Stubborn small calf muscles

[largerthannormal]

running into a problem... my shoulders are jacked..arms ehhhh 18" not big but not small... chest is filling out nice... quads are jacked.. everything is is nice and coming along nicely. besides that fact i cant wear shorts in the gym.. my calfs look like a swim suite model chik... they look like they gnna break. problem is where ever i look i hear heavy weight low reps. or light weight high reps.. i tried it all... any ideas???? gotta be sumthn.. please dont say genetics..they have to grow somehow... im sure its just cause they are a dense muscle and used to work.. somehow i have to break the threashhold

[largerthannormal]

i found sumthn deacant in the search.. but feel free for pointers

[Times Roman]

...and the debate continues. My calves are coming along nicely, and I only work once a week. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to work calves, but the question I ask is...
How do you rest them? Muscles only grow at rest. An example of what I mean would be, are you running also? The running will significantly work your calves, not allowing them to rest, not really allowing them to grow. You may think about structuring rest into your routine for your calves. Just a thought.

[SEAviator]

hahaha letting the calves rest?

the only way to do that would be to go train calves, and then walk away in a wheel chair. you use your calves the whole day, hence you kinda overtrain them believe it or not.

Having those big round calves is mostly genetic, or youre born with em or without... but people can still develop some nice calves with years of patience and training

that´s what I heard.

[largerthannormal]

damnet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.. lol well rest i can see but i do sleep laying down..i run here and there when im feeling chubby... but im no runner, lol...

[FireGuy]

I have never seen a person with genetically small calves make turn them into big calves. You might be able to add a small amount of muscle and enhance the shape a bit with some soleus work but thats about it.

[Times Roman]

[QUOTE=SEAviator;5254460]hahaha letting the calves rest?

the only way to do that would be to go train calves, and then walk away in a wheel chair. you use your calves the whole day, hence you kinda overtrain them believe it or not.
QUOTE]

You missed my point, bro'
what I was getting at, is that calves need a break. I'm not saying to wheel around in a chair. i'm saying you burn your calves when WO, but if doing cardio, you could be burning them then as well. And if you are doing cardio regularly, and burning your calves a little when doing cardio, then you could mitigate your potential for growth.

Calves should only burn 1x, maybe 2x a week is all I'm saying.
Sorry for the confusion!

~Roman

[NBRD1808]

i trained DC style for a little while and the recomended trainin protocol for calves was damn brutal. Im slack when it comes to training calves but in all honesty skipping has made my calves grow over the time i have trained kickboxing/muay thai

[serratus]

I have never seen a person with genetically small calves make turn them into big calves. You might be able to add a small amount of muscle and enhance the shape a bit with some soleus work but thats about it.

right if u don t have it u can t have it

[goodlifting]

just beat 'em with a hammer. i chimed in on the other post.

[cherrydrpepper]

#1 Go to failure almost every time. My warmup is similar on most exercises. I start at a medium weight nothing special and do 3 - 7 reps, then go up around 30 lbs and do some more, and keep going until I hit the weight im actually going to use for a set. Then I rest a couple min and start the real workout.

#2 Impeccable form and full extension every time. No half assing.

#3 Stop bullshitting yourself on what real weight is in calf exercises. Not talking about you personally just people in the gym in general. I see all these jabronis come in and bench 250 or 315, then they want to calf press 50 lbs? Wtf ? I'm nothing special. At least half the guys on this forum can whip my ass admittedly. Last calf day I did the leg press stack for 12-15 reps, then I went to the smith machine and did calf raises at 315 for 6-8 reps. Again im nothing special and yet half the guys in the gym either can't or won't put up numbers like this for calves because basically they don't give a shit. They don't think it will get them laid but the truth is everybody likes calves so you need to rewire your brain to think its important as pecs or biceps.

Watch the face the Austrian Oak makes when he does flys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_58b...eature=related

You should either make that face or have the urge to make that face towards the end of every calf exercise set. Every time.

#4 I like to stick with 6 sets. IMO 3 sets is not enough. More than 6 is probably too much but it depends on your body. I like to do 3 of one exercise, then 3 of a different one.

I'm going to copy a guy's advice off a different forum. I don't think we are supposed to link or I would. This guys calves look amazing for his size; he posted a pic in the thread.

