NoSoup4U

I have been working out for about 4-1/2 months, my upper body has significantly gotten a lot more toned and muscular but my legs are still skinny toothpicks. I was a competitive swimmer for about 17 years of my life. Swimming year round. If you know something about swimmers you know they all have chicken legs. My legs are really strong for their size but thats what they lack, size. I mainly want to improve my calf size. They have gotten a little bigger but they are 14" right now which looks really really tiny! My biceps are 15.5 inches.

What are some calf excercises you do? Should I do them more than once I week? I have heard people saying that they work calfs 2-3 times a week.

5-10:155 lbs.

P-funk

What do yuo do for your legs now? Swiming is more of an aerobic exercise so if you want them to grow and get bigger start training them for hypertrophy (rep range of anywhere form 6-12 will help).

For calfs it is important to work the gastrocnemius and the soleus. To work the gastroc you should do calf raises were you are either standing up (standing calf raises) or were your legs are extended stragihg at the knee (calf raises on a leg pres machine or donkey calf raises). To work your soleus you need to do things were your knee is bent like seated calf raises.

I like doing stairs. You just decide how many stairs you want to do (lets say 7) and pick a rep range (maybe 15). So you do body weight calf raises up 7 stairs, 15 reps on each stair without any rest until you are done. That always kills me. Mix up your rep range though as the calf musclese do contain many type I muscle fibers you can still try and stimulate some type II activity there.

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bludevil

P-Funk, of the two calf exercies you mentioned, which would be better suited to help increase your vertical, the straight leg calf raise, or bent.

eskimo515

I started doing calf raises twice a week a few weeks ago and I noticed a big difference almost immediately. I also originally was only doing standing raises and the changes came when I added a seated raise as well to every workout. Calfs have grown by 2 inches in the last month. I tried doing them three times a week and it was too much for me.

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Pierzin98117

that's a good point nosoup,

made me kind a think, hey, my legs suck too!

how many sets is too many for a leg workout? We all know we have to push in order for hypertrophy and growth to set in. And we should know to change up what we're doing in the gym as well, so the muscle doesn't adapt too soon, which is what I've started doing, trying not to do the same thing.
So while you can probably do 24-28 sets for an upper body workout, like chest and triceps, or back & biceps, you gotta be able to walk the next day, so you cant do that with legs.

have u done too setes many for quads & hams, say if you've done 12-15 sets?

cheers, pierzin

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