Training FAQ #2: Is training calves & abs multiple times weekly a bad idea

[Animal Rep]

The exceptions to the general accepted rule are calves and abs, which tend to respond well to more frequent training. Feel free to blast these regions 2 or more times per week as long as they are no longer sore.

[TheNaturalG]

The way I have learned is the more times you workout the more you grow. Since calves, abs, forearms, and arguably biceps tend to recover fast enough from workouts to work them out more then once a week then why not do it. I personally try to workout each body part as much as it is capable of each week.

So no, training calves and abs twice a week is not a bad idea at all.

[madlib]

what about FOREARMS?

[afshin]

I do forearms twice a week but just do reverse curls

[TheNaturalG]

what about FOREARMS?

The thing with forearms that 'can be argued' is that they get trained during every workout in some way so you might just end up overtraining them to the point where they don't grow if you give them more then one of their own days.

[J Beast]

I agree with the calves and abs argument whole-heartedly...train them 2-3 times per week as long as you are recovering properly. Forearms though...I gotta go with the overtraining thought. They get worked on arm day and on back day. Leave 'em alone after that.

[AU_Lifter]

I don't know about you guys, but i train my forearms and calves at least twice a week by themselves. They both refuse to grow or define themselves? When I'm done they burn like crazy and are worn out something firece, but the next morning they don't even act like I know where the weight room is.

[TheNaturalG]

I don't know about you guys, but i train my forearms and calves at least twice a week by themselves. They both refuse to grow or define themselves? When I'm done they burn like crazy and are worn out something firece, but the next morning they don't even act like I know where the weight room is.

2 possible reasons:
Your forearms and your calves are both being overtrained.
or
You are doing ridiculously high amounts of sets and reps per set and drops sets etc. to get the best pump/burn you can get. When in reality the amount of strength gained each month in those bodyparts is minimal at best. And do you expect someone who makes a 25 pound increase on his bench press in a whole year no matter how he did it is gonna look any different?

So basically I think you are either working them out wrong, overtraining them, or both.

[Toni69]

This is why I dont train calves, abs or forearms specifically, meaning I dont have a wo designed for those bodyparts. I just hit them every other workout by adding in sets between rests of whatever bodypart I am training that day. So, if Im training shoulders, instead of resting I would go do a superset using the standing calf machine and static holds using my own bodyweight off a platform for 20 reps each..the back to my shoulders. I would do this for 4 sets and that is it. Then I would do it again in a couple days, varying the exercises or the range of motion.

I also find when I do cardio..like the stepper or the stairs...I hit my calves nicely by taking a couple minutes at a time to use my calves for the stepping motion.

I went from 12 inch calves to 14 inches in a couple months...so it worked for me.

[mjsef88]

Abs and calves i agree with...its forearms i have a comment about.

I used to train forearms twice a week, on arm day and on shoulder day. I made some good gains overall, but recently i've ditched my straps, and noticed a HUGE difference in thickness and definition (im currently cutting, so take that last part with a grain of salt). Honestly, i think variety is the way to go for forearms. Like it's been mentioned, forearms really get worked at the gym, so try 2 months of hitting them up after a workout with some wrist curls/static holds/reverse curls, a month off from hitting them directly (no straps on deads, shrugs), and then if its not working, go back to training them.

just my two cents.

[Tork]

Forearms, calves and abs are all body parts that need to be worked more than once a week, due to the fact that you use these body parts everyday, when you eat, walk, breath etc. These muscles are used to being worked, so you have to work them alot harder and more frequently then muscles you don't work hard on a regular basis.

[HOLLYWOOD2]

def agree....ive been hittin calves, abs, and forearms twice a week for a while now and have noticed steady gains

i think the best way to go is changin up the lifts ur doin...that way ur body wont become used to the workout and u can continue to gain size and strength

[bigpunisher]

You need to train abs and calves multiply times a week. Every other muscle you only need to train once a week. If you do train a muscle more than once it needs 48-72 hours recovery time.

[Shogun Assassin]

didnt frank mcgrath (my role model) do forearms every day when he was younger? and now look at him... some of the (if not THE) sickest guns in the game today. variety is the key to forearms but hitting them multiple times a week is far from a bad thing.

[zer0her0]

shit i hit every muscle twice a week now with my new routine and i mean EVERY muscle .. i have found that the m-stack really has helped me out with my recovery time.. and my body is loving the poundage.. listen to what your body is saying .. if your muscle is not soar... MAKE IT HURT!

