Skinny A** Calves

[swangswang]

What are the best exercises for calves? FOr the past 3 months I take one day of the week to do 4 sets 12 donkey calve raises, 4 sets of 12 sitting calve raises, and 4 sets of 12 standing calve raises and my calves have not grown at all, my calves get more sore than any other body part but they still wont grow.. The only thing noticable is that they are harder and more defined.

 

[Pitbull954]

Genetics :aargh: .................. If you prove me wrong please let me know 1 day

 

[stxnas]

LOL...My calves suck so I'm not going to give any advice...

...this topic is all over the board...you'll get a different response from each person that you ask. This is one of the world's greatest mysteries, "How do I make my calves grow?"

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/search-1030164.html

 

[jminis]

Well if what your doing isn't working change it up. Try to calf raises for 60-90 sec straight. This theory is bases around the calves consisting of slow twitch muscle fibers.

 

[Pimp C]

I use to have skinny calves. What worked best for me was started off my leg day walking up on my toes on the treadmill while changing the incline periodically for about ten minutes. the burn is excruciating. i also concentrate on get a full range of motion when doing standing and seated calf raises. another good exercise is to do toe raises which work the front of your leg along your shins.

 

[CSK]

Well if what your doing isn't working change it up. Try to calf raises for 60-90 sec straight. This theory is bases around the calves consisting of slow twitch muscle fibers.

Do you have a link or anymore information about this theory? Would this then also apply to forearms?

 

[Beelzebub]

i donated my calves to science. when they find a cure, they'll give them back.

 

[giddyup]

One thing that helped my calves to grow was increasing the frequency in which I trained them. Calves and forearems recover relatively fast so that allows for them to be trained more often. This is all in my humble opinion.

 

[Gumbo]

Try shaking up your calf workouts....Every other calf workout, I pick a weight I can use for 15 reps and blast out 75+ reps taking short 5-10 second breaks when failure occurs. This takes a couple minutes to complete, but absolutely fries my calves.

Or, do very slow and deliberate reps. Try supersets....etc, etc.

The key is to always do something different. My poor-ass calves have actually shown steady growth since I started changing things up (not tremendous growth, but they ARE growing).

Gumbo

 

[swangswang]

Yeah Man I am going to start doing much more reps and still keep up a high weight. I am also going to be working my calves more frequently and start doing cardio (I havent done cardio in a long ass time). Thanks for all the tips guys.

 

[jminis]

Do you have a link or anymore information about this theory? Would this then also apply to forearms?

I don't actually, I read an article a while ago. The guy who the article was about was training some guys and even advocated doing 10 minute sets. To me that is a world of pain I'm not willing to venture too.

 

[Beelzebub]

i've used 90-120 second sets for a period of 2-3 months. initially, size went up about 1/4" during the first month, then eventually went back to where it was previously. cocktease.

 

[Ziricote]

I think you have to think of calves like girls, treat 'em mean-keep 'em keen. In short, give them hell.

 

[max-rot98]

I am going to go with genetics. One of my best bodyparts are my calves and have tried alot of different routines and every single one worked. I have had numerous people try those routines with nothing. Calves are a curse to most people.

Any muscle can improve just change it up and like said before give them hell.

My opinion on calf training
- absolute maximum full range of motion
- start light and end heavy
- make them burn like hell, the more they burn the more they grow for me (although they never get sore)
-I also only do eight sets (4 seated reps start at 20 end at 10...4 standing reps start at 12 end at 6)
-keep switching it up

Best of luck to you. My routine probably isn't the best though as calves grow easily for me like i said. The bodyparts I am working on is chest and hamstrings and listening to someone's routine with a gigantic chest or huge hamstrings doesn't always work because for some of those people anything works and I have to figure out what specifically works for mine.

 

[swangswang]

haha f@ck my genetics in the calve department. I do love what god gave me for a chest. I work out my chest out only 1ce every 8 days and it seems to keep growing and growing. I think my chest is bigger than my girls haha :head:

 

[jonesboy]

Damn was hoping for enlightenment to shine down on me and show me the golden rule for growing calves...I guess i will continue trying heavy weight, frequency and progressive load... I am making progress just slower than any other body part...

