need help with calfs

[MANWHORE]

I'm happy with everything else,i just need help with calfs. I don't want to hear from the Mesomorphs or the guys who never had small calfs. I want to hear from people who have had small calfs in the past. I work with heavy weight but not too many sets per week. Should i do calfs ED like i do with abs sometimes? I basically only do donky and sitdown clalf raises. gotta go wash dishes but i'm be back .. thanks

 

[ForemanRules]

I do standing calfs only 2x a week, 12 rep sets...hold at the top ( full extension) for 4 sets. This has worked great for me, I can't even imagine training them or ABS ED.

 

[wildman1717]

Manwhore, how big are your calfs at the moment?

 

[MANWHORE]

Manwhore, how big are your calfs at the moment?

you trying to embarrass me? .. 16" .... They get strong but not big .. I remember talking to someone on a board way back and him telling me he had very small calfs even when his other body parts grew fast. I can't remember everything he told me but i do remember donkey calf raises was one thing that made them grow and grow big. I can't even remember what made them grow in the past. When i do higher reps and more X/week,they seem to grow but i always think that could just be nutrient density and not actual muscle growth. .. NO they aren't 16",they are 14 1/2" .... Damn,they used to be 16 but i am so worried about my abs now,i watch what i eat most days. They are more cut now,i can see that. I really don't want much more size,i would like maybe 2" and more cut. I think my diet is going to be a big problem with having them grow,but i think,with some good exercises,they will still grow

 

[wildman1717]

No sir, I'm not trying to embarrass you. Calfs are one of the hardest muscles to grow along with forearms for me. I went from training calfs once a week to twice a week and had pretty good results with the added day. I use higher reps for the calfs, around 12 to 15 reps per set. I do seated calf raises and standing calf raises, 5 sets each for a total of ten sets per workout. I've added about 2.5 inches to my calfs total since I've been working out. I think genetics has alot to due with calfs. I would say adding weight to your frame may help also. I hope this helps, good luck.

 

[MANWHORE]

thanks for the help .. i've added more calf work .. more sets that is ... I do donkey and sitting calf raises. I've thrown in heavy partials,high rep,and,at times,taking sets to failure. It sounds like alot but it doesn't take me long

 

[wildman1717]

No problem, hope things workout.

 

[Bob Smith]

thanks for the help .. i've added more calf work .. more sets that is ... I do donkey and sitting calf raises. I've thrown in heavy partials,high rep,and,at times,taking sets to failure. It sounds like alot but it doesn't take me long

Why not train them like any other muscle group? In other words, 2-3x/wk for about 2-5 sets per workout. Or specifically do 5x5 just for your calves for 6-8 weeks to see how you respond. Personally, Ive never gotten shit from high rep calf work.

 

[MANWHORE]

Why not train them like any other muscle group? In other words, 2-3x/wk for about 2-5 sets per workout. Or specifically do 5x5 just for your calves for 6-8 weeks to see how you respond. Personally, Ive never gotten shit from high rep calf work.

I really didn't want to leave 5 reps for long. 4-5 reps with heavy weight has been very good for me the past month or so with every other body part. I haven't been doing them 3X/week every week. I can see more definition though,so maybe something is happening since i've always been very lean around calfs. .. I was really confused today in work. I was getting frustrated just thinking of going back to lighter weight on other body parts,because of this little pain in my groan. I was going to taylor my workout around that but i just can't go backwards. I think i just stretched a groan muscle the wrong way because i can barely feel it most of the time and even when i do it's very little. I'm just going to go in and get a good deadlift workout in just to get things flowing. I stacked on the weight for bench when i hurt my shoulder and the pain just disappeared
. Yeah,i'm staying with the heavy weight,i makes me feel more manly lol

 

[Gavin Laird]

MW,

I too have poor calves and since i am now a skinny white bitch prety boy type physique i am working on them. I follow a kind of periodised scheme for most bdyparts but train calves with a "volume" day and a "load" day alternated 3 times a week as my usualy approach just didn't improve thier size. Volume day is usually 10 x 10 with fixed weight, load day is usually 6-8 sets of 5-8 reps much heavier. They are responding fine now.

Cheers,

G

 

[youngBuilder]

Why not train them like any other muscle group? In other words, 2-3x/wk for about 2-5 sets per workout. Or specifically do 5x5 just for your calves for 6-8 weeks to see how you respond. Personally, Ive never gotten shit from high rep calf work.

I agree with bob here. Ive been blessed with calves the size of pencils gowing up. About this time last year they were about 15'' and now they are 16 1/2. What i have found to work for me best was while i was doing the 5x5 i would always throw in 3-5 sets for calfs at the end, or sometimes at the beginning even to get them out of the way. I would start pyramiding from around 10-12 reps to wamr them up and get some blood flowing there, then i would work them down to reps of 5 or 6 strictly. It seems as though my calfs have only recently started responding and growing, ever since i started the 5x5 and doing heavy work 3 times a week. I used to do them twice a week with high reps of 15 (even 21's) done pretty slowly for a couple years with little progress.

 

[Girth]

I agree with the heavy training and training them like any other muscle. But you sound desperate enough to make me think. Heavy guys usually have big calves right. While it could be a function of bodyweight, in much the same way that arm size is. What if there is a correlation to the stress on their calves due to the additional poundage? Why not mimic that?

So my "untested" advice, would be to use a weighted vest or backpack while performing some kind of walking/running/dragging cardio. It couldn't hurt!

