out, I also change up the exercises I do each day, just to keep them guessing.

[IronHouse]

Hey brothers! I am on a long journey to get those huge ass calves now. The type of calf i have now is short. When I flex it looks like it is going to jump up my fucking leg.

So I want to blast those calves!

I was thinking about trainign them 2-3 times a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday...

Now what exercises and sets,reps and days a week do ya guys recommend.

Help me get those huge calves!

-Peace Out-
IronHouse

[The teske]

hey man
my calfs are proberly my best feature. i only train them once a week but hit them hard and i do all my work calf work along with hams and quads. my calf routine looks like this.

seated calf press 20,15,12,10,8 working up to 700lbs
standing calf raises on sm 15,15,12,15

just because you have a lagging body part doesnt me you have to train it more frequently, maybe you should train in more intensely.

[IronHouse]

Cool. THanks for advice bro.

-peace out-
IronHouse

[Gas Can]

also try doing standing calf raises for 9reps hop off wait ten seconds then do 12 hop off wait 10 seconds then for 20 with 2-3 sets of this then get on the leg press and just do 15-20 reps a littler faster than normal that way you get the fast twitch going then you could end with seatef calf for 12 reps but squeeze that shit at the top every time thats what i do for calves just once a week try it and let me know if that shit works

[man in black]

Giv'er a search on here bro. There's already been a couple of good calf threads.

Jeff

[DA GOVNA]

Gas Can that shit hits hard on your calves! after my 3rd time doing that routine im already seeing gains. hit me up if you got any more lifting routines peace- DA GOVNA

[MOHAWK]

IRONHOUSE:

This is MOHAWK. I've tried alot of calf routines over the years. You'll need to experiment alittle. That's the fun part of training. Being your own guinea pig. I can only give you alittle sage advice... first remember that calves are like any other muscle. You only get out what you put into them. Also, you'll need to really concentrate on them, while training them. A big help I learned from Arnold, from Waller, even Mike Metzner was you must use more weight then what your bodyweight is. You must constantly push more weight each time you train them. And here is alittle secret....stretch them alot. Before you train them, after each set. Heck at old Gold's we even walked like ballet dancers up on our toes, to the drinking fountain...and when done with training go run 2-3 miles on the beach, before we had breakfast. Of course with tons of pretty girls on the beach, a guy will never give up...even with calves. Here's a fun calves scorcher... Donkey Calf Raises 3x15-20, go right into Standing Calf Raises 3x15-20, Seated Calf Raises 3x15-20, and lastly Calf Raises on the Leg Press for the same. Only let the feet do the stretching. Don't let the thighs get involved at all. If your thigh muscles flex in any way, you're guilty of hitting thighs, when the force should stay on your calves. When you're not training them, practice flexing them, stretching them and mentally focusing on them alittle. Believe it or not, you will increase the connection between the muscle and your brain. And after awhile when you want them to respond to your will power...boy they will like you'll never had them respond before. If you think the walking on the toes to the drinking fountain sound wussy, give it a try... young people I train say it hurts like hell but works like gold. Work hard, work smart, be consistent, and tell those calves that they have no choice....you will have them grow into BIG COWS. Enjoy. MOHAWK

[Trapz]

Great info here. That's what the brotherhood is all about! I did notice "pdiesel"'s tibialis reminder. I rarely work that out. What are good exercises for it?

[Hollywood]

I do standing calf raises with no weight for 3-4 sets of 40-50 with no more than 1 minute rest. Theyre great cause you can do them really any place there are stairs.

[IronHouse]

Thanks alot for input guys!

-Peace out-
IronHouse

[Bad Intentions]

I want throw a big thank you out for everyone posting ideas on here..it gives more ideas on how to broaden my routine..

[mikedfromaz]

calves, how many days a week are we training them, high reps low weight, or few reps lots of weight. calves are something that i would like to work on for the new year, what are you guys doing that has helped

[TheSolidC]

calves, how many days a week are we training them, high reps low weight, or few reps lots of weight. calves are something that i would like to work on for the new year, what are you guys doing that has helped

mate my calves aren't really anything special but they are a decent 15.9'' and i made them grow heaps when i was younger when i was doing squats once per week, but thats just me i found also that high rep direct calf training will also work, good luck

[TheNaturalG]

calves, how many days a week are we training them, high reps low weight, or few reps lots of weight. calves are something that i would like to work on for the new year, what are you guys doing that has helped

One thing I hate seeing people do with calves is sit there and do a ridiculous amounts of fast reps with barely any effort with tons of weight for calves. I would really try and focus on the bottom portion of the lift and let it stretch out your calve nice each rep for a few seconds. It gets very painful and you get good results.