[Squat_Heavy]

You need to train abs and calves multiply times a week. Every other muscle you only need to train once a week. If you do train a muscle more than once it needs 48-72 hours recovery time.

So with that you are saying that calves and abs are made of a totally differnte muscle fiber than the rest of your body since they have ti be hit multiple times a week? Bullshit. Abs once a week, heavy and hard, and thats enough. Abs get taxed plenty during squats etc aswell.

[BigLansford]

Yeah, I gotta back up SH on that one. The only times abs and calves need to be hit multiple times a week is when they're lagging.

But it's gotta be stated that forearms, calves, abs, and traps are already used to high rep training because they're specifically used in everyday life, so they do need a different type of focus and training.

[SolidTongan]

...respond better to more frequent training...and higher reps. Since they're used everyday all the time, they're MOSTLY, NOT TOTALLY, composed of slow-twich fibers. Since they're mostly composed of these fibers, it takes alot more work and frequency to fatigue these muscles...to "tear down" these muscles. When the muscle reaches these points, it responds by growing. Just read it in in some book...and studied how pro BB trained these muscle groups

[BeachPirate1976]

So with that you are saying that calves and abs are made of a totally differnte muscle fiber than the rest of your body since they have ti be hit multiple times a week? Bullshit. Abs once a week, heavy and hard, and thats enough. Abs get taxed plenty during squats etc aswell.

I agree. If you do heavy squats, my abs feel tight as much as my quads...so I figure you're giving your abs as much exercise as your legs.

[Polish Prince]

every muscle needs to be rested. calves and abs i believe should be trained every other day if of every 3 days as long as you are no longer sore. it's really up to you and how you have trained them in the passed. always good to start out once a week and build up to 2 or 3 times a week until the point of over training, then i like to go back to once a week. they cant get used to anything this way either, it will keep them shocked.

forearms i like to burn 'em out twice a week after my arms day and after my back day. usually they are already pretty burnt so i'll just do the rop curl or grab 2 different weighted bars and do forearm curls and reverse

[monster99]

...I've once read that Arnold trained his weakest bodypart, (his calves) for up to 6 days a weak! I know he's a genetic freak but it might work for some people too. You should give it a try. I'll train my 3 days a weak I guess. And then I'll just gradually train them more frequently.

[simpleguy]

...I've once read that Arnold trained his weakest bodypart, (his calves) for up to 6 days a weak! I know he's a genetic freak but it might work for some people too. You should give it a try. I'll train my 3 days a weak I guess. And then I'll just gradually train them more frequently.

well.... back in the day they never even heard of 'overtraining'... they thought the more they trained the better

[monster99]

well.... back in the day they never even heard of 'overtraining'... they thought the more they trained the better

It really made me wonder how freaky tom platz' legs would've been if he trained like they did today. He'll probably get freakier than Ronnie! And arnold's peaks would probably reach the damn sky.

[ICXC]

I've heard a lot of different opinions when it comes to working out abs and calves. As far as calves go, I've read that your calves are a little different muscle fiber than the rest of your muscles. They take longer to break down, thus, why it is so hard for some people to get them to grow. So they take a little more training than the rest of your bodyparts. I've also read that Arnold worked his calves at the beginning of every workout (that's crazy). I think for the most part, an individual has to find what works for him. Some may not have to work their calves as much as someone else, so their workouts may vary. As whole, calves need to be pushed to their limits more than just once a week. So for those of you that your calves will just absolutely not grow, punish your calves. If they're sore the next day, let them rest a day but no longer. I would also recommend some plyometrics, such as burnouts or step-ups. For the burnouts (for those of you who don't know what that is), it will involve jumping, but only an inch or two off of the ground. You can do these on both feet or one foot at a time. I would recommend starting out around 150 or 200. I usually do them in a split: 50 right foot
For the step-ups, find a platform that is about two or three inches tall. You will be doing these as quickly as possible. As for abs, I would say 2 to 3 times a week. I've read that in most men, the mid section, is where most of your fat is stored and the amount fat more than likely depends on your eating habits and the way you train. Abs, in my opinion, should be treated like any other muscle group. Once you build up a little core strength, a person can start adding weights which will help elongate your abs. No reason to do 1000 sit-ups a day or anything to that extreme. A good rep range for abs, I think, would be anywhere from 15 to 25 a set. Once a person can do more than 25, they should probably start adding a little for some resistance. Also, I think the biggie to ripping out those abs, CARDIO! I hate cardio and I think that it sux whole-heartedly, but I can't say that I've ever seen a runner that doesn't have a flat, ripped stomach.