[cherrydrpepper]

Copied from a different forum

Actually, to this day I can't do one strict rep with just my meager bodyweight of 195-200lbs so dumbells have never been necessary. I would do them at home with this huge dictionary that's about 8 inches thick. I put it between a doorway and use the frame edges to both balance and pull myself up for force reps and then push myself down (like doing an over head press) for negatives. I could write a book on all the variations but you really got to make them hurt. I'd just do one or two sets for each leg but each set would take almost five minutes. A typical set would start out with just the typical full range movement. All the way down but do a prestretch (as you slowly lower, just controlled not any of this super slow stuff, just before the full stretch you kind of do a bounce before coming back up. This is similar to throwing you hips out first before following with your arms when throwing a baseball. It's suppose to activate more fibers.) Then you do the whole force reps thing before you have to start pulling up your whole body but then push down against the top of the door frame for the negatives. When you can't control the downward portion of the movement you get to rest. Which means you do burns at the end. Just keep bouncing up and down at the bottom trying not to cry while psyching yourself up for the next rep. It's kind of rest pause except the rest part is the burns. So I would do positive failure, forced reps, negatives (pushing against the door frame) then maybe ten burns before I explode back up which requires an assisted forced rep and then pushing back down for a negative and then repeat. I'd try to get about 10 of these burn/rest pause reps. Sometimes I couldn't do any more burns but would just stay in that stretched position wimpering like a girly-girl (not even a girl-man) before exploding back up. I was in the privacy of my own home so I didn't have to worry about how insane I looked. And I was free to say, "F**k, f**k, f**k, as I was in the stretching portion. And it's not just about doing forced reps, negatives, burns... you really have to make a concerted volitional effort. To take my mind off the pain of the burns I would use it to psyche myself up so I could explode for the rest pause reps. I looked at it as sort of when you hyper ventilate before extreme exertion. My hyper ventilation would be the burns. Burn, burn, burn, up and down, up and down, and then BOOM! explode to the top like your life depended on it. Forget about form at this point. Your muscles are too weak and exhausted to exceed tensile strength.

The thing is that the whole reason I started doing this was because I just gave up on calves. I wasn't going to waste my time at the gym doing them. I would just do a couple of one-legged sets at home just to keep tone and conditioning. It's only when I started to notice some change that it inspired me to take it more seriously. I first noticed veins before I started to measure them and found that they grew.

Don't be afraid to use your other feet for balance and to help you push up for forced reps and steady yourself for negatives. Eighty per cent of the time I 'd do just one set each because it just took so much out of me and since I didn't think I could duplicate that level of intensity for the next set I figure why bother.

Right now I just piddle with the seated calf machine at the gym and do one leg raises on the stairs leading to the stretching room at the 24HR on Crenshaw/PCH. I just do 15 reps for each leg and leave it at that. I don't train my calves with that intensity anymore because I don't want them to grow anymore because they're a bit out of porportion and people comment of them regularly. I can't tell you how odd it is to say that especially since I use to be so self-conscious of how skinny they were before. I measure them at 13 7/8 inches.

Now if I can only figure out a practical way to work with that type of intensity for the rest of my body.

[cherrydrpepper]

I see in another thread there is some question about how often to train them. I would say 2 times a week.

I do them on leg day. I think you could throw them in on deadlift day if you are not having leg day the next day.

If you are reaching the proper intensity, driving will be difficult, especially if you drive stick. There should be a holy shit factor in how lit up they are.

[serratus]

bad calves genetix cannot b fixed naturally

[largerthannormal]

full extension..and im gonna try 3-4 sets of 2 excercises..exxagerate each one as if it were my last maybe only 5-7 reps.. the heaviest weigh i can go with maintaining a FULL rotation. im going to give this a whirl... ps no one said natural whats the laugh for?

[oldschoolfitness]

I have never seen a person with genetically small calves make turn them into big calves. You might be able to add a small amount of muscle and enhance the shape a bit with some soleus work but thats about it.

agree totally. my calves are short and although they are pretty strong it don't look like it when i put shorts on.

[largerthannormal]

same here my calves a super strong..but size...blah!!!!!!!!!.. and thats all im looking for to make a small change.. im not asking for plasic surgery inserts here... im not expecting hulk calves.. i ask how to add size to stubborn calves..not how to add 2" to my weiner.. its not impossible..it just cant be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL NEVA GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!

[BgMc31]

bad calves genetix cannot b fixed naturally

I 100% agree!!! I have small calves...I just deal with it. I have 36" thighs, 56" chest, 40" waist, 21" arms, 22" neck, and 17" calves. Go figure...It hasn't affected my strength at all. But I'm not a bodybuilder so it doesn't matter. In powerlifting/strongman its all about the amount of weight you can move!

[danimal79]

the whole "genetics" excuse is a crock of shit. if you've been busting your ass and still can't grow your calves, chances are you're either:

1) not doing the exercises properly to get a decent enough pump
2) not doing the RIGHT exercises
3) not working them enough

can't get 'em to grow with one workout a week? hit 'em twice! shit...hit 'em THREE TIMES A WEEK! if they don't grow, it's a training issue - not genetics.

[BgMc31]

the whole "genetics" excuse is a crock of shit. if you've been busting your ass and still can't grow your calves, chances are you're either:

1) not doing the exercises properly to get a decent enough pump
2) not doing the RIGHT exercises
3) not working them enough

can't get 'em to grow with one workout a week? hit 'em twice! shit...hit 'em THREE TIMES A WEEK! if they don't grow, it's a training issue - not genetics.

