Calves and Traps

[jcowden]

Waddup bros
Yo, what is the BEST exercises to attack the traps and the Calves. I do the common shrugs for my traps, but i dont get the burn that i feel i need. Also, i do the normal calf workout with the tip-toe lift(dont know the exact term for it) but see no results. Any input is greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[SgtSlaughter]

Waddup bros
Yo, what is the BEST exercises to attack the traps and the Calves. I do the common shrugs for my traps, but i dont get the burn that i feel i need. Also, i do the normal calf workout with the tip-toe lift(dont know the exact term for it) but see no results. Any input is greatly appreciated. thanks

Traps: Try increasing weight (and if your forearms give out and it's impossible to hold the weight... use some straps and go heavy) and/or increasing reps. Dumbell sets and Barbell sets ... load some plates on the smith machine and try some shrugs in there. Don't forget to work on cramming your traps into your ears... and hold it at the peak, force the blood in there (like any exercise).

Calves: Standing calve raises need to be proformed using very heavy weight. Just think of it... ### = your weight, which they hold up allllll day long. double your body weight at least and try to bang out some partial reps... you'll feel and see the difference. Try changing your toe direction as well... out, in, straight forward... hit the muscle in different ways.

P.S. You may recieve more comments here: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9
it's the weightlifting section... try posting some questions there instead of the AAS section for more discussion.

 

[thelion2005]

Calves:
So many theories .... 1,000 lb raises; burns; this angle-that angle.
Guys born with huge calves ... others with little ....

I did heavy standing calf raises for years and added about 5 inches as my body weight went up for 145 to 235. I never found anything that made them GROW! I just kept pounding away ... up, squeeze, down, repeat. 8/12/15/20/25 reps didn't seem to matter. As long as I did at least 3 sets that BURNED and I got 1/2" to 3/4" pump.

Watch the total volumn and weight though. I have terrible pain in my feet from heavy weight and am rebuilding my feet with prolotherapy.

Traps:
I've done shrugs and got nothing. I did find that holding the shrug at the top made them burn.

Now I do upright rows with a wide grip outside thighs, slightly bent forward, and a hold at the top making sure the traps are up.

As little as 60 pounds will begin to make them cry if a I go slooooooow and do that hold.

 

[LT3]

Waddup bros
Yo, what is the BEST exercises to attack the traps and the Calves. I do the common shrugs for my traps, but i dont get the burn that i feel i need. Also, i do the normal calf workout with the tip-toe lift(dont know the exact term for it) but see no results. Any input is greatly appreciated. thanks

If you really want growth try this. it ALWAYS works for me.
TRAPS:
if you do them on back day, do 6 sets of shrugs then do your back routine.
if you do them on delt day, do your anterior and your lateral head then you can either:
superset shrugs with rear delts OR do shrugs then do rear delts.

CALVES:
with this muscle i say you either have it or you dont, if you dont, deep squats help, at least for me and high reps help, i noticed soccer players always have massive calves.

 

[64Pilot]

Farmers walks will burn them both.....................

This is my calf ex. I take the dip belt, strap on as many plates as I can, and do standing calf raises on the 2 small steps that are atached to the front of the dip rack. As soon as I hit the wall, I drop the weight, and do a burnout with bodyweight utilizing only one foot at a time.

My standing calf raise variation just drills my calves twice fold comapred to the machine. I assume it is due to the effort made to balance the weight as well, and the center of gravity drop straight down. Sometimes I notice on the machine, i will be at 2 much of an angle

 

[Ozz2001]

Need to post in weight training area this has nothing to do with gear whats so ever.....Nothing wrong with being new but you should learn to read rules..

 

[ALIN]

Waddup bros
Yo, what is the BEST exercises to attack the traps and the Calves. I do the common shrugs for my traps, but i dont get the burn that i feel i need. Also, i do the normal calf workout with the tip-toe lift(dont know the exact term for it) but see no results. Any input is greatly appreciated. thanks

try seated calf raises for the calves with heavy weight, high reps.

 

[wayneboard1]

Need to post in weight training area this has nothing to do with gear whats so ever.....Nothing wrong with being new but you should learn to read rules..

Yes...this is a true statement. *sigh* jc.....come on bro!!!

 

[SgtSlaughter]

Yes...this is a true statement. *sigh* jc.....come on bro!!!