[ICXC]

I've heard a lot of different opinions when it comes to working out abs and calves. As far as calves go, I've read that your calves are a little different muscle fiber than the rest of your muscles. They take longer to break down, thus, why it is so hard for some people to get them to grow. So they take a little more training than the rest of your bodyparts. I've also read that Arnold worked his calves at the beginning of every workout (that's crazy). I think for the most part, an individual has to find what works for him. Some may not have to work their calves as much as someone else, so their workouts may vary. As a whole, calves need to be pushed to their limits more than just once a week. So for those of you that your calves will just absolutely not grow, punish your calves. If they're sore the next day, let them rest a day but no longer. I would also recommend some plyometrics, such as burnouts or step-ups after calve raises and whatever else. For the burnouts (for those of you who don't know what that is), it will involve jumping kinda of like hopping, but only an inch or two off of the ground. You can do these on both feet or one foot at a time. I would recommend starting out around 150 or 200.
For starting out at 150, I would split them like this:

50 right foot
50 left foot
50 both feet

If any of you have ever heard of the Air Alert 2 program, a 12 week program to increase your vertical 3 to 6 inches, I think by week 12 you are doing around 1000 or more burnouts at the end of your workout. So feel free to do as many as you like starting out. For the step-ups, find a platform that is about two or three inches tall. You will be doing these as quickly as possible. The reasoning behind doing these is to stimulate the growth of the calves through explosion and intensity of the movements. Once you get the feel for these you can increase your reps or add some weight. As for abs, I would say 2 to 3 times a week. I've read that for most men, the mid section is where most of your fat is stored and the amount fat more than likely depends on your eating habits and the way you train. I've read that for most women, fat is stored in your butt, hence the name ghetto booty, and thighs, hence the name thunder thighs. As for training for both men and women, train 'em the same. Abs, in my opinion, should be treated like any other muscle group. Once you build up a little core strength, a person can start adding weights which will help elongate your abs. No reason to do 1000 sit-ups a day or anything to that extreme. A good rep range for abs, I think, would be anywhere from 15 to 25 a set. Once a person can do more than 25, they should probably start adding a little for some resistance. Also, I think the biggie to ripping out those abs, CARDIO! I hate cardio and I think that it sux whole-heartedly, but I can't say that I've ever seen a runner that didn't have a flat, ripped stomach. I will try to find the books where I read this information so you can take a look if you please. Anyway, that's just my opinion on the abs, calves training.

Peace,
ICXC

Quote: "I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees" Gym Jones "300" training

[Bull26187]

I have read that the best way to develope calves is to get major movent at your ankle, getting long stretches and tight squeezes with the calve. Any takes?

[thelunchbox]

I personally feel that calves abs and forearms can be trained alot. I dont know if its just my body but my forearms and calves dont seem to hurt the next day after really hitting them so I started doing them every day and get good results. No I miss a few days here and there because of class but the calf raises really paid off they blew up compaired to foreamrs. I was only doing like sets of twelve at 225 now I'm over 400 without shoes. The forearms are starting to get moving. YOu can set up a thick board at home and drive screws in with a phillips to get a good hurt on the forearms. My abs are my weakest part because of the beer belly but every other day has been going good on them so i have time to kill the soreness.

[bleed_alone]

can set up a thick board at home and drive screws in with a phillips to get a good hurt on the forearms.

that is a bad ass idea. i can't believe i never thought of that. ha

[diesel1976]

I have read that the best way to develope calves is to get major movent at your ankle, getting long stretches and tight squeezes with the calve. Any takes?


Fullest range of motion possible is very important for calves. Hard stretching between sets has always done alot for me also.

I also believe, at least in my case, calves can be trained pretty frequently. When mine are at my biggest in the summer I train them 3-4 times per week, sometimes just nailing one exercise superhard, sometimes with alot of volume. I think they need to be hit from alot of rep ranges and intensities. My calves were 18" untrained so I have been blessed but training them in this manner has had them as big as 20.5".