[Hollywood]

One thing I hate seeing people do with calves is sit there and do a ridiculous amounts of fast reps with barely any effort with tons of weight for calves. I would really try and focus on the bottom portion of the lift and let it stretch out your calve nice each rep for a few seconds. It gets very painful and you get good results.

Very true G, focus on slowing down your calf raise, really squeeze the muscle when you're ascending and peak at the top. Hold it there for a second then slowly release it. Before you know it you'll have a real hard burn in them, thats what you want.

[wheelie_wonka]

My favorite calf move lately is single leg calf presses on the leg press. Working the calves unilaterally(one at a time) is a good way to mix it up and really put 'em thru the paces. As stated above, slow controlled reps(no bouncing) w/ emphasis on the stretch at the bottom should be a given on your standard calf raises.

[pdiesel]

some days you gotta go heavy, some days you gotta go light..nuff said

[IRONADDICT45]

obviously calves can be a pain in the balls to get goin, or they can blow up for the freaks...well for those of us who need to bust balls that's fine...but heres an idea that has worked wonders for me...use moderatley heavy weight (not the weight that some people use and just bounce up and down) and go up for 4 seconds...hold it for 4 seconds and then down slow for 4 seconds...try it out 1 set to failure and i can almost guarantee you'll love it

[Pokoritel]

Calves heal very quickly, my calves are lagging as well. I started hitting them for a little while now every other day, so far so good. I usually do high rep ranges, and sometimes low.

[The_Dude]

a chick at work told me I have some sexy strong calves. it took me by surprise. I have no problem there. I usually hit the smith machine for them with 135 and use a stepping step thing that aerobic chicks use. 3 sets for about 12-15 reps. nice burn.

[Shadow]

I gotta agree with Hollywood! Get that fuckin kick ass squeeze at the top! Do as many reps as you can do with as much weight as possible. Take your time and bomb away!!!!

[IronHouse]

I think an animal mod said that try working your calves 3 times a week; like monday, wednesday, friday. On monday you pick 2-3 exercises and go Heavy weights and reps between 6-9. Then on next calf day you pick another 2-3 exercises, lighter weight and higher reps. And on final calves day you really screw your calves with another 2-3 exercises.

I think it is a very good idea to try that out for several weeks. Just remember to give maximum stretch in movement and between stretch in between every exercises.

Also take a look at some older trainign articles on the site, i found a good article from "The House", and we all know that his calves you dont wanna mess with.

http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=311&section=training

Hope this helps bro.

-peace out-
IronHouse

[Guate Tio]

I think my calves got really big by stakeboarding or i dont really know why but i notice that the have always been 1 1/2 in bigger than my arms! haha

[JUGGERNAUT]

I think an animal mod said that try working your calves 3 times a week; like monday, wednesday, friday. On monday you pick 2-3 exercises and go Heavy weights and reps between 6-9. Then on next calf day you pick another 2-3 exercises, lighter weight and higher reps. And on final calves day you really screw your calves with another 2-3 exercises.

I think it is a very good idea to try that out for several weeks. Just remember to give maximum stretch in movement and between stretch in between every exercises.

Also take a look at some older trainign articles on the site, i found a good article from "The House", and we all know that his calves you dont wanna mess with.

http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=311&section=training

Hope this helps bro.

-peace out-
IronHouse

No more to say after a post like this!

[Joe Pas]

great article on calves^

[COLE]

Juggernaut you got that right. You don't want to mess with the Calves of the HOUSE. For you fellow Animal's if you haven't seen the House's calves go take a look. I can post some links to some of his pics but not sure the Animal crew minds me doing that so I will tell you you can click on my profile here and go to my myspace link and then under my top friends you will find Animal and the HOUSE. Check it out!

I'm sure the Animal crew could direct you as well as to where you can find some dandy pic's of the HOUSE.

