Thread: Make your calves grow

There are several things you can do if you’re calves lack the size and definition you desire. There are several theories surrounding the proper “training protocol” for this hard to grow muscle group. Several schools of though advocate high intensity, high volume training while others advise that doing less is doing better.

So what’s a person to do? Here are a few theories I’ve applied to my training program that has yielded outstanding results.

1. Train to absolute, absolute, absolute muscle failure. The calf muscle in general is used to large volumes of stress. Think about how many steps you take every day. Each one baring the weight of your entire body. You have to evoke enough stress to get the muscle to respond. This means a heavy workload that greatly exceeds what the calf muscle is normal used to.

2. Use heavy, heavy, heavy weight. This goes back to the notion that the calf muscle encounters a large volume of stress everyday through normal activities. By using 2, 3, even 4 times your bodyweight when doing standing calf raises and going extremely heavy on all others you’ll give the calf muscle one choice – grow or die!

3. Incorporate volume into the mix. One or two sets, even if they are extreme intense usually won’t cut it for the calf muscle. Some of the best results I received with my calves were when I was doing 15 – 20 sets total. By overloading the muscle it’ll respond by growing larger.

4. Use intensity techniques to further blast the calves. Both drop sets and compound sets are excellent ways to get the muscle group to respond. By increasing the intensity you’re improving the chances of the signaling the growth process to respond.

5. Train throughout the full range of motion. By doing so you’ll stimulate that maximum amount of muscle fibers as you can. When a muscle group experiences stress in the stretch position it responds firing extra muscle cells – extra cells that can adapt by growing larger and stronger.

A good calf routine will look something like this:

Standing calf raises: 4 –5 sets; 12-15 reps, absolute muscle failure *

Donkey calf raises: 4-5 sets; 12-15 reps; absolute muscle failure

Seated calf raises: 4-5 sets; 12-15 reps; absolute muscle failure

* Standing calf raises: Use a weight you can do 2-3 reps with; train to failure, drop weight and do 2-3 more reps to failure, drop more weight and do 2-3 more reps until you get to 20 repetitions total. Only drop enough weight each time so you’ll be able to get only 2-3 reps in.


Do this routine and I’ll guarantee you’ll be sore the next day. As you can see, this program incorporates a large volume with high intensity. The signal to grow will most definitely be delivered. All you have to do now is sit back, feed them plenty of protein and give enough rest so they’ll have time to grow.

Askjoe

Good post