Big Calves?

[tank220]

Anyone have anything they did to improve their calves that worked well. I'm growing everywhere but there it sucks I've been beating the shit out of them twice a week and got only small gains. I would like to get an extra inch on 'em. They are about an inch and a quarter smaller than my arms I'd like to stay balanced. If someone who's been training for awhile has any ideas please help me out. I've been at it for about 8 years so I know I can't add it overnight. Thanks for the help.

[DerekAnthony]

Anyone have anything they did to improve their calves that worked well. I'm growing everywhere but there it sucks I've been beating the shit out of them twice a week and got only small gains. I would like to get an extra inch on 'em. They are about an inch and a quarter smaller than my arms I'd like to stay balanced. If someone who's been training for awhile has any ideas please help me out. I've been at it for about 8 years so I know I can't add it overnight. Thanks for the help.

come talk to me on my q and a on chemical enhancment forum ill give some great workouts etc. i got 20 inch calves

peace

derek anthony

[str8flexed]

high frequency and high volume. Just pound away, supersets, drop sets, rest pause. Whatever. I started with 12" calves and now they are almost 17". Not great but it's all about improvement, most people with great calves were born with great calves. I used to ask guys with 18-19" calves how big their calves were when they started, and they'd almost always say "about this same size" lol

[The Mighty Thor]

I just work 'em... High reps, heavy reps... I mix it up... I do tend to believe the old adage about cavs... You've either got them, or you don't.

[a-dog]

do calves the way DC has it set up. I set, heavy as you can for 12-15 reps. 15 second stretch at the bottom and explode up, 5 second negative and then go again. The trick is to keep upping your weights everytime. 1 movement a workout. Pick 3 movements total and rotate them so monday you'd do movement 1, friday movement 2 and wedsday of the next week you'd do movement 3. Then you'll wait till monday of the next week and start over. Once you get to the point where you can't get 12 reps you drop the movement and pic a new one and start hammering away at it.

I prefer movements where the legs are straight, I dont' like seated movements using this type of technique.

My calfs were non existant and now they're almost 18 and I'm a short guy os they have grown alot.

[Deserusan]

High volume is the way to go. Here is a great video on Hybrid Calf Training which I currently do and love. If this doesn't kick your ass then nothing will.

Calf Training

[Timski]

I`m a small guy and my calves used to be non-existant,now they are one of my best bodyparts.

The key is to use a full range of motion,varied rep ranges,stretching between sets,short rest periods,and lots of intensity techniques.

You see a ton of guys in the gym using a veritable ton of weight on calf movements,but they are usually doing a half assed bobbing kind of motion where the body does most of the moving with no ankle flexion.

Go all the way up and all the way down on every rep,and when you can do no more full reps,do half reps until you can`t stand the pain,then do a feww more.

Super-Sets,Drop-Sets,and Giant-Sets are killer and will help make `em grow fast.

Be intense and work hard with a full ROM and stretching and they will grow.

Another thing is to treat them like any other bodypart,if you do 12 sets for chest and tack on only a measly 4 sets for calves,you aren`t working hard enough or smart enough.I`d do 10-15 sets once a week,and 5-8 ses lighter on another day of the week.

Good luck bro!!

[dylan_dent]

X2. Good advice.

D

I`m a small guy and my calves used to be non-existant,now they are one of my best bodyparts.

The key is to use a full range of motion,varied rep ranges,stretching between sets,short rest periods,and lots of intensity techniques.

You see a ton of guys in the gym using a veritable ton of weight on calf movements,but they are usually doing a half assed bobbing kind of motion where the body does most of the moving with no ankle flexion.

Go all the way up and all the way down on every rep,and when you can do no more full reps,do half reps until you can`t stand the pain,then do a feww more.

Super-Sets,Drop-Sets,and Giant-Sets are killer and will help make `em grow fast.

Be intense and work hard with a full ROM and stretching and they will grow.

Another thing is to treat them like any other bodypart,if you do 12 sets for chest and tack on only a measly 4 sets for calves,you aren`t working hard enough or smart enough.I`d do 10-15 sets once a week,and 5-8 ses lighter on another day of the week.

Good luck bro!!

[tank220]

Thanks for the advice. I killed them again today it'll just take time.

[Timski]

Cool.....be consistant bro !!

[bodyfx2]

Where I believe that most trainees fail is in the stretch position of the movement. A deep stretch under tension is a STRONG stimulator of the anabolic machinery, and really emphasizing this during calf training can make a huge difference.

Whatever program you use, hold the full stretch of each rep for a count of 3-4 seconds. And when training is done, stretch them hard for 30-60 seconds.

[Money Man]

You really can't over train calves so train them often,4-5 times a week. And follow all the good advice given already.But you do need to train them more then you are now.

[PTarleton]

One way to get in a ton of volume is just to do some one legged calf raises between all your sets. You'll have done like 300 reps by the end of the workout. This will give you a new type of soreness the next day.

[GeorgeForemanRules]

The only time I trained mine I did only standing calve raises 3x a week, super slow reps for 15+ reps 5-6 sets. Put on 2'' in less that a year natty.

[GermaniaK]

I'm personally finding that choosing a certain number of reps, and trying to reach that number with a given weight is helping a lot. For example, I started off with 110lbs on both the standing raise and seated raise going for 50 reps. Each week I add 5 reps until I get to 70, then I up the weight and repeat starting at 50 reps.

It's a series of clusters where you rest maybe 10 - 20 seconds between each cluster. All I know is I couldn't get beyond 16 inches for a good year and now both are over that a couple months later. I guess maybe just a new training stimulus, dunno, but I'll keep at it and see how it goes. I only do this once a week because they are sore as shit for nearly 5 days afterward.

I also throw in a calf press - hack squat machine or leg press where I go heavier and try and hit some lower rep range to finish off calves. All I know is you have to brutalize them to make them grow.