What the hell works for calves???

[ilankaplan1]

I've been trying to build up my calves for a long time and they never get sore when i work them out. They dont get bigger or anything but i dont think I'm even hitting them when i do calf raises. What is a better excersize to hit the calves?

[MixmasterNash]

A big problem for calf development is the enormous amount of energy that the achillies tendon stores. Because of this, you can move huge amounts without actually taxing the calf muscles too much. The solution is to pause at the bottom of the motion and let the tendon relax.

[HILL]

I like to use the leg press machine in my gym. I just do 1 leg at a time and position my foot so there is just behing the toes on the actual part that u push then just use the calfs if ya get my drift. i find these are really good

[ilankaplan1]

Yea cause i NEED my calves to grow a lot. I think im way too top-heavy and its hard for me to run and everything cause my calves are too weak.

[mrelwooddowd]

If I was working calves and concerned about growth (thankfully it's not a problem), I would hit them hard on a day before a day when I had NOTHING to do. So, if I worked them on, say, Saturday, I would spend as much of Sunday as possible staying off my feet. It seems like calves are hard to build up because they're constantly in use.

I could be totally off my rocker, but this is what I'd do..lol

[Griffin98]

Try calf raises like this. Explode up, hold the contraction for 10 seconds, 5 seconds down, hold the stretch for 10 seconds. That's one rep. Then do 9 more. Burns like a mofo.

[RussianRocket]

just cus it burns dont mean it works. I'll give you a pink 5 pound db and see how many reps you can bust out, and ini a month we'll see how HOUGE your arms are

[spencerjrus]

just cus it burns dont mean it works. I'll give you a pink 5 pound db and see how many reps you can bust out, and ini a month we'll see how HOUGE your arms are

Regardless, he is correct. Your calves are awesome at storing kinetic energy.

[ilankaplan1]

so the best way is to keep doing the calf raises, but to pause 1 second between each rep? Should also keep my legs completely straight when i do them?

[RickTheDestroyer]

so the best way is to keep doing the calf raises, but to pause 1 second between each rep? Should also keep my legs completely straight when i do them?

Lyle says pause 2-4 seconds at the bottom to release the energy stored in the achilles tendon. I wait for 4 to be safe. I think mine have also improved a little from the olympic variations I've been doing lately.

[ilankaplan1]

ok thanks

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

Yeah...calves are a bitch. They are meant to do endless repetitions all day long (i.e walking), so they need to be hit pretty hard to see growth.

[TOBART]

Every Sunday I train only my calves and abs at the gym. I've got a good routine during the rest of the week but by the time I'm done squatting, deadlifting, etc I'm out of energy and I can't train my abs and calves with the effort they need.

I think the real trick with calves is to lower the weight slowly and really stretch to get as deep as possible, then pause. Explode back up and once again, really stretch, get as high up as you can on your toes and hold it there.

I've gained about an inch on my calves since April and about 10lbs in bodyweight. To bad my calves are still embarrasingly small, especially compared to my quads.

[SW]

I've been trying to build up my calves for a long time and they never get sore when i work them out. They dont get bigger or anything but i dont think I'm even hitting them when i do calf raises. What is a better excersize to hit the calves?

Run up and down hills with great speed and little rest. Trust me.

[clafever]

I know Arnold says to go high on the balls of your feet. In fact I think he intentionally did not wear shoes so he could do it.

I found good growth doing donkey raises. You can do these on a leg press machine with the back most of the way up and pretty much touch your toes. Let it all the way down and stretch for a few seconds then up and really contract.

On seated raised you can feel the outside of the calf working in only a small range of motion. I try and stay just in that range so there's always tension there. I stretch them a lot too, not just after working them.

[f=ma]

slow, slow reps

some people load up the plates and bounce the reps to boost their ego. do really slow reps with a pause at the top and a pause at the bottom. really concentrate on the activation of the calf instead of progressing in weight.. you can do one leg at a time too - which may help further in concentration.

[WaterWalker]

Regardless, he is correct. Your calves are awesome at storing kinetic energy.

Energy stored is called potential energy.

[gymnast]

Energy stored is called potential energy.

watch out man, he's not gonna believe you. He's gonna ask you to back up your claim with sources and once you do he'll ask several different unrelated questions and then accuse you of going off-topic.

[spencerjrus]

watch out man, he's not gonna believe you. He's gonna ask you to back up your claim with sources and once you do he'll ask several different unrelated questions and then accuse you of going off-topic.

Dude your unhealthy obsession with me is inflating my already huge ego, you better watch out, I might disagree with you. Oh noes.

[GraveReaper0]

lol @ forum drama

[Songsangnim]

Dude your unhealthy obsession with me is inflating my already huge ego, you better watch out, I might disagree with you. Oh noes.

Come on guys take it to PM please.

To the OP Standing calf raises with toes elevated seems to work well. Another method is leg presses, but instead of your entire foot, just place your toes against the pedal and do seated raises.

[Canadian Crippler]

I think everyone should be throwing seated raises in there routine as well. Leg Press, Standing, Donkey... all hit the calves in the same way. Seated is quite different. Even if you don't have a seated calf raise machine, grab a bench, sit, and put a loaded bar (smith would be easier) on your lower-upper legs.

[MJC097]

I think everyone should be throwing seated raises in there routine as well. Leg Press, Standing, Donkey... all hit the calves in the same way. Seated is quite different. Even if you don't have a seated calf raise machine, grab a bench, sit, and put a loaded bar (smith would be easier) on your lower-upper legs.

Now I have a question about that. Everyone one this board says you cant train a certain part of a muscle by doing certain exercises, but for some reason the it always seems to me that people think calfs are the exception to the rule. Now, what I was wondering is if calfs are actually an exception to this general rule or if it is in fact just a myth floating around these boards?

[BG5150]

Now I have a question about that. Everyone one this board says you cant train a certain part of a muscle by doing certain exercises, but for some reason the it always seems to me that people think calfs are the exception to the rule. Now, what I was wondering is if calfs are actually an exception to this general rule or if it is in fact just a myth floating around these boards?

*SIGH* The calf has two muscles: Soleus and gastrocnemius. Seated raises, or ones where the knee is bent, work the Soleus. Standing raises (or donkeys or sled raises) where the kness are "locked" work the Gastrocnemius.

So, no myths here...

BTW: I have seen some growth in my calves by pausing for a count of four at the bottom of my standing raises. And by alternating seated and standing workout by workout, I've seen gains, too.

[Slim Schaedle]

http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=70821

Here's a delightful, informative and intersting read...all discussed just one month ago.

Trust me, it's a fun one.