I even hooked him up with a link for the first reply to the weightlifting threads over there... I hope they're kind

 

[boops]

hey bro
you want traps, if your not dead lifting in some way shape or form forget it.....you can do all the shrugs you want, do them till your arms fall off, in no way does that compensate for a properly done HEAVY deadlift......

as for calves its a shitty thing but either you have jenetics for them or you dont....ive had semi decent calves my whole life while the rest of my body was skinny as hell...in 8 years i have brought the rest of my body up to the level of my calves...only exercise i do for calves is leg press calve raise letting the weight come ALL THE WAY down stretching my calves out till its almost painfull....

hope i helped a lil bro.....peace

 

[MeatheadJD]

I dont agree that you are either born with good calves or you are not
yOU just need to ekeep working at them will you have ronnie coleman calves prolly not but doesnt mean you cant improve what you got just keep trying different routines for 6 -10 weeks to test if they are working for you
and remember good diet, sleep and lots of gear (jk on last part)

 

[under]

Lie face down on an inclined bench, then hang your arms straight down with a pair of bumbells in them then start squeezing your traps upwards without bending your arms, do this after shrugs and you will feel the burn, it doesnt take too much weight, but you can get a brilliant burn in them.

 

[LT3]

hey bro
you want traps, if your not dead lifting in some way shape or form forget it.....you can do all the shrugs you want, do them till your arms fall off, in no way does that compensate for a properly done HEAVY deadlift......

Thats not true. how can deadlifts develop a muscle thats used as a secondary muscle in the exercise better than shrugs where the primary muscle is the traps. if this were true then old bbrs would have massive traps, but they dont, you never see them do shrugs, but they did deadlift a lot. deadlifts will develop traps to an extent but not like shrugs will. thats like saying you can do all the tricep pressdowns you want, your arms wont grow unless youre benching.

I dont agree that you are either born with good calves or you are not
yOU just need to ekeep working at them will you have ronnie coleman calves prolly not

bro you just contradicted yourself in the same sentence. thats EXACTLY the point, ronnie who is mrolympia and who is more developed then other bbrs has mediocre calves=hes not born with good calves. look at ronnie who works out like a beast, then look at matarazzo who does not work out like ronnie but has calves WAY better than ronnie. look at jay, better calves. look at priest, better calves. why coz they're born with them. calves, like other muscles are determined with your genes. if youre born with shitty calves then you can work them to decent size but they wont be great. again main example is ronnie. you never look at him and say "wow look at those calves".

 

[anal itch]

Need to post in weight training area this has nothing to do with gear whats so ever.....Nothing wrong with being new but you should learn to read rules..

All you had to do was add "while on a cycle of XYZ" and it would have been fine in this forum.

Give the guy a break...

 

[boops]

(MY RESPONSE IS BOLD AND IN CAPS BUT IM NOT YELLING JUST SO YOU CAN READ WHAT I WROTE)

Thats not true. how can deadlifts develop a muscle thats used as a secondary muscleSO YOU SAY ITS SECONDARY HUH PLEASE TELL ME WHAT BODY PART IS SPECIFICALLY ACTIVATED DOING A DEADLIFT, I CANT THINK OF ONE SPECIFICALLY I WOULD TEND TO SAY IT WORKS A BOATLOAD OF MUSCLES AND WOULD CONSIDER THEM ALL SECONDARY...I AM SPEAKING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND WHAT WORKS FOR ME....BRO ASKED FOR ADVICE AND I GAVE HIM MINE[/B] in the exercise better than shrugs where the primary muscle is the traps. if this were true then old bbrs would have massive traps SO OLD BBERS DIDNT HAVE MASSIVE TRAPS I DONT SEE HOW THAT STATEMENT IS TURE YOUR SAYING FRANCO DIDNT HAVE TRAPS DORIAN ARNOLD......AND YOUR NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE AMOUNT OF DRUGS USED NOW TO WAY BACK THEN PRO BBERS TODAY ARE JUST MASSIVE PERIOD AND ITS ATTRIBUTED TO WHAT THEY TAKE, HOW MUCH, AND THE GENETICS THEY POSSESS, but they dont, you never see them do shrugs,IVE NEVER SEEN A PRO WORKOUT LET ALONE AN OLD ONE IM ONLY 28 but they did deadlift a lot. deadlifts will develop traps to an extent WELL FOR ME THAT EXTENT HAS BEEN FAR AND AWAY MORE IMPRESSIVE THEN WHEN I DID SHRUG, I DONT SHRUG ANYMORE BECAUSE FOR ME ITS ALL ABOUT THE DEADLIFT but not like shrugs will AND IF SHRUGS ARE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU ALL THE POWER TO YA . thats like saying you can do all the tricep pressdowns you want, your arms wont grow unless youre benching LAST THING ID LIKE TO SAY IS HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU SEE IN THE GYM THAT DO TRAPS AND GRAB THE HEAVIEST DB'S IN THE GYM FOR A SET OR 12 OF SHRUGS (YOU KNOW THE ONES WITH THE WIFE BEATERS ON) AND NEGLECT TO HIT THE DEADS, I WONDER WHY THEIR TRAPS DONT COMPARE TO MINE

