Calves

[DanishBB]

My calves does never seem to grow have tried high reps, low reps, super set, drop set and different exercises, what can you guys recommend for them ?

 

[Bulkboy]

uphill/mountain running

EDIT: oh ure from denmark...

nevermind then

 

[Daniel Andersson]

Use a weight you can control, squeeze hard at the top and stretch it out at the bottom

 

[Zigurd]

Synthol to the biceps. Who cares about calves when your broceps are huge.

 

[yardharr]

Peak contraction: flex as hard as you can at the very top of the motion
Stop the stretch reflex: instead of bouncing and letting the thickness of your tendons do the work due to their elasticity, slowly lower the weight and pause for a good second at the bottom of the motion, but still keep it flexed.


I personally like Arnold's methods. Go as heavy as possible, increasing the weight all the time. Train calves first before anything else. Train them almost every day. Any rest that you do take between sets, don't rest but instead stretch the calves the whole time.

Don't stop training the calves that day until you are walking around like it was your first night in prison.

 

[big barry]

Like all muscle groups, make sure you are doing a full range of movement.

I personally feel they should be trained heavy, and perhaps if they are a lagging bodypart, maybe hit them twice a week

 

[Cork]

I hit my calves 3 to 4 times a week. They are still by far my biggest weak point, but they have grown so much in the last year that they won't be my weak point much longer.

 

[tim290280]

Have a look at what you do for any muscle. Most people do calves last in a session with the least levels of energy available, and then it is only once a week. Also calves have a great propensity for storing elastic energy, so you have to make sure you aren't just bouncing. Make the movement controlled.

Try doing them earlier in the session, try several exercises, use a full range of motion (i.e. calf block is needed), control the motion and use heavy weight.

Research has shown that you get better activation and recruitment from using a heavy weight on calves.

 

[co05]

^^ What sort of rep ranges would you use?

 

[tim290280]

^^ do you use only one rep range for any other muscle?

 

[Zigurd]

Guys, listen to me for fucks sake. Pump those guns and nobody will even look at your calves.

Bicep curls for your lack of calves, quads, ass, etc...

 

[co05]

^^ do you use only one rep range for any other muscle?

 

[DanishBB]

in exercises i switch between bb calf raises, seated calf raises and dubmbell calf raises because there is not much to do calves at my gym, and i minimum use 15 reps now and go up to 40 reps, and i train them 2 times a week.

in all other muscle groups i switch rep range every second week.

 

[tim290280]

in exercises i switch between bb calf raises, seated calf raises and dubmbell calf raises because there is not much to do calves at my gym, and i minimum use 15 reps now and go up to 40 reps, and i train them 2 times a week.

in all other muscle groups i switch rep range every second week.

??

Have you tried calf raises on the leg press? Donkey calf raises can be done just about anywhere. IMO the DB standing calf raise is probably the best calf exercise you can do. The main thing is to make sure you have a block to stand on to get a proper range of motion. I've used all sorts of things in the past, including a couple of plates piled on top of one another.

Also I can't see the point of reps over about 20. If you are using a heavy enough load to get the best activation and recruitment then you can't really go more than low teens in terms of reps.

 

[DanishBB]

??

Have you tried calf raises on the leg press? Donkey calf raises can be done just about anywhere. IMO the DB standing calf raise is probably the best calf exercise you can do. The main thing is to make sure you have a block to stand on to get a proper range of motion. I've used all sorts of things in the past, including a couple of plates piled on top of one another.

Also I can't see the point of reps over about 20. If you are using a heavy enough load to get the best activation and recruitment then you can't really go more than low teens in terms of reps.

i have tried leg press calf raises, but haven't been squeezing enough on it, so maybe i would should try to do that next time i train my calves.
I do not have a training partner, so i don't see how i could do donkey calf raises, even thought i haven't tried doing them.

And when i do db or bb raises i usually use a step bench to do them on.

 

[tim290280]

Donkey calf raises you just need to load at the hips. Don't have to get someone to mount you, unless you are into that sort of thing.....

I load donkeys by getting my dip belt and adding weight to it. You could use a dip belt or a length of rope.

 

[DanishBB]

lol!

Think I will just go with the dip belt for donkey's.