Calves... Lets get these things huge!

bkoguy07

bkoguy07

Member
Alright guys my upper body quads and hams are coming along nicely BUT (big BUT) my calfs are LACKING. Now I know alot of guys my age just care about upper body but im not one of them! I want some huge CALVES!... What do you find is the best way to train them... set numbers rep numbers frequency? any ideas?!
 
I like to train my calves heavy with the standing calf raise machine - I'll pound out 10-12 reps until failure, and then drop the resistance 40 pounds or so and go at it again until failure.
 
I think calves training involves a lot of trail and error. My calves are a weak point too. I do think that heavy weight is really important for calve training. I mean, even just one of your calves can comfortably support your own weight, so in the gym I think you really need to pound them.

I also think a combination of full range of motion and partial reps are important. With partial reps, you can do a weight heavy enough that you couldn't really do full range. I also like stripping with calves; doing as much as you can with a certain weight, then dropping the weight, doing a few more reps, and so on until your calves are burning like crazy!

Brutal, heavy training + adequate rest periods between training sessions + time + bulk diet = big calves? You have to factor in genetics too. But I think almost everyone can develop their calves to be a somehwat bigger than they already are.
 
I experienced my best calf growth using DC style...10+ second full stretch at the bottom, explosive contraction, and 10 second negative...each rep...sets of 20 if I remember correctly...
 
I agree, stretching and focusing on the negatives goes a long way with any muscle - I try to incorporate fascia stretching as much as possible.
 
SoCo4Fun said:
I experienced my best calf growth using DC style...10+ second full stretch at the bottom, explosive contraction, and 10 second negative...each rep...sets of 20 if I remember correctly...
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That sounds brutal... good ideas people.
 
i've read this great advice on calves --> high reps with limited rest in bet sets.

why? muscle fibers of the calves are different from other parts of the body and need different stimulation. for most, going heavy with low reps don't do much for calves.

so i used to do 6 sets, 12 reps per set. two sets with toes straight, two sets with toes out, two sets w/ toes in.

after a few months, progress stopped. i increased weight, reduced reps, didn't help.

so i took the "high reps, little rest in between sets" advice.

i reduced the weight, tried for 20 reps per set, going up to 6 sets, with 30 sec between sets.

result: my calves have never been this sore and growth has been noticeable. my calves get so sore that i limp for days after this work out.

keep in mind, i'm genetically blessed with calves. however, this "high rep, little rest bet sets" has worked great.
 
I second the high rep lower weight scheme for building my calves. Me and a lifting buddy would go in and do something like 20 half reps from fully extended (down) to neutral position then rest 30 seconds, 20 reps from neutral position to fully contracted (all the way up) then rest 30 seconds, then 20 full range reps. did 3 sets of this and was limping for a couple days afterwards everytime. We called it 'crazy calves'. saw some pretty good growth, but hated not being able to walk normal.
 
Ok- here is my recipe for large calves- I have a buddy who has had trouble getting size on his for a long time.

1-weight that you have to mentally push yourself for 5-7 extra reps to make 20 because it burns too bad

2-Stretch for a solid 20 seconds immediately after the set

3- do this for 3 or 6 sets with 20 seconds rest after each stretch, making sure the change toe angles from pointed out, center and pointed in.

4- same procedure for standing or sitting, but alternate each week which one you do as they work different muscles in the calves.
 
So I guess there are numerous ways to train the calves. Seems like the general consensus is heavy and intense. Makes sense, since the calves are capable of quite a bit without actually over exertion. Usually just one of your calves can easily support your own bodyweight, so it would make sense that if you were wanting to overload them you'd have to subject them to very heavy workloads. I also agree with short rest times. If I'm ever working out with someone else, we usually do our sets right after one another.
 
my calves got larger the more I ran, and doing tons of leg presses on a machine with upwards of 8 plates or so on each side they are also nicely cut.
 
keep in mind that every step you take walking is equivilent to 1 1/2 your body weight, so heavy calf work seems prudent.
 
my calves have always been a lagging bodypart. once I got to 230 plus and walking on incline and on toes I noticed some at least decent calves and not twigs. I have also have semi long calves which helps look fuller.Seated Calve raises low reps
 
i have always felt calves were like forearms. you either have them or you don. sure, work can be done but i think those real meaty ones are god given!
 
lets see calf pics to see what you got.

I think there are some people with the twig calve gene and some that just dont work them right but have good potential. If you got the true twig calves gene (generally africanamericans over other races) then you are kinda sh1t outta luck imo.

If i havent done calves for a week (1 a week) then i will give them alot of reps and heavy weight. You can try this on seated calve machine (plate loaded) do some warmups and a lil stretching first. Put a weight on that you get just 20 good all the way down and good contraction on top then lower slowly reps. Now after you complete your 20 reps then stay there under the pads and with little rest go again and try to get 16-20 reps then short rest and repeat. The idea is you will only take short enough rests to get in really good reps, the reps should be declining. I go to about 80 reps total (never start counting over) and when im at 80 i usually only get about 4-6 reps. I go to 100 reps and sometimes ill add some weight on the way. Around 100 you want to be at like 1 or 2 reps even if that means putting more weight.

