calves!!?!?!

[nutsnack]

What is the best way to work out your calves? Should you be doing more reps with them?? I keep hearing 20+ reps for calves 2x a week or should they be done 1x a week?

 

[steig]

i have the almost no calves at all, just stick legs. However, I've gotten them to start growing by going high rep and high weight. I haven't stressed form so much. My first couple of sets will be good form but by the end I'm almost just getting partials and I've seen noticable gain over the last 3 months.

 

[Chi town]

i have the almost no calves at all, just stick legs. However, I've gotten them to start growing by going high rep and high weight. I haven't stressed form so much. My first couple of sets will be good form but by the end I'm almost just getting partials and I've seen noticable gain over the last 3 months.

Not trying to be a smartass but, are u doing high rep? Or high weight? It's one or the other.
I've seen the best calf growth on myself and others by going light weight/ high reps on calves with a really good SQUEEZE at the top of each rep.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Focus on increasing overall bodyweight and raising the poundages in the core lifts (squats, deadlifts, standing military press, bench press). You'll see growth in your calves as time goes on. They're a stubborn muscle, and are used daily when you walk.

As for 1x a week training - NO. No muscle should be trained so infrequently. Train every muscle group at a minimum of two times a week. Once a week is a bunch of bullshit. 2-3 times a week is ideal.

 

[roidpuple]

work... claves... with straight leg and with bent leg..
straight hits the gastrocnemeus and bent hits the soleus muscle...
you need to work both... high reps..

 

[psychedout]

Anyone ever see the calves of a 100meter sprint runner? Enough said. A bit of HIIT will go a long way for calves.

 

[Jim Ouini]

For specific calf work, you may want to try these.

The soleus works with the knee bent and is composed of mostly slow twitch muscles. So work these with high reps.

The gastrocnemius works with the leg straight and composed of fast twitch so work these with high intensity.

Heavy eccentrics are especially good for standing calf excercises - two feet up, one foot down. Sprinting downhill does the same thing (although I've never tried this)

Whatever exercises you choose should be done to full contraction, not the bouncy reps you see people doing all the time.

This is mostly from the Poliquin/Colgin train of thought.

 

[Chi town]

Whatever exercises you choose should be done to full contraction, not the bouncy reps you see people doing all the time.

LOL I get a kick out of that bouncy shit!! There's a guy at my gym who seems to put his whole body into standing calf raises!! He gets under the standing calf raise machine and even uses his traps for momentum. Funny shit!! LOL

 

[maldorf]

I like using a weight that I can handle for between 15 and 6 reps, average around 10 reps. I train my calves 3x per week, and do 4 intense sets each workout. My calves are just about equal in measurement to my arms. Arms are at 18 1/2 inches, calves at 18 inches.

 

[Mr_MAX]

I like using a weight that I can handle for between 15 and 6 reps, average around 10 reps. I train my calves 3x per week, and do 4 intense sets each workout. My calves are just about equal in measurement to my arms. Arms are at 18 1/2 inches, calves at 18 inches.

what did they start out at??

 

[d3track]

Anyone ever see the calves of a 100meter sprint runner? Enough said. A bit of HIIT will go a long way for calves.

true

 

[PaganPunkstress]

work them hard.

 

[Mithrandir]

Play Soccer.