[BigAnt]

We had Platz, Dickerson, Demayo, Mike Mazz., now House...why are the bodybuilders of today lacking calves, I mean Cutler's are good, Branch got some freaky lowers, but do they compare to the 70's and 80's?

Did the newer high-tech-fancy gym equipment do something?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[Travis]

great topic because i actually have a question on this. my inside calves are good. but the outside is a different story. someone told me doing calf raises with my toes pointing in would hit the outside but my problem is my feet point outward like this \ / and i can't move them more in than this || so i was wondering if you had any advice to hitting the outside part of my calves

[Cstlfx]

I have no idea, but I have noticed that ALOT around my gym. Guys with big upper bodies with calves the size of my wrist. I would hate to think that bodybuilders just dont want to spend the time on them.

[Ratch]

great topic because i actually have a question on this. my inside calves are good. but the outside is a different story. someone told me doing calf raises with my toes pointing in would hit the outside but my problem is my feet point outward like this \ / and i can't move them more in than this || so i was wondering if you had any advice to hitting the outside part of my calves

I dunno, Travis, toes out always works my outside calves better. Hop on the leg press and throw a shitload of weight on it.

I don't think most people are that impressed by calf size. Most of the guys that I've seen in the military get jacked and don't even bother with their legs at all. They look silly as hell. I have to work my calves no less than every other day just to make them look proportionate. I wasn't blessed with calves, I guess. It's funny...for as much as I shake my head at the guys that come in and hop on the bench every night here, they shake their heads at me when I come in and hop on the seated calf-raise machine...haha. IMO, a person's calves and forearms show their level of dedication more than any other bodypart because they're not normally the "large and impressive" muscles and are often overlooked or at least undertrained.

[Maharg]

I was blessed with calves before i even started training them they were 18 inchs. which pisses off my dad because after 20+ years of calf raises and calve press they have never grown past 16 inches.

[live2lift]

I think what this has a lot to do with is how hard these guys train calves. To me it is all about intensity and you have to put the same amount of intensity into your calf workout as other bodyparts in order to get great results. Most guys use calves as an afterthought...maybe when I am done with chest I might do some calves, or something like that. I usually only train calves once or twice a week and always get great results...and they are sore as hell for the next four days. I also think that alot of guys use way too much weight training calves and don't get the full range of motion while doing them, which I think is extremely vital if you want great calves. You can see this in Cutler's video, since he was mentioned...I think it was in Ripped to Shreds, but I could be wrong. His stretch sucked and he never came all of the way up...but he had alot of weight on the machine. I think if these guys really focused on intense calf workouts with full range of motion then their calves would improve. Just my 2 cents. Peace and Train Hard!

[Aengus]

great topic because i actually have a question on this. my inside calves are good. but the outside is a different story. someone told me doing calf raises with my toes pointing in would hit the outside but my problem is my feet point outward like this \ / and i can't move them more in than this || so i was wondering if you had any advice to hitting the outside part of my calves

Single leg. \

[TylerC]

Dickerson was embarrased about his calves and always kept them covered up. Or it could be that people were always asking him to flex his calves lol. Mike Mentzer never trained his calves.....or forearms for that matter, I think. Platz, I'm actually surprised how well his calves looked with his quads, one might think that a man with 34 inch legs at his height, that his calves might look...well, under par.....certainly not the case.

[MetalAsh12]

I love training calves...

People today just don't like training their lower at all...they think pants will cover it up or something.

[musclealchemist]

getting great calves is very hard work. Arnold said in the BB enc. that he had to kick it in the ass and put 500 hours into his calves to get them beastly looking. I guess some people either dont care about them or are scared to hurt them because training your cavles hard you risk hurting your Achilles, but that comes with the territory.

[Young&Hungry]

getting great calves is very hard work. Arnold said in the BB enc. that he had to kick it in the ass and put 500 hours into his calves to get them beastly looking. I guess some people either dont care about them or are scared to hurt them because training your cavles hard you risk hurting your Achilles, but that comes with the territory.

He also said that people these days don't treat calves like a real bodypart in their training session. He said many lifters will go nuts on the big body parts (which is great) but won't put that same effort into calf, forearm, or ab training and will just tack a few sets of one of them at the end of their normal workouts.