Now if i train more often during the week, like less volume but say 3x a week then i will just go really really heavy but make sure its not so heavy that you cant lower slowly and contract strong at the peak and hold. I will do that until i cant then i will just pound it out with the faster bouncy type reps that just burn you to further failure. Stretch afterwards really good and flex your calves often.
 
heres mine from feb 1st at 225 lbs..[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PXqqGMKxEw"]YouTube - Feb 1st 2009 posing[/ame]

mine are 17 by no means small compared to my 29 inch legs there not proportional I don't think. They not bad they could work work though
 
smeton_yea said:
heres mine from feb 1st at 225 lbs..Invalid Link Removed

mine are 17 by no means small compared to my 29 inch legs there not proportional I don't think. They not bad they could work work though
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yours are alot like mine, not entirely proportional but look fine.
 
whats the go between seated and standing? whats better? I like to do both cause I recon they each target different sections of the calf... but... I do seated first and try ****ing myself up on that cause I was told by 1 person its better and hits a more crucial area of the muscle ??

any input on this?

thanks
 
soseg said:
whats the go between seated and standing? whats better? I like to do both cause I recon they each target different sections of the calf... but... I do seated first and try ****ing myself up on that cause I was told by 1 person its better and hits a more crucial area of the muscle ??

any input on this?

thanks
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if your gonna do em, i think standing, cause then you add your body weight into the equation as well, imo.
 
soseg said:
whats the go between seated and standing? whats better? I like to do both cause I recon they each target different sections of the calf... but... I do seated first and try ****ing myself up on that cause I was told by 1 person its better and hits a more crucial area of the muscle ??

any input on this?

thanks
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Do both, they work different parts of your calves. Standing work primarily the gastrocnemius, whereas seated works primarily the soleus. Also, try unilateral calve raises, i.e. standing one-legged calve raise.
 
SoCo4Fun said:
I experienced my best calf growth using DC style...10+ second full stretch at the bottom, explosive contraction, and 10 second negative...each rep...sets of 20 if I remember correctly...
Click to expand...

yup,....DC really shocked my calves in terms on growth. Also I think the forced stretches play a BIG part too.

Also try anterior calf raises. Sit down on a bench,... put a 25lb plate on the ground, and another on one of your feet and use the opposite hand to "hold" the weight up as you do raises. The front of my calves are coming in with a nice "rounded" look b/c of these.

heres a guy doing them standing,.. I prefer sitting though:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxvJ6Uk0eOM"]YouTube - HITCH FIT.. Reverse Calves.. Micah LaCerte[/ame]
 
brk_nemesis said:
yup,....DC really shocked my calves in terms on growth. Also I think the forced stretches play a BIG part too.

Also try anterior calf raises. Sit down on a bench,... put a 25lb plate on the ground, and another on one of your feet and use the opposite hand to "hold" the weight up as you do raises. The front of my calves are coming in with a nice "rounded" look b/c of these.

heres a guy doing them standing,.. I prefer sitting though:
Invalid Link Removed
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I did these with a 90lb dumbbell seated, I cramped up like a girl within 12 reps.
 
p00ndawg said:
I did these with a 90lb dumbbell seated, I cramped up like a girl within 12 reps.
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yup i started off heavy, 45lb plates then upward for DB's, till i found that lower weight and a 5-10 sec hold at top and bottom for 15-20 reps gave me alot better results.
 
bkoguy07 said:
Alright guys my upper body quads and hams are coming along nicely BUT (big BUT) my calfs are LACKING. Now I know alot of guys my age just care about upper body but im not one of them! I want some huge CALVES!... What do you find is the best way to train them... set numbers rep numbers frequency? any ideas?!
Click to expand...

Something that is making a big difference for me is doing one high rep, heavy weight set. Instead of doing a traditional 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps. Start with the highest weight you would typically work up to and do it for as many reps as you can. Rest for a second and attempt as many more reps as you can get. This has helped me alot.

BEAST
 
The key to calves is to work the soleus and the gast. Standing raises hit more of the soleus and the seated hit the gast. The best way to do both is a circuit of 25 reps and go from seated to standing to stretching and repeat for 4 sets. It is also very benificial to do reverse calve raises ie. dorsi flexion and planter flexion
 
Stretching is key, also i training them twice a week... and i also do supersets with variations. like lift with my toes pointed out, rest 10-15 secs then my toes pointed straight, rest, then my toes pointed in (set1), and i will do 4 secs that tears them up... do this with sitted and standing toe raises
 
I found a nice article on T-nation on lagging bodyparts, the calf routine is pretty nasty, twice a week training and I think it could turn those calves into cows!

