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 Training Discussion Board
 calf help
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| Author | Topic: calf help | ||
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Cool Novice 
Posts: 24 |
i have a 16in neck 16 1/4 arms and 14 in calfs nothing i do seems to make them grow poor genetics? poor training?what can i do to make them grow     | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder 
Posts: 126 |
I feel your pain, my friend. I have the exact same problem. If you 86 the synthol idea (JK), then you'd better start pilling on the weight. Go ultra heavy on standing calf raises. This will hit the gastrocnemius portion of the your calves, the area up around the back of your knees and down that calf "crease" in the back. I would pick a weight where I fatigued around 7 or 8. Do this for at least 3-4 sets, after a warm-up of course. Then seated calf raises for at least 3 sets, same deal on the weight here. Seated raises will target the lower portion of them and give them a thicker, wider look. Calves are super stubborn if you have genetics like you and I apparently do. I like to hit them fast and hard. Very little rest between sets and with relatively quick rep speed. My calves are still lacking but I've brought them up tremendously from what they were with this basic workout and principles. I hit them at least twice a week. By their nature, they are designed to carry a fairly heavy workload just doing day-to-day activites like stading and walking. Be hard-core with them and they'll eventually respond. Hope I helped, good luck! ------------------ | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder 
Posts: 1170 |
my friend has put alot of size on his calves from heavy (as a house!) calve raises on a leg press machine, that way the weight isn't shooting down your spine and crushing your vertebrae. I recently found out as you pointed out that seated calve raises work the soleus much more, and are not as efficient for calve size... live and learn. his went from 14"-15.5" so give the leg-press calve raise a try you'll like it. | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 161 |
Im with you guys on this one. Calves are a very difficult muscle to grow let alone get huge. Genetics play a huge role as well as AS use. I have put an inch on my calves in a year and still, they look thin. I am 6' and all leg. The one thing I did get in the last year is a huge vien on the side of my calve which looks great. Go figure, I have a 47 1/2 inch chest, over 17" arms and worst of all I have pretty good quads for my hieght. Oh well, I guess everyone has one bodypart they wish could be bigger, thats what this sport is all about!!! | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 767 |
Valdez is right about the leg press. It is the most similar excercise you can do to donkey's which is an older, less used excercise; which is well known for a mass builder. Why so little people do these, I'll never know. The bent over position puts a greater stretch on the calves, allowing for greater range of motion in the muscle. I also like standing for the gastrocnemius and seated for the soleus. I have found that having a heavy day and a light, high rep day works the best as I get to hit the slow twich and fast twitch fibres, as the calves have a higher number of fast twich than most muscles. They are needed for explosive starts and jumping, so you should train them slightly differently. | ||
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Cool Novice
Posts: 24 |
thanks for the help guys i ahve seen steady growth in the upper legs over the past six months from using heavy weight with strict form in the 6 to 8 rep range but have been in the 15 to 20 rep range on my calf will go heavier with less reps and add the leg press machine in to my workout hope it works | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 126 |
Yeah, I like the leg press for calves pretty good too. I never liked how most standing calf raise machines were designed. Try this though: place a 2" by 4" wood board (most gyms have at least 2 or 3 for various exercises) and place it against the metal braces that run the length of the machine so that the board lays perpindicularly to foot pad. Then place a fairly heavy dumbbell (like an 80lb or something) against the upper side to keep it from flipping when you stand on it with your toes. Then, intead of doing hacks, you have a custom made standing calf raise machine. It's all I ever use any more for standing raises. I like the fact that you can get a much better negative stretch doing them this way than doing them on leg press machine. ------------------ | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 126 |
I'm talking about a hack-squat machine for calves in the above post. I didn't even mention what machine I was referring to. Sorry....... ------------------ | ||
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Novice 
Posts: 1 |
Less weight and more reps is the best way for "calve-challenged" individuals to increase their lower leg girth. Tonight, I did two sets of drop sets on the standing calf machine. I ended up doing 5 sets of 6 reps, dropping the weight one plate after each set of 6 as quickly as possible (basically did a set of 30 reps). The pain and burn was incredible! | ||
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Elite Bodybuilder
Posts: 661 |
I have to agree with some of you. The standing calf machine sucks for what it was actually designed for. It puts way too much stress on the spine if you need to go heavy, and some were designed with an uncomfortable angle when standing which puts even more stress on your spine, considering that your only standing on your toes. I only use it now to do really light weight when I train and I train on that machine one calf at a time as a finisher. ------------------ Rock On! | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 161 |
On my last calf workout I used my dip belt with some wieght and did calf raises on a block of wood. It burnrd like crazy. Best part was having my hands free. | ||
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Novice
Posts: 6 |
I have the same problem too. I have to do at least 10-12 sets of 10 reps on the hipsled. Take each rep slow thats usally gets them. also changing angle of our feet, toes in then outward | ||
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Amateur Bodybuilder
Posts: 126 |
I agree. Most standing calf machines suck... ------------------ |
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posted January 18, 2001 11:10 PM