[Aengus]

getting great calves is very hard work. Arnold said in the BB enc. that he had to kick it in the ass and put 500 hours into his calves to get them beastly looking. I guess some people either dont care about them or are scared to hurt them because training your cavles hard you risk hurting your Achilles, but that comes with the territory.

Fuck yeah, it is a bitch. It hurts like fucking hell, and the results are agonizingly slow.

YOu just can't let the shit fuck with your head, break through it. Start with stupidly low weights, get a burn and a pump, then slowly raise the weight to something respectable. YOur calves will ALWAYS suck if you never learn ROM and form. Train them until you can't walk, then take a couple days off and do it again. For those of us with genetically wimpy calves, we have to get mean.

If you are concerned about your calf size, grow a pair of balls and make sure you can always see those lame pieces of shit. If you are a monster, you will hate them for being so small, so weak, and you will relentlessly pound them until they grow into something that belongs on an animal.

[TheDominator]

Actually, to answer your question Travis, doing any standing calf raise such as the machine calf raise standing or on a smith machine standing on a board will work the bulk of your calf (the inside and the biggest part, the gastrocnemius). Now when you sit down and do seated calf raises, like on a machine made for seated calf raises, it will work the outer portion of your calf, aka the soleus, which is worked when your knee is bent. I do both to maximize hitting your calves both ways which will lead to a bigger better looking calf muscle.
I want you guys to give this calf workout a try: it will get you extremely sore, so do it 3 times a week with a day of rest or two in between. It literally puts inches on your calves within a month of two. It is brutal but it takes maybe 10 minutes at the end of a workout and you will like it:

First, this is entirely done on a smith machine with a board under your feet or a standing calf raise machine.
1. Start off with a weight that you can do 15 times. Make sure these reps are all the way up and all the way down for a good stretch. Then rack the weight and shake your legs out for 8 seconds.
2. Hop back on for the second set and do 8 reps this time, exactly like the first reps you did but 8 this time. hop back off, shake the legs out for 8 seconds.
3. Then hop back on for another 8 reps, then shake out the legs for 8 seconds.
4. This time do a third set of 8 reps, but instead of racking the weight, stay on and do bouncy reps in the mid-range, where you can bounce up and down quick and fast FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN. Don't stop until you can't take it anymore, the burn is insane. Rack the weight when you can't stand it anymore. This is the only set you don't go through a full-range motion during the bouncy reps.
5. After the third set of 8 reps followed immediately by the bouncy reps, rack it and shake it out for 8 seconds.
6. Last set, hop right back on and this set will go: up on 2, down on 1. Do a calf raise with both feet, but go down on one foot, slow, like a negative. then go back up on both feet, then go down on the other foot this time, that equals 1 rep, try for 10-12. Then you are done with the first moster set of calves.
TRY GOING THROUGH THIS ANOTHER TIME FOR A TOTAL OF 2 TIMES AND YOUR CALVES WILL BE DEAD.

Make sure that you do this through your head first, then go through it to make sure you have it all down, write it out then follow it, you will not be dissappointed. Here it is, I put a 25 on each side of the smith machine and I am completely dead at the end......

1x15
8 sec. rest
1x8
8 sec. rest
1x8
8 sec. rest
1x8 followed by the bouncing reps in the mid range for as long as possible
8 sec. rest
2 up, 1 down (up on both, down on the right, up on both, down on the left, thats one rep, do 10-12)
Rest for 2-3 minutes, then repeat for a second time.


Let me know what you guys think, stick with it though.

[Aengus]

I was blessed with calves before i even started training them they were 18 inchs. which pisses off my dad because after 20+ years of calf raises and calve press they have never grown past 16 inches.

lucky bastard.

[hjayss]

Lifters just not taking the time to hit em..bACK IN THE DAY YOU HAD TO HAVE THE COMPLETE PACKAGE TO WIN. tHESES DAYS YOU CAN WIN WITH A FEW BETTER PARTS THAN THE COMP...

[Maharg]

lucky bastard.

If that pisses you off they are now about 20 inches but 21 if i have a pump in my legs.