Invalid Link Removed
 
Wilderbeast said:
Something that is making a big difference for me is doing one high rep, heavy weight set. Instead of doing a traditional 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps. Start with the highest weight you would typically work up to and do it for as many reps as you can. Rest for a second and attempt as many more reps as you can get. This has helped me alot.

BEAST
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This is my training method, i use a weight that i can only do 6 reps of, then i pause do another 2, pause do another 2, and keep going until i get to 75, after a few weeks i will increase the weight and do the same, great for donkey calf raises, ive had more improvement of this than any other method, in just a few months, being a sprinter i had small long calves, but they are starting to get a solid diamond shape now, they have gone from 15.4, to 16.9 in 3 months, remember my legs are 35inch inside leg so they are long, they look skinny now but they are thickening up.
 
russianstar said:
This is my training method, i use a weight that i can only do 6 reps of, then i pause do another 2, pause do another 2, and keep going until i get to 75, after a few weeks i will increase the weight and do the same, great for donkey calf raises, ive had more improvement of this than any other method, in just a few months, being a sprinter i had small long calves, but they are starting to get a solid diamond shape now, they have gone from 15.4, to 16.9 in 3 months, remember my legs are 35inch inside leg so they are long, they look skinny now but they are thickening up.
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That sounds killer. How long does your 75 rep set take with the pauses? Like a 5-7 minute set, lol. I'm going to try this next week.
 
I got a free 3 day training session at the 24hr gym I workout at, and the trainer had me do some body weight donkey calves, and wow what a workout. He had me stand in front of a chair about arm distance away. Then I bent over and placed a hand on each arm rest. The I did 75 calf raises until I was on the tip of my toes (like a ballerina). I did 25 with toes facing forward, 25 with toes pointing outward, and 25 with toes pointing inward= 1 set. What he explained to me was that you have to make sure to max out the ROM at the top. If you don't then you are not working the entire muscle. Do those with just body weight until it gets too easy, then add weight. Three sets of 25 in, 25 out, and 25 regular had my calves hurting for days. I have seen great improvement from what I was doing in the past.
 
Liquid13 said:
That sounds killer. How long does your 75 rep set take with the pauses? Like a 5-7 minute set, lol. I'm going to try this next week.
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Yes about that 5 minutes at the most, i never pause for more than 10 seconds at a time, try it and then let me know what you thought, its brutal but it causes growth like nothing else, Take care Russian.
 
Calve raises on the leg press.

start 360lbs. = four 45lb. plates on each side, for 50-60 reps each set. After each set drop one 45lb. plate repeat 50-60 reps until you have reached 45lbs.

Example:
360lbs. x 60
315lbs. x 60
270lbs. x 60
225lbs. x 60
180lbs. x 60
135lbs. x 60
90lbs. x 60
45lbs. x 60

After. Lay a 45lb. plate on the floor and do toe taps for 2-3 minutes then Finally stretch for 5-10 minutes.

Caution, calves will hurt the next day and probably the day after that, but about a month later of doing this for about three times a week. People will start to notice.
 
russianstar said:
This is my training method, i use a weight that i can only do 6 reps of, then i pause do another 2, pause do another 2, and keep going until i get to 75, after a few weeks i will increase the weight and do the same, great for donkey calf raises, ive had more improvement of this than any other method, in just a few months, being a sprinter i had small long calves, but they are starting to get a solid diamond shape now, they have gone from 15.4, to 16.9 in 3 months, remember my legs are 35inch inside leg so they are long, they look skinny now but they are thickening up.
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Can I just testify to everyone how BRUTAL this method is ^^^^

I stuck this in today instead of the routine I posted above and WOW! I swear I have never had a more intense and targeted calf session in my life! :D

By the 30th rep I was ready to cry, how I made it to 75 I don't know. Seriously if the 20 rep squat routine is the 'widowmaker' this is her crazy, psycho-bitch younger sister!

Give this method a try lads, Russian has hit this on the head in a big way, cows here I come! ;)
 
My favorite exercise for calves is donkey calk raises. my old gym had a nautilus machine with a pad that rests on your lower back, hip area. you could pile on weight and it would stretch the hell out of your calves at the bottom. By leaning over at the hips to do "standing" raises, you "prestretch" your calves slightly. It will destroy your calves with high weight/ high volume. of course do a "standing" and a "sitting" exercise. The sucky part is the three other gym I have worked out in fir past 5 years doesn't have one. Luckily I have decent leg genetics and haven't really blasted my calves for a few years consistently but still have good size.
 
cardio on your toes= big calves
 

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The calves respond to high volume work.


Running/walking while wearing a weighted vest is probably the best way to beef up your calves. Focus on pushing with your toes.
 
Sounds crazy, but the only thing that worked for me was running on my toes! After I started doing that my calves BLEW UP. :dance: I now do all my cardio running on my toes on the treadmill! Try it, I promise that you'll see results and enjoy your big calves just like me.
 
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