Do you find many gyms lack calf equiptment?

[Mike Dura]

Here on LI, NY, I find that most the gyms in my immediate area (Sayville, NY) lack calf equip. Some in fact have all the equiptment (including Donkeys). But the problem is that these machines have inadequate weight stacks. Calves need a heavy load to respond. One gym, for example, has donkeys with a 500 pound stack and no handdle bars for additional plates. One has to do "quality training" or reduce the time between sets when you are limited to 500 pounds. Calves are of low priority and true bodybuilders - people who would give calves equal priority to other bodyparts, are clearly few and far between. What to do? I guess I can go online and by a used donkey machine for myself. Where's there's a will there's a way right? Damn!

[rar1015]

Yeah my gym is the same way but i always find a way to do it.

[BigJames]

I noticed this as well...I train in a 2 year old Gold's Gym and there is only a seated calf machine. I asked the owner about this and according to him this is what happens:

A newbie trainer on a new years resolution comes into the gym and finds the machines (of course) and eventually discovers the standing calf raise machine. He put on some plates or sets the pin and goes for it. Wow...that was not that hard at all...they pile on more weight, step in, and crush a vertabrae. Then they try to sue the gym...

I cannot confirm if this has ever happened, but my gym owner is a hardcore trainer (bber and powerlifter) and says this is the case.

I love standing calf raise machines, but I make due with the seated, a hammerstrength leg press machine, a v-sled hack machine, and a seated donkey calf raise machine...

[stunner5000pt]

the gym i go to currently (former gold's gym but bought off and they replaced most of the equipment with the same stuff, bar a few things) has inadequate stacks for standing calf raises, donkey calf raises, and sled calf raises

i just make do with one foot at a time and that way itll take a while time for me to max out the stack

the gym at my school is terrible, only has seated calf raises.. i guess ill have to use the smith machine for some variation.

[humungus88]

the gym i go to currently (former gold's gym but bought off and they replaced most of the equipment with the same stuff, bar a few things) has inadequate stacks for standing calf raises, donkey calf raises, and sled calf raises

i just make do with one foot at a time and that way itll take a while time for me to max out the stack

the gym at my school is terrible, only has seated calf raises.. i guess ill have to use the smith machine for some variation.

Exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes I work out at school, and I'll just use a smith machine, loaded heavy. They don't even have a seated calf machine, but they have everything else.

[steve0]

my old gym lacked calf equipment but my new one has a standing and a sitting calf rasie, but i preffer to do them on the Smith with a box anyways

[chest6]

yeah at my one now theres no standing or seated..only angled

[gixxerboy1]

2 reasons. Bodybuilders are a very low percentage of gym members. Majority or people arent worried about their calfs. So the ycould put another calf machine or something everyone lese would want.

i do calfs on the leg press or the hack squat machine

[steve0]

2 reasons. Bodybuilders are a very low percentage of gym members. Majority or people arent worried about their calfs. So the ycould put another calf machine or something everyone lese would want.

i do calfs on the leg press or the hack squat machine

I agree, its true there are not alot of BB's in gyms these day depending on the size of the city i guess, but the gym i go to now the guy that owns it is a retierd BB so there is all the stuff you need and more.

[collar]

my gym has 3 calf equipment and we use the leg press as one aswell.
so we have 4 thats enough i think.

[jef]

you must be referring to my gym.

[1819]

i didnt know baby cows needed to workout.

[perfectbeast2001]

my gym has a seated and standing everything else is crap though

[Tucc]

my gym has 3 2x4s nailed together to do calf raises on...

[Mike Dura]

That's interesting but it seems that the same could happen on any machine or bodypart so why single out calves? The most convincing idea to me is that calves are of low priority for most people - and as a gym owner, one is interested in pleasing the masses and not those few who desire hard core calf work.

I noticed this as well...I train in a 2 year old Gold's Gym and there is only a seated calf machine. I asked the owner about this and according to him this is what happens:

A newbie trainer on a new years resolution comes into the gym and finds the machines (of course) and eventually discovers the standing calf raise machine. He put on some plates or sets the pin and goes for it. Wow...that was not that hard at all...they pile on more weight, step in, and crush a vertabrae. Then they try to sue the gym...

I cannot confirm if this has ever happened, but my gym owner is a hardcore trainer (bber and powerlifter) and says this is the case.

I love standing calf raise machines, but I make due with the seated, a hammerstrength leg press machine, a v-sled hack machine, and a seated donkey calf raise machine...

[Mike Dura]

I love that idea - that's so old school. In 86' there was this hardcore, small basement gym in Oakdale LI, called "South Shore gym" and we had these 2x3's all over the place. This gym was definately a "legs" gym and there was a dozen guys or more squatting 500+ on any day of the week there. The stacks and handlebars on the donkeys and standing allowed for 1000pnds+. Man, those were the days.

my gym has 3 2x4s nailed together to do calf raises on...

[MatrixGuy]

My gym has standing and seated but the seated one is crap. You can load extra plates on too.

[slob]

my gym doesnt have any calf machines. I get inventive and I grab a wooden platform and put it under the squat rack. I fill up my backpack with 5kg plates and then strap a dumbell to my waist and do standing calf raises. After that I do calf presses on the leg press.
Another good one is to sit on a bench under the smith machine and place the barbell over your thighs and rest your toes on a platform of a few plates. There you have it- seated calf raises!

[*Narkissos*]

My gym has a seated and angled calf-machine.. and that's all the equipment i need

If i feel the need for variety.. there's the smith machine, the leg press or hack squat station.

Anywhere that you can do heavy quad work ('cept the leg extension station), will work well for calves.

[Timm1704]

[QUOTE=slob]my gym doesnt have any calf machines. I get inventive and I grab a wooden platform and put it under the squat rack. I fill up my backpack with 5kg plates and then strap a dumbell to my waist and do standing calf raises. After that I do calf presses on the leg press.
Another good one is to sit on a bench under the smith machine and place the barbell over your thighs and rest your toes on a platform of a few plates. There you have it- seated calf raises![/QUOTE]

DUDE! thats a great idea! i have done a similar thing with a free barbell, and even dumbbells, but notice i spend more time focusing on keeping the weights stable than the actual contractions. ive trained at gyms with nothing for calfs, so used the smith machine for standing calf raises, and did one-legged calf raises with dumbbells.

i train at 3 gyms just lately, two of which have standing and seated calf raises, and the other just has a standing calf raise. i also use the hammer strength seated leg press. the way it is angled, i would imagine this was the same as donkey calf raises, as the body is in the same position

[Carlos_E]

My gym has a ton of calve equipment but I always do them on leg press.

[Aardvark]

Every gym should have a donkey calf machine or at least a leg press that allows you to press off your toes.

[Superhuman]

My current gym has Hammer Strength Plate-Loaded Seated Calf Raises and a Donkey Calf Machine. We have a decent leg press machine, but I hate doing calves on there. I really like the seated calf extension machines.

[Anabolic CEO]

Yeah, i always wanted to use a Donkey Calf machine!! We have one calf machine, and it is outdated.