Its not a crock of shit! Plus there are loads of scientific data to back it up. Some people have the genetics to grow monster calves, others don't! It's like any other bodypart. Some people can put a peak on their biceps, some can't. Some people have huge d*cks, other's don't!!! Calves are no different.

[danimal79]

Its not a crock of shit! Plus there are loads of scientific data to back it up. Some people have the genetics to grow monster calves, others don't! It's like any other bodypart. Some people can put a peak on their biceps, some can't. Some people have huge d*cks, other's don't!!! Calves are no different.

the op isn't talking about trying to turn good calves, into great calves...or "monster calves". he's just trying to get 'em to grow - PERIOD. by his own admittance they "resemble a swimsuit model chick's" calves. that not genetics. that's a training problem.

[danimal79]

here's an example of what i'm talking about. check out lee priest:



lee is known to have one of the worst chests in bodybuilding, and this is obviously due to shitty genetics. but look at that chest! a lot of guys would kill to have lee's chest. so it's not like genetics stopped lee from growing a "good" chest. they just stopped him from getting a "great" one.

[serratus]

the whole "genetics" excuse is a crock of shit. if you've been busting your ass and still can't grow your calves, chances are you're either:

1) not doing the exercises properly to get a decent enough pump
2) not doing the RIGHT exercises
3) not working them enough

can't get 'em to grow with one workout a week? hit 'em twice! shit...hit 'em THREE TIMES A WEEK! if they don't grow, it's a training issue - not genetics.

if u don t have it u can t get it. or u can cheat the nature ,hgh , cilicon ,syntol and much more

[JuliusPleaser]

I had very small calves a few years ago... when i was 23

i realized that no matter what i did, they wouldn' t grow... for some reason i decided to try trainging them EOD mon weds friday...literally... my calves when from 14in to 16 inches that they are today...i no longer do EOD, now i just train them twice a week...but the EOD training def broke the plateu.. all i did was

4 x 25 LEG press extenions

4 x 25 Seated ...

PERFECT FORM NO MATTER WHAT...have the calve stretch at the bottom... i started off with 2 plates on each side of the leg press perfect form, now i can do 7 plates on each side with perfect form for 12 reps...

my calves weren't over trained either...all i know is this worked for me..and i grew... try it out...

[crionics]

if u don t have it u can t get it. or u can cheat the nature ,hgh , cilicon ,syntol and much more

If that were true, then why do we bother. Just because some people havne't found the right mix doesn't mean people can't make sizable gains. I'm convinced that calves need more volume than typical, but that's what works for me. If you look at my brother and me next to each other, you can tell which one does crossfit and which one is a bodybuilder. He doesn't look like he does any calf specific movements and it looks terrible.

[39+1]

I could not get calves to get "big" either. But when i turned 40 i set my mind to improving my weak spots. they aren't huge but they are there now after steadily working on them for 3 years. In fact when i saw my friend he asked me where i bought them.
I went heavy and i went light. i did max reps max weight, pyramid, moderate weight lots of reps and everything in between and just kept at it.
So for me it was a lack of focus and priority and genetics

[LeroyB]

Just thought I would through in my calf workout.
My Calves are pretty big and by proportion probably my strongest muscle.
All done on a calf machine. The standing kind.
I do calves on arm day currently.
So my exercises go like this: bis, tris, bis, tris, CALVES, bis, tris, calves, forearms, calves, forearms, calves, bis - tri cable super set to failure, calves, calves.
So that is 6 Calve Exercises and there they are:

Ex 1.
5 sets of 5 @ 150kgs - 190kgs on the Standing Machine
Key points for this one:
Feet shoulder width toes turn out a little.
I do not let me calves deep stretch here. I stand and just let them dip a little to get a little spring into the push.
I rest 30 seconds between sets.

Ex 2.
3 sets of 10 / 12 / 12
Feet together.
I let my heel do down and bounce them right back up and through.
1 minute between sets.

Ex 3.
3 Sets of 10 - 150kgs
Feet just wider than shoulders, Toes turned IN, I try to push up onto my pinky toes.
Heels come down past but not far

Ex 4.
Same as above but toes out REAL wide.
Try to do the lift onto my big toe (in my mind)

Connection to EX 5 See 5

Ex 5.
Treadmill
What I do when I finish 4 is to stay on my tiptoes.
I walk to the tread mill and set it on its highest incline.
On a pretty slow speed ( 2 - 2.5 )
I am still on my tiptoes...
I climb on and start to walk, my heels have still not and are not touching the ground.
I contract my calves each step. I normally do this for 5 minutes. Sometimes I turn around and walk backwards to help the front part of the calves.

Extra - Toe Drops. Stand on something hang toes off with - let them fall and then raise them sharply.

I also Stretch my calves daily in the door way since they are prone to cramping during matches.