Anyone successfully significantly grow their calves?

[29trt]

Try what phil mentions about climbing the ladder on pin loaded calf raise. Do this for 1 year.

Mine grew and i had skinny calves


View: https://youtu.be/J4ueTkK1Lmw

Yeah his not wrong that should grow your calves like it would grow any part of tour body...but let's face it of he can put 2" on his calves we can only hope for a quarter of that and thats exactly what I got after a year of doing basically the same routine but for 3-4 times a week...
Sometimes I would get weaker so i was definitely reaching the limit of the body to recover so yeah...if you don't got them you don't ) and doing the basic shit is not going to cut it...
All top level BB do basic training shit....they look how they look because of genetics and nothing else....

 

[allBlack]

Yeah his not wrong that should grow your calves like it would grow any part of tour body...but let's face it of he can put 2" on his calves we can only hope for a quarter of that and thats exactly what I got after a year of doing basically the same routine but for 3-4 times a week...
Sometimes I would get weaker so i was definitely reaching the limit of the body to recover so yeah...if you don't got them you don't ) and doing the basic shit is not going to cut it...
All top level BB do basic training shit....they look how they look because of genetics and nothing else....

Do they everyday, calves recover fast. Do this daily for 3 years if your calves don't grew with full squeeze after 3 years and on cycle give up

 

[craigdt]

What do we think the risk of overtraining calves and not allowing sufficient time for rest/recovery is?

Im really deficient in calf size, really trying to start to focus on them.

Torn between "work them every day, they are toothpicks, they are used to being walked on every day" and "allow them plenty of time to repair so they grow in size"

 

[eery]

What do we think the risk of overtraining calves and not allowing sufficient time for rest/recovery is?

Im really deficient in calf size, really trying to start to focus on them.

Torn between "work them every day, they are toothpicks, they are used to being walked on every day" and "allow them plenty of time to repair so they grow in size"

theres a chance.

Start with 2 sets every other day and see how many sets you can handle with that until you cant recover, dial that back and perhaps start at a similar total weekly(or whatever timeframe) volume spread across everyday if you think you can recover from doing them everyday. I would not do them every day though, your ankles will probably get some overuse issues over time that way. Thats why i'd suggest every other day at the most.

 

[Oldman81]

Me too

 

[OldGHGuy]

IDK - all this talk about calves. Unless you're a conpetitive bodybuilder, who really notices or cares? Women certainly dont...

 

[craigdt]

theres a chance.

Start with 2 sets every other day and see how many sets you can handle with that until you cant recover, dial that back and perhaps start at a similar total weekly(or whatever timeframe) volume spread across everyday if you think you can recover from doing them everyday. I would not do them every day though, your ankles will probably get some overuse issues over time that way. Thats why i'd suggest every other day at the most.

Thats a good approach.

I often times struggle with the bridge of my foot hurting, so I've really tried to dial in my technique and be very deliberate about each rep.

 

[BigBamBam]

Last several months I've been training my calves hard -- hitting them 4-5 times per week with various calf raises, tibial raises, jump rope, inclined walking for 30-60 minutes, etc. Haven't seen much growth but some increased vascularity. I'm already eating enough and on "TRT +".

What else do I need to do? Lol

Calves are like 90% genetics, some folks barely touch 'em and they pop, while others hit them hard and still don’t see much size. So don’t get discouraged, you’re definitely not alone. You’re clearly putting in the effort, which is awesome. That said, stuff like jump rope and inclined walking are great for conditioning and vascularity, but they’re probably not gonna give you much in terms of real calf growth. You’ll see better results if you focus more on strength-based training. Keep grinding, I believe it’ll pay off with time!

 

[dinfar1337]

I’ve always looked at calves like this - if you’ve got the genetics, they’ll grow, and if not, who cares… unless you’re competing on stage. I do different variations - leg press machine, standing, seated - they’re growing a little, but I don’t stress over it.

My grandma’s calves put mine to shame, and all she’s done is haul buckets and dig in the garden her whole life. I swear she could probably out-calf-raise me without even taking off her slippers.

i think there's a fine line between not having the genetics and not having the size. anyone can put on size, but how they will look after is genetics. not having put on size yet does not mean you have ugly calves. it just means you arent where you're supposed to be yet.

take this from someone who spent like 2 years training their calves just to realize i had really nice calve genetics. you can see the outlines to the muscles from the front like lee priest. just took hella long time to achieve that.

 

[The Answ3r]

i think there's a fine line between not having the genetics and not having the size. anyone can put on size, but how they will look after is genetics. not having put on size yet does not mean you have ugly calves. it just means you arent where you're supposed to be yet.

take this from someone who spent like 2 years training their calves just to realize i had really nice calve genetics. you can see the outlines to the muscles from the front like lee priest. just took hella long time to achieve that.

Lee Priest calves, wow, those are legendary and his overall genetics are some of the best in BB. I get what you mean about putting in the work first before judging your calves. I treat mine the same way, I just train them consistently and do not stress. If they grow, great, if not, life goes on. Mine are pretty average, they do not lag or dominate, they just fit the overall look, and at least they show I actually lift.

 

[Agadesh]

From what I have learned the most important thing in gaining calves is focusing on the stretched position. So maybe just don't do full range of motion but only from negative to normal position with heavier weights.

 

[tomro]

I honestly think my calves have always grown the most from me being at a high bodyweight and doing a lot of steps and/or cardio on the incline treadmill..

 

[eery]

i think there's a fine line between not having the genetics and not having the size. anyone can put on size, but how they will look after is genetics. not having put on size yet does not mean you have ugly calves. it just means you arent where you're supposed to be yet.

How well you put on "size" and how big you can get is also a genetic variable that is different for different people. Not everyone can become 260lbs at 10% bodyfat no matter how much time, effort, food, drugs and blood, sweat and tears they put into it.

 

[dinfar1337]

How well you put on "size" and how big you can get is also a genetic variable that is different for different people. Not everyone can become 260lbs at 10% bodyfat no matter how much time, effort, food, drugs and blood, sweat and tears they put into it.

no but the majority can get to 225 lbs lean and look decently well with their genetics + being enhanced. that is my point, not everyone can become mr olympia god genetics

but you can always get bigger, look better before you judge yourself "i have bad genetics"

 

[Alian]

Donkey calf raises with an extreme stretch at the bottom.


Sadly donkey calf raise machines are disappearing from gyms

 

[craigdt]

Donkey calf raises with an extreme stretch at the bottom.


Sadly donkey calf raise machines are disappearing from gyms

Just getting familiar with this excercise, never done it.

Wonder if you could use a rack-mount belt squat setup somehow...

 

[initialize]

Donkey calf raises with an extreme stretch at the bottom.


Sadly donkey calf raise machines are disappearing from gyms

I have a calf machine at the gym where you sit -not a sitting "soleus" calf raise- but one where your legs are completely straight (gastroc focused). Couldn't I mimic a donkey raise on this machine by simply leaning forward while doing it?

 

[Alian]

Just getting familiar with this excercise, never done it.

Wonder if you could use a rack-mount belt squat setup somehow...

Give it a go, as long as you don't hurt yourself and it isn't awkward