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Just noticed, I my calves suck
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psychedout
New member
Calves aren't worth the effort IMO. Squats and sprints tend to build a nice set though.
silver_shadow
New member
yep i guess that is what he's saying. whatever i've seen of calfs, u either have them or you don't. i have them 
and i've never done anything for them...
and i've never done anything for them...
Calves seem to be limited by genetics to a large degree. Some folks are blessed with natural low tie ends and good size.
For everyone else ... IMO standing calve raises 5 X 10 on leg day. Feet parallel, all the way up with a brief hold and then down, heels 1-2" below the plane. Slow and steady up and down. Minimum weight equal to body weight ... and then increase it.
You can put inches on this way, but it takes time.
There are some other exercises, but this one is the king.
Protect your feet with stable shoes
For everyone else ... IMO standing calve raises 5 X 10 on leg day. Feet parallel, all the way up with a brief hold and then down, heels 1-2" below the plane. Slow and steady up and down. Minimum weight equal to body weight ... and then increase it.
You can put inches on this way, but it takes time.
There are some other exercises, but this one is the king.
Protect your feet with stable shoes
yea i just realized mine are small compared with the rest of me. I started doing large amounts of calf work once a week. I can only do it once a wek becasue they will be sore for atleast 4 days after the workout. It usually consists of about 20 or so sets with high weight. Seated and standing. Most standing though. I hear that the calf muscle needs alot of abuse to grow so i beat the shit out of mine.
NorgePrecision
New member
I wasn't blessed with good calves. My dad is 6' 240 lbs. and his calves are the same size as mine, maybe 14-15 in.
KIAN
New member
Perform donkey raises in your bare feet.
Place your toes and the balls of your feet onto the calf block with your heels hanging over. Grasp the supporting bars and straighten your knees. Raise yourself up by raising your heels to their highest position possible and roll inward onto your large toes. Hold and then slowly lower yourself back down past the starting position to the lowest position your heels will go and feel the stretch. Repeat the movement. Ensure that your knees are straight throughout the full movement.
The reason I suggest doing donkey raises in your bare feet is so that you will have no support under your feet and this will allow the calf muscles to fully stretch out. You will not be able to support as much weight as you would normally with shoes so start with a lighter weight.
As you raise up, the normal movement is to shift your weight outwards to your outer toes as your ankle slightly turns. What you want to do is alter the movement so that your weight shifts inwards and onto your large toe. This way it acts more like a peak, bicep contraction as if you were turning your wrists so that your little fingers move around to the centreline of your body. It will allow for a much greater contraction of the calf muscles.
If you don't end up with massive diamonds, don't sweat it. Not everyone will.
_________________
KP--Fitness Basics
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Place your toes and the balls of your feet onto the calf block with your heels hanging over. Grasp the supporting bars and straighten your knees. Raise yourself up by raising your heels to their highest position possible and roll inward onto your large toes. Hold and then slowly lower yourself back down past the starting position to the lowest position your heels will go and feel the stretch. Repeat the movement. Ensure that your knees are straight throughout the full movement.
The reason I suggest doing donkey raises in your bare feet is so that you will have no support under your feet and this will allow the calf muscles to fully stretch out. You will not be able to support as much weight as you would normally with shoes so start with a lighter weight.
As you raise up, the normal movement is to shift your weight outwards to your outer toes as your ankle slightly turns. What you want to do is alter the movement so that your weight shifts inwards and onto your large toe. This way it acts more like a peak, bicep contraction as if you were turning your wrists so that your little fingers move around to the centreline of your body. It will allow for a much greater contraction of the calf muscles.
If you don't end up with massive diamonds, don't sweat it. Not everyone will.
_________________
KP--Fitness Basics
.
just saw this...
I currently have 16.5" calves cold. I know that isn't big, but due to genetics I guess, they are a bit longer? and the muscles below them are big so it makes my calves look not as big as other peoples.
They are strong as fuck and I do high and low reps, BUT, for the life of me can't get them to grow anymore. Which makes me one of the unlucky ones. oh well, i'll out calf raise most others anyday
Whiskey
I currently have 16.5" calves cold. I know that isn't big, but due to genetics I guess, they are a bit longer? and the muscles below them are big so it makes my calves look not as big as other peoples.
They are strong as fuck and I do high and low reps, BUT, for the life of me can't get them to grow anymore. Which makes me one of the unlucky ones. oh well, i'll out calf raise most others anyday
Whiskey
SgtSlaughter
New member
As Arnold said (well something similar to... from my memory):
These calves took 45 mins a day... for 3 years to build.
That was after he stopped posing in water to hide his calves...
For those that don't have them genetically, you must be diligent in your calve training to stimulate growth because they are used basically all day carrying your whole body around.
These calves took 45 mins a day... for 3 years to build.
That was after he stopped posing in water to hide his calves...
For those that don't have them genetically, you must be diligent in your calve training to stimulate growth because they are used basically all day carrying your whole body around.
I train mine hard and heavy 3 times a week, they are now a bit over 18" even with my upper arms. I was getting decent results at 2x per week, but when I cranked it up to 3x I gained about another inch pretty fast. For me its fairly low reps in the range of 6-8 for 4 sets each on: seated calf, standing calf, and calf raises on the leg press. I only train one lift per day, so its just 4 sets on each day 3 times a week for a total of 12 sets per week.
mr.huge
New member
maldorf said:
I know several bodybuilders who are either at the national level or have there pro cards who have used SEO such as Synthetek Industries Syntherol or even Pump N Pose Synthol with great success for lagging parts such as calves. Syntheteks is said to be less painful when injecting.
Many of you may start rambling your mouths about the product but before you do please be sure you are educated on the subject or simply keep your comments to yourself. I prefer not hearing the never ending Valentino garbage thats on every single site when the subject comes up.
Mr.Huge
sidney61199
New member
No offense to anyone but that whole genetics thing is just an excuse. Hell I'd love to pull that out of my ass for just about all my short comings but every thing that was lagging on me I have worked and built up. I had small calves but built them up now got to work on my abs. If genetics means I need to get my fat ass in the gym and lose some weight to see my abs then yes I'm genetically challenged.
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