ALSO IF YOU GO BACK AND READ THE ORIGINAL POST HE SAID HE DID SHRUG AND DIDNT FEEL IT LIKE HE THINKS HE SHOULD, I WONDER WHY

bro you just contradicted yourself in the same sentence. thats EXACTLY the point, ronnie who is mrolympia and who is more developed then other bbrs has mediocre calves=hes not born with good calves. look at ronnie who works out like a beast, then look at matarazzo who does not work out like ronnie but has calves WAY better than ronnie. look at jay, better calves. look at priest, better calves. why coz they're born with them. calves, like other muscles are determined with your genes. if youre born with shitty calves then you can work them to decent size but they wont be great. again main example is ronnie. you never look at him and say "wow look at those calves".

 

[AcadianDriftwood]

increases in strength precede increases in size which are preceded by... you get the idea.

Lift FUCkING HEAVY and dial your diet to the absolute maximum possible accuracy. If after years of that, you have reached your Genetic potential, i believe there are some drugs that might help....

 

[LT3]

SO YOU SAY ITS SECONDARY HUH PLEASE TELL ME WHAT BODY PART IS SPECIFICALLY ACTIVATED DOING A DEADLIFT,(uummmm...lowerback?) I CANT THINK OF ONE SPECIFICALLY I WOULD TEND TO SAY IT WORKS A BOATLOAD OF MUSCLES AND WOULD CONSIDER THEM ALL SECONDARY(Yes and the primary is the lower back)...I AM SPEAKING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND WHAT WORKS FOR ME...(Ye well i can tell you that not too many people do deadlifts saying "ok time to work out my traps...again thats like benching and saying "time to work out my tris".

SO OLD BBERS DIDNT HAVE MASSIVE TRAPS I DONT SEE HOW THAT STATEMENT IS TURE YOUR SAYING FRANCO DIDNT HAVE TRAPS DORIAN ARNOLD(Yes im saying franco didnt have massive traps, yes im saying arnold didnt have massive traps, lol Dorian? thats not an old bber...far from it bro)......AND YOUR NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE AMOUNT OF DRUGS USED NOW TO WAY BACK THEN (so drugs target traps specidically? coz thats what we're discussing here, trap development, not over all size of the body)PRO BBERS TODAY ARE JUST MASSIVE PERIOD AND ITS ATTRIBUTED TO WHAT THEY TAKE, HOW MUCH, AND THE GENETICS THEY POSSESS(again this has nothing to do with trap development)

IVE NEVER SEEN A PRO WORKOUT LET ALONE AN OLD ONE IM ONLY 28 (Pumping iron, road to redemption, blood and guts=pros working out...should i go on?)

WELL FOR ME THAT EXTENT HAS BEEN FAR AND AWAY MORE IMPRESSIVE THEN WHEN I DID SHRUG,(EXACTLY..."for you" in this case youre an exeption) I DONT SHRUG ANYMORE BECAUSE FOR ME ITS ALL ABOUT THE DEADLIFT----not really sure what that meant

AND IF SHRUGS ARE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU ALL THE POWER TO YA (not really, its not like shrugs work for a small amount of ppl, they work for most people plain and simple, if they dont for a very few some, then they;re not doing them right)

