calfs and the treadmill

[big louie]

been doing a lot of cardio mostly on stationary bikes.. So I got on the treadmill the other day and noticed with a slight incline i had major burning in the calf's within minutes.. my question is this,, would it be beneficial to the calf's? My calf's can always get bigger and was wondering if the treadmill would be the ticket??
I remember reading a post about a year ago about running on a sandy beach helped a lot with lagging calfs.. kinda the same difference wouldn't you say???

 

[patsfan]

been doing a lot of cardio mostly on stationary bikes.. So I got on the treadmill the other day and noticed with a slight incline i had major burning in the calf's within minutes.. my question is this,, would it be beneficial to the calf's? My calf's can always get bigger and was wondering if the treadmill would be the ticket??
I remember reading a post about a year ago about running on a sandy beach helped a lot with lagging calfs.. kinda the same difference wouldn't you say???

I notice the same thing and then my calfs get used to it. What works for me is switching machines every couple weeks so they dont adapt and they get sore again.

Pats

 

[Chip Bronson]

my calves have gotten noticeably bigger and more muscular over the past year and i attribute this to using the treadmill on an incline. i use it 4 times a week, and at times even more. i go between 3 and 5 degree incline and between 3.3 and 4 mph. for about 25 minutes. running on the beach is not good, imo, because of the torque you put on your ankles and knees. in the sand, your feet are not flat. they are always on weird angles. this, compounded with the sheer force of your bodyweight makes for a very precarious scenario. walking in the sand would be better.

the cross-country ski machine is awesome for calves too and it's quite an aerobic workout. i use this every few weeks for a couple of workouts to break the monotony of the treadmill.

 

[Primo Max]

I put it on the highest incline, which is 15 degrees and go three times a week for 10 minutes. Right now I'm at about 2.7 mph. I think I first heard about this on T-mag in a Chad Waterbury article, but I've read about it many different times. I also try to do a mini calf raise on every step, rather than just walking, plus I don't hold on the the rails, which makes my calves work harder to support me.

 

[big louie]

thanks for all the feedback - i'm going to move the cardio over on the treadmill at least 3 times per week then...
chip i know you were injured for a quite some time and not able to workout,so you say your calfs have grown from just treamill usage?

 

[Chip Bronson]

louie, i know this is antithetical to what most guys believe but my calves, and they are still shamefully small, did not grow hardly at all until i switched to high reps in the 30-50 range and started to walk on an incline using the treadmill. the cross-country ski machine works real well too.

 

[big louie]

louie, i know this is antithetical to what most guys believe but my calves, and they are still shamefully small, did not grow hardly at all until i switched to high reps in the 30-50 range and started to walk on an incline using the treadmill. the cross-country ski machine works real well too.

Thanks macho

 

[Chip Bronson]

Thanks macho

back atcha tough guy...

 

[C-J]

Just my 2 cents here, but the treadmill is all I do for calves. I was a skateboarder in my teens and have always had legs. Nicknamed quadzila in high school back in L.A. before being a dirt dart and screwing my back up... I was squating 3-4x my body weight comfortably. Cant squat any more but use the free weight leg press alot. No direct calf work other than the treadmil, inclined to 6-8 degrees at 4.2 for 25 minutes and stay on the toes as long as you can then back to flat foot for a minute break and back on the toes. Burns like a SOB! Give it a try for 3-4 weeks and tell me you didnt grow...alot. Later bro
CJ

 

[Ramstein II]

I concur. Walking/running/jumping/climbing and other natural calf stimulators are best. Why? I don't know. The best calves are on gymnists who bounce around on them all day. Knew a gymnist once. His calves were like two grapefruits taped to a bat. I've noticed that walking hills has helped my calves. Although the best thing I ever did for calves was to get fat for about 1.5 years. All that bodyweight made a great daily workout for the calves. This chronic stimulation idea is a great argument for HST. THink about it.