Calves!

nfdeilvs

Member
Anyone have any decent success stories training calves at a certain frequency or rep range? What exercises are your favorites?
 
I hardly ever train calves and they're huge and ripped. if only the rest of my body worked the same way...

I've always stuck with 15-20 reps for calves
 
I usually do like 40 reps for calf raises honestly, or however many it takes untill they start burning and then like 10-15 more after that. Honestly though, I've always had big full calves, I could probably get away with not training them at all.
 
High reps medium-low weight.
I usually do about 10 super sets of standing calve raises on the smith machine using 2 stacked smaller plates as a step, 25 reps under 20kgs then 25 using bodyweight. Absolutely burns like fuck.
 
I like higher rep ranges, 15-25. Three times weekly frequency, regardless of programming, same with traps. Usually 9-12 sets per week.

Honestly, I have good calves without doing too much. Trying to get them up just a hair more. They're responsive, but it's a tough muscle to train. Requires a lot of volume for me to move them.
 
i like donkey calf raise and sitting calf raise both around 12-15 rep range with moderatley heavy weight off season. I cycle and run in spring through fall.

On season I don't really focus on the calf muscles very much.
 
I like higher rep ranges, 15-25. Three times weekly frequency, regardless of programming, same with traps. Usually 9-12 sets per week.

Honestly, I have good calves without doing too much. Trying to get them up just a hair more. They're responsive, but it's a tough muscle to train. Requires a lot of volume for me to move them.

Can vouch for this, I seen the best growth from high reps and high frequency hitting them a few times a week.
 
Sprints. Seems my calves always blow up when I do sprints. I get pretty lean doing so too.
Nothing crazy anymore, just 4 to 6 150m sprints everyday.
 
Sprints. Seems my calves always blow up when I do sprints. I get pretty lean doing so too.
Nothing crazy anymore, just 4 to 6 150m sprints everyday.
True. Never thought of that, but mine have been growing better since adding interval sprints.

The couple of servicemen I know swear by their long ruck marches. Both say that's how/when they built their calves. How do you feel about that? Been thinking of throwing in some weighted incline walks on a treadmill just to try, but don't know if I have the hours to do it justice. Just something to pound the fuck out of them for at least thirty minutes at a time.
 
True. Never thought of that, but mine have been growing better since adding interval sprints.

The couple of servicemen I know swear by their long ruck marches. Both say that's how/when they built their calves. How do you feel about that? Been thinking of throwing in some weighted incline walks on a treadmill just to try, but don't know if I have the hours to do it justice. Just something to pound the fuck out of them for at least thirty minutes at a time.

I would definitely agree with them, but the thing about rucks is that they are so up and down, and you usually end up jogging most of it.

Honestly though I think rucks are the best thing that ever got me in shape. Except, like you said, time is an issue. Even at my fastest it still took me 2 hrs 12 min to finish a 12 mile ruck.
Maybe once a month on a weekend go climb some trails?
 
20 second negatives on either calf press machine such as plate loaded hammer, or seated. I do a few warm ups and then 1 brutal set of 8-12 reps with a 20 sec negative per rep
 
Put 2 5' plates on the ground or like a little step to create like a 3" deficit. Stand on the plates On your toes and balls of your feet, with like 40-60lb EZ bar on your back. With your toes pointing out do 10 reps, toes pointing straight 10 reps and pointing in 10 reps, then drop the weight and do the same thing with body weight. With the weighted reps do slow controlled eccentric movement, explosive concentric with a 2 count isometric hold at the contraction point. 3-4 sets of this and your calves will be toast, I normally do this and then I'll do like a seated weighted calf raise 3 sets of toes pointing out x 10, toes pointing in x 10 for one set.

Then just do this like at least 2 times preferably 3 times a week.

And remember to stretch!! After your workout stretch your calves out use a foam roller if available
 
Like everybody else said, I like to do calves with higher reps, usually 15 reps, with moderate weight. I guess if you're lacking calves, you just have to hit it twice as hard compared to other body parts. Put some extra time into them and force them to grow.
 
A lot of times people will pump out calf exercises and get a crazy pump, but they aren't letting the muscle spend enough time under tension. Make sure you focus more on the contraction and squeeze the muscle for a 2 count hold
 
I've never really cared about getting bigger just stronger but my calves are fucking shit. I've tried training them multiple times a week, daily, once a week and not at all with different lifts and different tempos etc and nothing seems to work. I'm obscenely strong for a little dude (197lbs today) but I wouldn't mind my calves growing a bit. any advice?

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I have giant calves. I never once in my life did them at the gym. But I have a hunch it's from incline on treadmill. Idk tho. Also genetics
 
I guess I'll try a 15-20 incline for a couple months and see how that goes. My 15 year old son makes fun of my calves hahaha his are bigger.

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I've never really cared about getting bigger just stronger but my calves are fucking shit. I've tried training them multiple times a week, daily, once a week and not at all with different lifts and different tempos etc and nothing seems to work. I'm obscenely strong for a little dude (197lbs today) but I wouldn't mind my calves growing a bit. any advice?

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Just invest in some pants bro, save yourself the heartache
 
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