hypertrophy for calfs

[bungledoona]

Whats the secret for hypertrophy for calfs? Ive heard some people say to train them daily, but muscles need time to recover correct? also weirdly enough ive heard running makes em grow

So what is the secret, how do you get these bad boys to grow like crazy?

[Times Roman]

they won't grow like crazy.

it doesn't work that way.

your body does not want big calves. it really wants Type 1 muscle fiber, not Type 2. Type 1 is the type that doesn't tire, and isn't very strong. This keeps you from falling over after walking a flight of stairs.

if you do want them to grow, you need to accept this is a very long term process, as calves are the toughest muscle group to grow.

patience
consistency
proper diet
and allowing for the passage of time.

your calves will never grow like a bicep.

its' the curse of the Type 1 muscle fiber. not much you can do about it

it is not uncommon for some pro's to get calf implants for this very reason

[kelkel]

I've had no luck at all with calves. *&^%&(()(**

[Times Roman]

and for those you see with big calves, it's mostly genetics. it's one of those things you either do or you don't.

if you get dealt a pair of fours, no matter what the next card dealt you, it aint gonna get a 21

[Buster Brown]

^^^^^^^couldnt agree more. They are what they are. High reps and try to vary your exercises.

[kelkel]

and for those you see with big calves, it's mostly genetics.

Can't agree with that one TR. You can say that about anyone with a better than average body part. It kinda diminishes the effort put forth by that person. Maybe they simply worked harder or made it more of a priority to improve it. Most guys simply never put the effort into their calves as they do with the more mainstream body parts. If they actually did put the effort into their calves as they do chest and arms you'd see a ton of improvement.

Most guys are also always playing catch-up with them after years of working the piss out of their showy body parts. They're also usually done as an afterthought at the end of guy's workouts to "get them done." That NEVER happens with the aforementioned showy body parts, imho.

[Buster Brown]

Can't agree with that one TR. You can say that about anyone with a better than average body part. It kinda diminishes the effort put forth by that person. Maybe they simply worked harder or made it more of a priority to improve it. Most guys simply never put the effort into their calves as they do with the more mainstream body parts. If they actually did put the effort into their calves as they do chest and arms you'd see a ton of improvement. Most guys are also always playing catch-up with them after years of working the piss out of their showy body parts. They're also usually done as an afterthought at the end of guy's workouts to "get them done." That NEVER happens with the aforementioned showy body parts, imho.

They can def improve but I think the OP was under the impression there was sort of a secret recipe ( not being a wise ass but maybe he was looking for a rep scheme for size).

[Khazima]

They're stubborn as hell. It's depressing but as buster said it is what it is.

Running is great for them though, and skipping. They're predominantly filled with type 1 fibres as mentioned. The fibres with the least potential for growth however still the potential to grow. With the ratio of type 1 to 2 fibres I'd imagine it'd be just as effective if not more to target these fibres as well instead of only type 2 fibres.

[Buster Brown]

They're stubborn as hell. It's depressing but as buster said it is what it is. Running is great for them though, and skipping. They're predominantly filled with type 1 fibres as mentioned. The fibres with the least potential for growth however still the potential to grow. With the ratio of type 1 to 2 fibres I'd imagine it'd be just as effective if not more to target these fibres as well instead of only type 2 fibres.

Nothing will make your calves stringier then running

[kelkel]

Nothing will make your calves stringier then running

Yep. Compare the difference between a long distance runners legs and a sprinter. Worlds apart in muscularity.

[bungledoona]

They can def improve but I think the OP was under the impression there was sort of a secret recipe ( not being a wise ass but maybe he was looking for a rep scheme for size).

Im not under the impression that there is a secret recipe, I just wanted to hear about other people's success with calfs and what they did to best achieve gainz

[Times Roman]

Can't agree with that one TR. You can say that about anyone with a better than average body part. It kinda diminishes the effort put forth by that person. Maybe they simply worked harder or made it more of a priority to improve it. Most guys simply never put the effort into their calves as they do with the more mainstream body parts. If they actually did put the effort into their calves as they do chest and arms you'd see a ton of improvement.

