Nelson's Calf Routine

[GUARDIAN]

Gotta give up some props it was a great workout.

My calves were not brutally fried like alot of others described but sore like they usually are. I bet this mostly has to do with that I toture my calves normally. I found the actual training painful near the end on the last couple of sets trying to get to 75 reps. Since I hit calves twice a week the true test will be today when I do my other workout using Nelson's method. The main difference between what I did and what he wrote is as follows:

Nelson - Choose a weight that you normally fail at around 20 reps. Rest for 10-20 seconds (just long enuf for the lactic acid to go away) and go again. Repeat until 75 reps are done.

Mine - I usually do something similar except I would not rest and I would drop weight off and repeat 2-3 times for donkey calf raises and then the same for calf sled raises (imagine a hack squat type machine designed for calves). I would also hit calves again 2 days later except this time I would do my routine with seated calf raises only. This last month or so just for kicks I had been doing my first set to failure with a weight I would fail at 50 reps drop the weight in half and rep out again then go to the next exercise. The 50 rep part is killer and feels an awful lot like how Nelson's routine made me feel near the last 2 sets.

 

[digitizedsoul]

Just picked it up and started it last week myself 8. I've been walking crooked for 3 days!

It is definitely something I plan to stick with, as my calves are lagging significantly behind the rest of my development.

Good stuff man! If you make any critiques that make it any better let me know!

 

[GUARDIAN]

Just picked it up and started it last week myself 8. I've been walking crooked for 3 days!

It is definitely something I plan to stick with, as my calves are lagging significantly behind the rest of my development.

Good stuff man! If you make any critiques that make it any better let me know!

i dont think i would "critique" it per se. my calves have always responded well. so much so there was a time i didnt train them for a year but i soon realized how much bigger my quads were and had to catch them up quick. in the body building world it is whatever works for ya. so almost every routine/exercise you encounter you want to adjust it to make it your own. tailor it to how your body responds.

i personally grow well off of high intensity, low volume, increased frequency. while others blow up on doing 30 sets for every body part.

 

[Ross]

This is indeed a GREAT calf routine, in conjunction with your regular heavy calf training.

To put an interesting TWIST on things, try this exact routine for BICEPS!!

 

[gunnz]

It works well for TRIs also!!!!!

 

[GUARDIAN]

It works well for TRIs also!!!!!

today is back & tri's for me. maybe i will give it a whirl in addition to the calves.

 

[gunnz]

Let me know what u think. I tried it last week mine were sore as hell for 2 days.

 

[access]

Gotta
Mine - I usually do something similar except I would not rest and I would drop weight off and repeat 2-3 times for donkey calf raises and then the same for calf sled raises (imagine a hack squat type machine designed for calves). I would also hit calves again 2 days later except this time I would do my routine with seated calf raises only. This last month or so just for kicks I had been doing my first set to failure with a weight I would fail at 50 reps drop the weight in half and rep out again then go to the next exercise. The 50 rep part is killer and feels an awful lot like how Nelson's routine made me feel near the last 2 sets.

Always enjoy training this way with legs in particular. Really hits 'em but can't do it all the time. Might also have to try Nelson's way as good to change things up.

 

[Nelson Montana]

You can train any body part in this concentrated manner but it is most effective with muscle groups that contain mostly slow twitch fibers. They can not be affected by heavy training. If you have naturally thin calves and train them heavy, the ligaments will simply take on the extra stress so it sort of defeats the purpose.

The fact that the routine only takes a few minutes a week has obvious advantages.

 

[79steeler]

I also hit that calf routine, and I was stoked when I was doing it, great pump. I was hoping I would be sore today as I did this yesterday, so far don't feel any more sore than usual, I think I'll do one week like this and one the old fashion way to mix it up a bit, or I might start hitting the calves twice a week, while I'm ON.

 

[Big_BK]

You can train any body part in this concentrated manner but it is most effective with muscle groups that contain mostly slow twitch fibers. They can not be affected by heavy training. If you have naturally thin calves and train them heavy, the ligaments will simply take on the extra stress so it sort of defeats the purpose.

The fact that the routine only takes a few minutes a week has obvious advantages.

so is the theory behind using lighter weight you can rep that the ligaments wont take over since its light enough for the calf to do most if not all of the work but the high reps just beat the hell out of them?

 

[needtogetaas]

I think I am going to try this myself. Where is it?

 

[goku_kakarot77]

i put it in my routine before and i couldn't walk lol

 

[Nelson Montana]

so is the theory behind using lighter weight you can rep that the ligaments wont take over since its light enough for the calf to do most if not all of the work but the high reps just beat the hell out of them?

In a sense yeah, but it's also the time under tension thing that makes it work. Since calves are used to a lot of "volume" they need the work to be very concentrated to have a reason to respond.

 

[biggernu]

You can train any body part in this concentrated manner but it is most effective with muscle groups that contain mostly slow twitch fibers. They can not be affected by heavy training. If you have naturally thin calves and train them heavy, the ligaments will simply take on the extra stress so it sort of defeats the purpose.

The fact that the routine only takes a few minutes a week has obvious advantages.

Refresh my memoryi havent had anatomy for 6 years, whats the difference between red and white fast twitch muscle fibers?

 

[ireekofawesomeness]

Where is this routine?

 

[biggernu]

Where is this routine?

taken from his first post

Nelson - Choose a weight that you normally fail at around 20 reps. Rest for 10-20 seconds (just long enuf for the lactic acid to go away) and go again. Repeat until 75 reps are done.

 

[GUARDIAN]

Well I could definitely tell during my second time training calves this week that I had hit them 2 days prior. Normally I find them only "tight & vaguely sore" from the previous workout but they were definitely sore.

Today (only 15 hours later) they are still sore but not that excrutiating pain sore that I can't walk. I kinda screwed up yesterday's routine a little. I choose the wrong weight for the 20 rep failure range. Since I had been previously aiming for 50 reps I had to take a guess at what I would fail at 20 with. Well I ended up failing at 31 reps. So the workout was a little easier than I had inteneded for it to be.

It is well worth giving a try!

 

[ireekofawesomeness]

Great workout. after i was done i was walking around gym. When i tried to stand on my toes my legs were shaking like a new born deer. Thanks

 

[GUARDIAN]

Great workout. after i was done i was walking around gym. When i tried to stand on my toes my legs were shaking like a new born deer. Thanks

thx nelson

 

[ireekofawesomeness]

Nelson ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JimBoy]

How would you do this for bi's? Just curls until 75 reps?

 

[GUARDIAN]

How would you do this for bi's? Just curls until 75 reps?

in theory yes. but i wouldnt do that very often. only when u need to shock them.