Calves!!!

[LaDyBuG]

Hey, guys! I'm a a 5'7'', 124 lb female and i'm fairly new to this board...i need major help with my calves...i've always hated them...they aren't bad, i just want them to be more muscular....it seems like i can never gain any size there...i don't know if it's because i don't train them enough or not properaly or what...i just feel out of porportion with my bubble butt and "chicken legs" i'm currently lifting legs once a week...and i do calves twice a week....once on leg day and once on shoulder day...please give me some ideas/suggestions on what helped you guys get awesome calves...thanks in advance....ladybug

 

[Phemomena]

its going to sound stupid, but jump... that's the ONLY thing that works for my calves.... (it looks stupid too, so do it at home )...

just put on your shoes, a sports bra (i grab 'em too, no need for them to bounce around ) and jump about 100 times, rest for about a min and repeat, until your calves burn... (it sounds easy, but its not... you get a decent cardio workout at the same time)... try jumping on the balls of your feet and going as high as you can...
jump in one spot, jump around, jump on one leg then the other etc...

if that doesn't kick your calves in the ass, i don't know what will... try it for a few weeks and let me know...

 

[MaGilicuti]

i can help you girls out with your calf work outs if you like. the best exercise for mass is the calf raises with toes straight out. i like to jump straight to donkey calf raises then seated calf raises. basically just murder the calves. i do the heaviest weight possible and in between sets i try to stretch them for as long as possible and do calf raises with no weight just to burn them.

arnold's calves were horrible at first too he said and he used to do alot of work on them. he did calf raises in between sets of any body part such as arms. he'd be curling and just go do a set of calf raises just to get a head start on it.

welcome to the board ladybug, where you from?

 

[LaDyBuG]

thanks a lot you guys!! i think i will try the "murder" thing this week...lol...also the jumping thing might be a good thing to do every other night before i go to bed or something...does sound like a pretty decent cardio workout...i'll take your advice on the "holding your boobs" thing...even though i doubt it will be a problem anymore suggestions guys???? i'm desperate!! ladybug

 

[LaDyBuG]

oh yeah magilicuti...i'm from the great state of texas...actually i'm an aggie if that tells you anything!!

 

[Phemomena]

thanks a lot you guys!! i think i will try the "murder" thing this week...lol...also the jumping thing might be a good thing to do every other night before i go to bed or something...does sound like a pretty decent cardio workout...i'll take your advice on the "holding your boobs" thing...even though i doubt it will be a problem anymore suggestions guys???? i'm desperate!! ladybug

not much of a problem for me either, but hey... gotta protect whatcha got

i do it in the morning... but whenever you can fit it in should be fine... i only do it once, maybe twice a week... as i said, if you do it properly you probably shouldn't be able to do it more than that... at least at first...

btw this was taught to me by a sprinter/long jumper who has the most amazing calves i've ever seen... never did weights on them in his life... but, unfortunately, as with any other muscle (and maybe even more so), genetics always has a big part in it... but this did help me get a little size and a lot of shape... nothing else worked for me (i did calf raises with twice my body weight and nada)...

good luck with it...

 

[MrMuscle]

im 6'2, and all legs. so for me to get big calves is hard, but i will do it. i do the standar, standing leg raises, and seated leg raises. i train with my brother, he is shorter than me, and i little chubby. but he has MAD calves. im not kidding, we used to do athletics, and he did triple jump, and his calves are BIG. he also plays basketball alot. so the jumping thing seem like a good idea. another thing he does is to walk around with weights around his ankles. i dunno if that works, but his calves aint getting smaller. he maxes out every piece of calftraining eq in our gym to....pisses me off

 

[goahead]

Ever noticed these really fat people often have huge calves?

It is because these poor calves have to support this heavy weight all day when they walk around.

Which has led me to believe that calves respond well to a combination of:

- heavy weight
- low reps
- high reps
- lots of sets

Here is a nice program with both Low and High reps and sets.....

standing calve raises 9#- 7#- 7 - 5 reps
seated calve raises 11# - 9#- 9 - 7 reps
standing calve raises 20#-15#-15-13 reps
seated calve raises 25#- 20#- 20- 15 reps

Wherever you see a # sign (ie 9# reps) means that you have to hold the peak contraction for a full 2-3 second count and squeeze like your life depends on it.

The other sets (without the # sign) are usually lower reps sets where you applie significantly heavier weight and use a continous more sloppy motion.

Don't forget to stretch the calves between exercises and next day. Good luck.

 

[LaDyBuG]

those are really great suggestions guys...i totally appreciate your help...anybody else??

 

[theoak01]

maybe your overtraining them,your calves may only be able to grow on once a week training,calves havent been a prob for me so im just offering some opinion