 

[MisterEZE]

Everyone seems to have the Johnny Drama complex (myself included). I can't get my calves to grow at all. They just get harder and ball up higher. I recently started working them more times per week, but am truly not expecting huge results.

 

[bigpetefox]

If you have high calves (like moi) seated calf raises are best to thicken the soleus muscle..

I do calves twice per/wk, first day I do high reps with bodyweight, second I do DC-style 5second lift 10sec. stretch.. Since then, I've got my calves up to and still 17", with alittle help from a peptide..

 

[00integrals]

The best thing that's worked for me was on the standing and seated calf raises ... hold at peak for approx 2-3 sec and then on the way down go as slow as possible. The burn will be intense. I had to go down from doing 400 on standing calf raises all the way down to 200-220 in order to do this. The mass I added was mediocre at best but there is increased mass there.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Stretching the muscle out completely before and after each set seems to help a little bit also.

 

[Basso]

Genetics is definitely going to slow you down but if you can find what works for you they'll grow. I tried every crazy w/o possible and found that when I treat my calves like every else they grow. Heavy volume w/o's all the SuperSets and drop sets in the world never made my calves grow. Calf raises with 1000lbs on the leg press, standing raises, etc and they are within an inch of my arm size and they equal my neck.

 

[meowmeow]

...with alittle help from a peptide..

BINGO!

 

[swangswang]

I have been adding in walking on the stairmaster for about 20 minutes at the end of calf work outs and it seems to be giving my calves abit more fullness. If i am on a bulkin cycle is it alright to walk on the stair master on calf and leg days? Will this lean me out more or would it add more mass to my legs?

 

[Basso]

I have been adding in walking on the stairmaster for about 20 minutes at the end of calf work outs and it seems to be giving my calves abit more fullness. If i am on a bulkin cycle is it alright to walk on the stair master on calf and leg days? Will this lean me out more or would it add more mass to my legs?

???? you can walk after doing calves?? I guess we know why they aren't growing! lol

 

[swangswang]

???? you can walk after doing calves?? I guess we know why they aren't growing! lol

I dropped alot of intensity in my calve work outs in order to be able to add the stair master... Will this keep me from gaining muscle? I never do cardio so I dont know if adding some in will keep me from gaining the optimum amount from my cycle

 

[Basso]

I think that would depend (nice answer eh?) but really you'll need to experiment to find what works for you. Realistically you could probably put 1/8-1/4 inch on your calves in 3 months, so I would stick with one program for at least that long...no results try another..etc

 

[swangswang]

Realistically you could probably put 1/8-1/4 inch on your calves in 3 months, so I would stick with one program for at least that long...no results try another..etc

A quarter of an inch in 3 months!? haha Calves are impossible man. The stair master seems to be hitting the spot for me lately so I think I will continue what I am currently doing lol

 

[soma]

Dont overlook extreme stretching after your work sets. Part of DC training also.

 

[Basso]

A quarter of an inch in 3 months!? haha Calves are impossible man. The stair master seems to be hitting the spot for me lately so I think I will continue what I am currently doing lol

Lol, i know, obviously not continuosly but if you hit em right for the first time, they can spurt. I got 1/2 inch in less then 3 months then they stagnated for 6 months.

 

[DoubleD2586]

Like you would with the rest of your body, you need to be taking in plenty of needed calories to fuel your muscle growth. Providing you're doing this, then I would suggest you stop devoting a complete day to just work calves. Try working them in at the end of a work out about two to three times a week. Don't do a whole lot at first, maybe one or two workouts. One day go heavy with low reps, and on the next allotted day, go light and really burn them out. Continue to keep them guessing, but really listen to your body because a lot of people make the mistake of overtraining them. You walk on them all the time so they are usually under a lot of constant stress. Also, remember to stretch. By stretching, you induce minor muscle tears that actually help to increase muscle growth once they heal. Hope this helps man.

 

[Oswizle]

get yourself a pair of Strength Shoes that people use to increase their vertical jump..it didnt do much for my vert but damn running up hillz in those gave my calves some nice volume

 

[kisaj]

Bad ass.