LAST THING ID LIKE TO SAY IS HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU SEE IN THE GYM THAT DO TRAPS AND GRAB THE HEAVIEST DB'S IN THE GYM FOR A SET OR 12 OF SHRUGS (YOU KNOW THE ONES WITH THE WIFE BEATERS ON) AND NEGLECT TO HIT THE DEADS, I WONDER WHY THEIR TRAPS DONT COMPARE TO MINE (never seen your massive traps, but i know of a LOT of people that do shrugs and have some pretty decent traps)

ALSO IF YOU GO BACK AND READ THE ORIGINAL POST HE SAID HE DID SHRUG AND DIDNT FEEL IT LIKE HE THINKS HE SHOULD, I WONDER WHY (i dont know..






o i know coz hes not doing them right.

 

[AcadianDriftwood]

SO YOU SAY ITS SECONDARY HUH PLEASE TELL ME WHAT BODY PART IS SPECIFICALLY ACTIVATED DOING A DEADLIFT,(uummmm...lowerback?) I CANT THINK OF ONE SPECIFICALLY I WOULD TEND TO SAY IT WORKS A BOATLOAD OF MUSCLES AND WOULD CONSIDER THEM ALL SECONDARY(Yes and the primary is the lower back)...I AM SPEAKING FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND WHAT WORKS FOR ME...(Ye well i can tell you that not too many people do deadlifts saying "ok time to work out my traps...again thats like benching and saying "time to work out my tris".

SO OLD BBERS DIDNT HAVE MASSIVE TRAPS I DONT SEE HOW THAT STATEMENT IS TURE YOUR SAYING FRANCO DIDNT HAVE TRAPS DORIAN ARNOLD(Yes im saying franco didnt have massive traps, yes im saying arnold didnt have massive traps, lol Dorian? thats not an old bber...far from it bro)......AND YOUR NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE AMOUNT OF DRUGS USED NOW TO WAY BACK THEN (so drugs target traps specidically? coz thats what we're discussing here, trap development, not over all size of the body)PRO BBERS TODAY ARE JUST MASSIVE PERIOD AND ITS ATTRIBUTED TO WHAT THEY TAKE, HOW MUCH, AND THE GENETICS THEY POSSESS(again this has nothing to do with trap development)

IVE NEVER SEEN A PRO WORKOUT LET ALONE AN OLD ONE IM ONLY 28 (Pumping iron, road to redemption, blood and guts=pros working out...should i go on?)

WELL FOR ME THAT EXTENT HAS BEEN FAR AND AWAY MORE IMPRESSIVE THEN WHEN I DID SHRUG,(EXACTLY..."for you" in this case youre an exeption) I DONT SHRUG ANYMORE BECAUSE FOR ME ITS ALL ABOUT THE DEADLIFT----not really sure what that meant

AND IF SHRUGS ARE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU ALL THE POWER TO YA (not really, its not like shrugs work for a small amount of ppl, they work for most people plain and simple, if they dont for a very few some, then they;re not doing them right)

LAST THING ID LIKE TO SAY IS HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU SEE IN THE GYM THAT DO TRAPS AND GRAB THE HEAVIEST DB'S IN THE GYM FOR A SET OR 12 OF SHRUGS (YOU KNOW THE ONES WITH THE WIFE BEATERS ON) AND NEGLECT TO HIT THE DEADS, I WONDER WHY THEIR TRAPS DONT COMPARE TO MINE (never seen your massive traps, but i know of a LOT of people that do shrugs and have some pretty decent traps)

ALSO IF YOU GO BACK AND READ THE ORIGINAL POST HE SAID HE DID SHRUG AND DIDNT FEEL IT LIKE HE THINKS HE SHOULD, I WONDER WHY (i dont know..






o i know coz hes not doing them right.

dude, stop yelling. I have tragicly swolen traps, adored by my mate, attributed to heavy deads and doing mmmmmmonster heavy shrugs to savaged failure.

 

[LT3]

im not yelling, im responding to the other guy who wrote in caps.

 

[wayneboard1]

dude, stop yelling. I have tragicly swolen traps, adored by my mate, attributed to heavy deads and doing mmmmmmonster heavy shrugs to savaged failure.

Don't use the word "mate". It sounds SO

 

[jcowden]

sorry about posting in aas section. I notice there is a much faster reply time in this section, as well as more help, than in any other. Will not happen again..