[Travis]

Actually, to answer your question Travis, doing any standing calf raise such as the machine calf raise standing or on a smith machine standing on a board will work the bulk of your calf (the inside and the biggest part, the gastrocnemius). Now when you sit down and do seated calf raises, like on a machine made for seated calf raises, it will work the outer portion of your calf, aka the soleus, which is worked when your knee is bent. I do both to maximize hitting your calves both ways which will lead to a bigger better looking calf muscle.
I want you guys to give this calf workout a try: it will get you extremely sore, so do it 3 times a week with a day of rest or two in between. It literally puts inches on your calves within a month of two. It is brutal but it takes maybe 10 minutes at the end of a workout and you will like it:

First, this is entirely done on a smith machine with a board under your feet or a standing calf raise machine.
1. Start off with a weight that you can do 15 times. Make sure these reps are all the way up and all the way down for a good stretch. Then rack the weight and shake your legs out for 8 seconds.
2. Hop back on for the second set and do 8 reps this time, exactly like the first reps you did but 8 this time. hop back off, shake the legs out for 8 seconds.
3. Then hop back on for another 8 reps, then shake out the legs for 8 seconds.
4. This time do a third set of 8 reps, but instead of racking the weight, stay on and do bouncy reps in the mid-range, where you can bounce up and down quick and fast FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN. Don't stop until you can't take it anymore, the burn is insane. Rack the weight when you can't stand it anymore. This is the only set you don't go through a full-range motion during the bouncy reps.
5. After the third set of 8 reps followed immediately by the bouncy reps, rack it and shake it out for 8 seconds.
6. Last set, hop right back on and this set will go: up on 2, down on 1. Do a calf raise with both feet, but go down on one foot, slow, like a negative. then go back up on both feet, then go down on the other foot this time, that equals 1 rep, try for 10-12. Then you are done with the first moster set of calves.
TRY GOING THROUGH THIS ANOTHER TIME FOR A TOTAL OF 2 TIMES AND YOUR CALVES WILL BE DEAD.

Make sure that you do this through your head first, then go through it to make sure you have it all down, write it out then follow it, you will not be dissappointed. Here it is, I put a 25 on each side of the smith machine and I am completely dead at the end......

1x15
8 sec. rest
1x8
8 sec. rest
1x8
8 sec. rest
1x8 followed by the bouncing reps in the mid range for as long as possible
8 sec. rest
2 up, 1 down (up on both, down on the right, up on both, down on the left, thats one rep, do 10-12)
Rest for 2-3 minutes, then repeat for a second time.


Let me know what you guys think, stick with it though.

Sounds fantastic.

[Aengus]

If that pisses you off they are now about 20 inches but 21 if i have a pump in my legs.

you know, now I am just going to have to double my calf workouts...my tendons hate you.

[benmatthews90]

i know what you mean, i keep having to rest my calves because of the tendons in my feet, since i started lifting properly, i got flat feet and tendonosis in my feet,

[Aengus]

i know what you mean, i keep having to rest my calves because of the tendons in my feet, since i started lifting properly, i got flat feet and tendonosis in my feet,

That's how you know you are pushing just a bit too hard. As long as you rest up you should be fine....but I understand the sense of anger and urgency.

[Maharg]

you know, now I am just going to have to double my calf workouts...my tendons hate you.

I dont even train mine much its just every now and then i do calve presses and raises but thye grow indirectly with me.

[hjayss]

People with legs in general they just do not seem to do them. I and I think three other guys at my gym are the only I have ever seen do legs. I love to work legs and I want those calves like HOUSE(22 INCH CALVES) and BIG RON(37 INCH THEIGHS) I work hard as hell on legsbut ant is right I think it is the new equipment.

[jonsbsn]

People with legs in general they just do not seem to do them. I and I think three other guys at my gym are the only I have ever seen do legs. I love to work legs and I want those calves like HOUSE(22 INCH CALVES) and BIG RON(37 INCH THEIGHS) I work hard as hell on legsbut ant is right I think it is the new equipment.

That's one reason I LOVE leg day. I NEVER have to fight anyone for equipment... Squat racks are always open unless you have a bunch of pansies doing curls and shit. Leg press and calf raise machines are always open as well. I ALWAYS dread chest, because no matter what day I do it on there's never a freakin' bench open...