Most guys are also always playing catch-up with them after years of working the piss out of their showy body parts. They're also usually done as an afterthought at the end of guy's workouts to "get them done." That NEVER happens with the aforementioned showy body parts, imho.

emphasis on the word "mostly" in my comment.

guys with huge calves don't start out with puny calves in relation to the rest of their body (for the most part).

and as everyone is saying, calves do grow....

....they just lag like hell is all.

all you can really do with them is just be patient and strive for continuous improvement.

the reality is, genetics is a BIG part of it.

[kelkel]

the reality is, genetics is a BIG part of it.

Definitely a big part.

[Docd187123]

I've had no luck at all with calves. *&^%&(()(**

Oh stop it! Your calves' veins have veins on them

[pasha]

I had normal calfs like 1 1/2 years ago. I decided to really push the pace and work then 3 times a week. Hit then from different angles, at varied sets. heavy lower reps like 10. and lighter reps of say 30. 4 sets each exercise. i do 2 exercises for calfs each time i train then. My calfs today are solid. They are not huge and incredible, but by no means they are average. just focus on then and you will achieve your goal.

[kelkel]

I had normal calfs like 1 1/2 years ago. I decided to really push the pace and work then 3 times a week. Hit then from different angles, at varied sets. heavy lower reps like 10. and lighter reps of say 30. 4 sets each exercise. i do 2 exercises for calfs each time i train then. My calfs today are solid. They are not huge and incredible, but by no means they are average. just focus on then and you will achieve your goal.

There ya are! Nice work pasha.

[Lee_1978]

My calves are embarrassing despite vigorous training, but hopefully that'll change when I start my cycle.

[Hard_Body]

Most people face trouble in this area either because the calves have been lacking training frequency or just insufficient intensity. The key with calves is frequency, you can not just do 3 sets of standing and 3 sets of seated calf raises at the end of a leg workout once a week and except them to grow, especially if they are lagging. A lot of bodybuilders including Arnold who had lagging calves just trained them every single day until they grew however i do not recommend you apply the same approach. 3 x a week should suffice. allowing a at least a days rest in between each workout and hit them at the start of your session. A doggcrapp method for calves is on the calf raise, do a 5-10 second negative on every rep and hold the stretched position at the bottom for like 5 seconds, something you may want to try out, not a lot of weight needed here. This real really shock them and stretch them out.

[RewardingLabor]

I had normal calfs like 1 1/2 years ago. I decided to really push the pace and work then 3 times a week. Hit then from different angles, at varied sets. heavy lower reps like 10. and lighter reps of say 30. 4 sets each exercise. i do 2 exercises for calfs each time i train then. My calfs today are solid. They are not huge and incredible, but by no means they are average. just focus on then and you will achieve your goal.

From different angles? Im only aware of 2 exercises for calfs, seated and standing raises. What else did you do?

[600@50]

From different angles? Im only aware of 2 exercises for calfs, seated and standing raises. What else did you do?

Do your calf work with varied foot position/angles. Toes pointed in, toes pointed out, concentrate keeping pressure on the ball of your foot as you flex and also pronate the foot outward to put pressure near your little toes when you flex the calf. There's 4 different ways to add variety to calf work right there.

[Buster Brown]

Regardless of the calf exercise I keep the Rep range at about 20. You could probably get away with training them eod .....I just have no interest. I have yet to see someone who is NOT genetically gifted transform there calves from high and stringy to grapefruits.

[fitnesstrainer]

The calves have two main muscles the gastrocnemius which has a lateral and medial head and the soleus. The gastrocnemius is virtually unused during exercises where the knee is bent. The reverse is true for the soleus. So incorporate both standing and seated work for your calves.
The gastrocnemius is comprised of mostly fast twitch muscle fibres and the soleus is mostly slow twitch, so use rep ranges appropriate to stimulate growth for their particular fibre types. Hope this helps. Applying this info has worked well for me and my clients who wanted larger calves.