 

[MANWHORE]

My friend is skinny and i know alot of skinny guys with big calfs. It's not just a matter of poundage. .. I have not gained any weight since i started back inthe gym in Sept (been serious for 2 months now) but my body has transformed very nicely. I lost alot of fat and replaced it with muscle. My outer calfs have gotten alot bigger but the size hasn't changed which makes me think i just lost alot of fat

 

[Girth]

Just because a skinny guy has big calves doesn't disprove what I said. He was born with them. And whose to say that they wouldn't be bigger is he trained them as I suggested. You even said that your weight hasn't changed, so based on my hypothesis, why would your calves? And 2 months......Real results take a minimum of 6 months in my mind.

 

[MANWHORE]

6 months? 6 months is too long for results IMO,at my body weight.. I was basically asking if anyone had very good results with certain exercises. I thought about this guy who was in his 40s at the time i used to talk to him. He was actualy a board friend way back when i was on A.com .. anyway,he said he had very small calfs even when training for a while until he started this program given to him by some strength athlete or .. not sure who it was but it was someone who was very good at what he did. Well,he said his calfs grew very fast almost overnight .. figure of speech but they grew very fast. I think i remember the excercises were ones which stretched the fascia tissue. For nowi will stay with the 5 reps 5 sets 2 or moreX/week but when i have time,i will write up a good workout. I'm going to take what i know and just come up with the best workout i can. I tried Syntherol for about 2 weeks and the size was nice but calfs are hard to shoot with that stuff because they get sensitive and sometimes inflame with water. I guess we all have our weaknesses. My back and shoulders grow even without extra work (even just with squats and deads) but calfs won't grow even with extra work. I just have to stick with it and work just as hard on them as i do on other bodyparts ... I think i may just need to throw in some high rep work for calfs,but for now i am going to stick with 5X5. I have a few months before anyone really sees my legs so i do feel good about that

 

[1911a1]

Building Bigger Calves

1st a little trivia -Arnold saw his calves as his weakest bodypart so he cut the legs out of his pants so all could see his calves. He used their scorn to fuel his training fires i.e. motivation.

Your calves are your most stubborn muscles because they support the most weight. When you're standing, they support your bodyweight. When you jump or run, this weight is tripled. Point being your calves can stand a lot of weight and if you want them to grow, you must use very heavy weights.

Standing calf raises stretch and peak the elongation of the entire calf muscle. Seated calf raises work the inner and outer gastrocnemesis (sp). Seated calf raises with the toes pointed out work the inner gastro. Toes pointed in work the outer gastro thus giving you the coveted "diamond-shaped appearance".

If you have access to a Tibialis machine, you can work the tibias and bring out more overall size (inches) around the calf. You see better tibias in todays major competitions because competitors are paying more attention to every detail. If you don't have the tibia machine, use the leg curl machine. Sit on the machine legs flat facing the bottom and hook your toes under the pad and curl the toes up lifting the weight. This will work the tibialis and it doesn't take much weight.

Donkey calf raises are a great calf builder but unless you have a partner I would be reluctant to ask another. This is an old school exercise people don't see much today. They may think you're weird if you ask them to jump on your butt. Use the belt with the chain. You can use 45s for weight and strap it around your waist.

You need to work the calves at least twice a week. Example being -

3 x 12 standing calf raises
3 x 10 seated calf raises
3 x 10 tibia raises

Do your set, 60 seconds rest and back on. Don't take anymore time between sets. Feel the lactic acid burn. When you are done, I gaurantee you will limp away.

Another Example -

Pick either seated or standing raises. Max weight, perform your sets taking only 10 seconds rest between sets. Start with 5 sets. You'll be done inside 5 minutes. If you havn't done these, you won't beleive the burn (that's growth in progress). Do the standing sets one WO and do the seated sets your next WO.

After you have completed your calf WO, go drectly to the stretching station and stretch your calves and ankles. This will loosen any scar tissue around the ankles, stretch the achilles tendon (taking pressure off the lower back) and continue to pump blood into the calves.

FYI - You gotta have good shoes for heavy leg work, not running shoes or Converse. Cross trainers are good. And push your socks down. Show off those big meaty diamonds.

This is my 1st post here. I was looking around when I saw your post. I hope this helps you the way it's helped me and my training partners.

Think strong and train hard !

 

[MANWHORE]

I knew that about Arnold ... I am not really sure about burn meaning size and i do donkey calf raises on a machine made for it ... All in all,i like the reply. I have been using very very heavy weight and i really have been noticing that the outer part of my calfs have been growing but not the inner .. When i flex them,i can see that the upsidedown V is getting deeper .. I notice everytime i do calfs that when i get to the last reps,i start to push the weight more toward my smaller toes. I know that's why i am getting growth on outer but not inner. I am trying harder on donkeys to keep the weight toward my big toes by turning my heels out. .. thanks

 

[DonkeyKong]

d

My calves also suck but seen improvments since I now do them before squats on leg day at the beginning.They dont affect my weight on squats and they seem to actually get sore the next day wich has never happened before..

 

[MANWHORE]

My calves also suck but seen improvments since I now do them before squats on leg day at the beginning.They dont affect my weight on squats and they seem to actually get sore the next day wich has never happened before..

I think it was the calories that was my problem .. and my foot possitioning because i see outer calf development. I changed up my workout a bit and i like it.

 

[Ronin_]

have you seen a cyclist's calves? high volume high rep work is the way to go if you are a not a mesomorph.

Also steroids have an exagerated effect on the calves so the steroid trained mostly trainer to the mostly un steroid trained trainer has no real world advice to give in my experience (my claves grow like holy fuck on gear)