Anyway, I have SUCKY calves, but I've been doing a routine (after warmup) where I do the standing machine for a set of around 8 reps (max), then I immediately stand on a step and rep out my bodyweight x as many as I can, followed by calf raises just off a floor. The ones off the floor really force you to contract the muscle all the way. I do 3 sets of those followed by 3 sets of seated calf raises. I do drop sets with the seated ones. (3 plates, 2 plates, 1 plate). Barely walk out of the gym after that... I've noticed a little difference in deffinition and size since doing this routine. I try to get it in twice a week (if I'm not too sore)

[welshwarrior]

I feel kinda bad bout this cos i have to train my calves less cos they get too big... once a week 2 sets... at the mo they are at 17 1/4 inches.

[jonsbsn]

I feel kinda bad bout this cos i have to train my calves less cos they get too big... once a week 2 sets... at the mo they are at 17 1/4 inches.

Not to be a jerk but that's not all that big... what's wrong with bigger calfs then that??? Mine are a hair over 16 and most defently consider them to be wimpy....

[simpleguy]

That's one reason I LOVE leg day. I NEVER have to fight anyone for equipment... Squat racks are always open unless you have a bunch of pansies doing curls and shit. Leg press and calf raise machines are always open as well. I ALWAYS dread chest, because no matter what day I do it on there's never a freakin' bench open...


right on bro, same stuff at my gym, everyone seems to have chest in their program about 3-4 times per week, or they don't have a program, just lay on that bench and make those lifts...rarely see anyone near the squat racks... anyway, because, compared to my upper body, my legs are quite good, I train them on saturday, when the gym seems really empty...I like to be alone, especially when I train my legs, even at squats... It's a bit dangerous at times but I really like that feeling... I have to proove myself I can make that squat again, even while it hurts, I gotta do it...just me against those plates

[Medford]

good for you that you train legs if you do

the majority of people that train are not bodybuilders but UPPERbodybuilders

if you wanna see some freaky calves, look at soccer players

[Preston]

good for you that you train legs if you do

the majority of people that train are not bodybuilders but UPPERbodybuilders

if you wanna see some freaky calves, look at soccer players

What about wrestlers? Football? Replace that with IMO.

[Medford]

I just remember the women on my rugby team that also played soccer had some sick calves...also traditional martial artists have some strong calves from gripping the floor with their feet and doing kicks

[Medford]

http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r43/Medfordgetbig/014_12A.jpg

not sure if this will work or not and it's a poor quality picture but it's trying to show the tibs

[Everyonedoes]

I try to train calves at least 2 times a week but often I only train them once. My problem is lack of time. I think the reason most ppl do not train calves is the same reason you dont see alot of ppl doing hamstrings if you look into a mirror you dont see them therefor they dont really need to be trained. Just on the bit about forearms i love training them they are probly along with biceps my favorite to train.

[pdiesel]

great topic because i actually have a question on this. my inside calves are good. but the outside is a different story. someone told me doing calf raises with my toes pointing in would hit the outside but my problem is my feet point outward like this \ / and i can't move them more in than this || so i was wondering if you had any advice to hitting the outside part of my calves

arnold said that pulse reps (reps after failure) did the trick for his outers..

[pdiesel]

BTW does anyone train the tibialis (front of calf)?? BIGANT, do you or do you think that regular calf raises are the best?? i appreciate your input

[cuts280]

BTW does anyone train the tibialis (front of calf)?? BIGANT, do you or do you think that regular calf raises are the best?? i appreciate your input

Dorsi flexion raises are the best bet for that imo.

Speaking of calves Dorian Yates had cows, recent times Chris Cook & Flex Lewis have awesome calves too.

[Shaffer_515]

BTW does anyone train the tibialis (front of calf)?? BIGANT, do you or do you think that regular calf raises are the best?? i appreciate your input


"the most neglected part of the calf is the anterior tibia--the front or shin. Training this part of the calf will give thickness. This is achieved when doing a reverse calf raise. Hitting these different parts of the calves will give you a well balanced calf. "
-From brand those calves article by The House

[Caboco]

BTW does anyone train the tibialis (front of calf)?? BIGANT, do you or do you think that regular calf raises are the best?? i appreciate your input

I love training calves, I seem to have decent genetics, they seem to grow fairly well. One day I found my front calves were REALLY sore from walking up hills, so I started training em. I haven't been able to get the feel for the reverse calf raises, so what I do is set a 10 lbs. plate on the floor and set the edge of a 45 lbs. plate on top of it, then put your toe under the other and pull it up. (if that makes sense ?) Afterwards just raise your toes without weight and you will feel it.