Diamond shaped calves

[Ezskanken]

My calves are a weak spot to, and I to use to finish my leg routine with them. But now I start off with them, allowing me to move heavier weight and a greater contraction and expansion because they are not worn out from the previous lifts. Seems to be working for me...

 

[darkside5674]

Yeah I was thinking about trying that.

 

[ThreeGigs]

You know there are two types of muscle. It boils down to strength or endurance. Your calves are used for walking, so they're predominantly type I, meaning they'll respond best to endurance work.

So think really high reps.
You're thinking like 3 sets of 30, right?

Try again. Multiply by 10. In one set.

Now I know you're thinking "900 reps? Dude you're insane."

What would you think if I said you should do it once every workout, and twice on leg days?

No, I'm not insane. I just want you to jump rope for 10 minutes to warm up. And another 10 minutes after your workout on leg day.

Jumping rope is, by far, the best calf building exercise there is.

You're looking at 1.5 to 2 reps per second. So about 90 to 120 reps per minute.

So you can actually jump rope for 5 minutes straight? Ok, next level:
Choose one: One leg only, switch legs every 30 seconds - or - spin the rope under your feet twice before you land and jump again.

I know, jumping rope is so old fashioned. You'll look like a cross-fit guy. Little girls will ask if they can jump with you. But it will definitely make your calves grow.

 

[07bobber]

Try seated calf raises holding for 3 seconds at the bottom and 3 at the top, when you are at the top come up on the ball of your foot and flex your toes up and spread them

 

[suprfast]

Try seated calf raises holding for 3 seconds at the bottom and 3 at the top, when you are at the top come up on the ball of your foot and flex your toes up and spread them

^^^^Yep. Not a speed contest, a quality contest. 15 reps of a decent weight like this and those puppies are fried. Add in three sets and walking is fun.

 

[thebutcher]

Recently I posted a thread on my stubborn calves as well. The feedback was as usual helpful and debatable.. However one useful comment was to incorporate jump roping into your workout regimen. This offers hundreds of explosive reps that your calves will take to very well! Try to go for time when doing so on off days for calve benifits as well as cardio benifits. I also like to use an elliptical machine. Balls of feet on the ends of the foot holders and go reverse motion focusing on pushing with calves on the bottom stroke. Also calves are very resilient so try and do work for them everyday! Even if it's just body weight on non leg or specific calve days so as to make sure blood is being pumped into the bitches to ensure those gh's are being released in em! Before long it'll just be a habit to do calf work of some sort in each workout. .. I do mine before every workout. Gives time for my preworkout cocktail to kick in and by the time I'm done with calves.. I got a mean pump in em and I'm ready to crush my workout. Hope some of this is useful.

 

[darkside5674]

Yeah you guys were right. Going heavier feels a lot different. Also I worked my calves prior to doing my other leg exercises. Thanks again for all the tips

 

[suprfast]

Yeah you guys were right. Going heavier feels a lot different. Also I worked my calves prior to doing my other leg exercises. Thanks again for all the tips

If I did that I wouldnt be able to walk the rest of my workouts.

Virgin calves hurt like a mofo, for that that dont work out calves at all. When you go heavy for a few sets and do static holds at the bottom and top you most likely would not be able to walk the next two days.

 

[ShreddedOatz]

 

[WINSTON]

genetics for many . you nees supersets negative work jumping and voleyball . and yet....

 

[kabizkugu]

same man calves are dead end way for me -_-

 

[Gissurjon]

You know there are two types of muscle. It boils down to strength or endurance. Your calves are used for walking, so they're predominantly type I, meaning they'll respond best to endurance work.

So think really high reps.
You're thinking like 3 sets of 30, right?

Try again. Multiply by 10. In one set.

Now I know you're thinking "900 reps? Dude you're insane."

What would you think if I said you should do it once every workout, and twice on leg days?

No, I'm not insane. I just want you to jump rope for 10 minutes to warm up. And another 10 minutes after your workout on leg day.

Jumping rope is, by far, the best calf building exercise there is.

You're looking at 1.5 to 2 reps per second. So about 90 to 120 reps per minute.

So you can actually jump rope for 5 minutes straight? Ok, next level:
Choose one: One leg only, switch legs every 30 seconds - or - spin the rope under your feet twice before you land and jump again.

I know, jumping rope is so old fashioned. You'll look like a cross-fit guy. Little girls will ask if they can jump with you. But it will definitely make your calves grow.

there is merit to some of this, however, I believe the emphasis is somewhat misguided. We are focusing on types of muscle fiber/ type of exercise while I would contend that the focus should be shifted to function/recovery. As has been noted in this thread before, the "try everything" approach is widespread. Since it is intensity and time under tension that produces growth the responses, the method becomes 2nd (as long as the stimulus is there) to that little variable called recovery. I would bet that the problem most people have is not that the wrong exercise is being utilized or the wrong "angle", or that the frequency is to low. I say it is the opposite. Calves statistically perform a great deal of plyometric work throughout the day and under a greater deal of intensity than most other muscles. Think about how little your pecs actually work in a plyo sense throughout the day, now compare that to pushing your body weight forward with every step you take. A person might not walk a lot throughout the day, but intensity-wise, i believe the work your calves do is greater than that of the most of your body. I would try shortening a training session for calves, even as drastic as performing only one giant/super/duper set that has a looong time under tension and high intensity. Then I would leave those suckers alone for a good 10 days minimum. Just a thought.

Lack of recovery is the biggest inhibitor of growth (provided that the nutrients are there)

 

[Kenny Croxdale]

I don't have any issues whatsoever putting on good lean muscle up top but I have always had issues with getting my calves to grow. Anyone have any good calve exercises that can help me put on some solid meat down there? Currently I am just adding standing calf raises (weighted and unweighted) until muscle failure at the end of a leg workout. I've had some noticeable results but I wonder if I'm on the right track.

There are two large muscles in the calf. Each need to be worked with different exercises and different repetitions.

The Gastrocnemius

This muscle works with standing movement for the leg: Standing Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise, etc.

It contains more fast twitch muscle fiber. Thus, it responds to more moderate to high reps with heavier loads. (8 - 20 reps/65-80% or 1 Repetition Max)

Soleus

This contains more slow twitch muscle fiber. It responds best to very high reps, 20 reps plus per set.

With reps that high you will use around 40-60% of your 1 Repetition Max.

The Soleus is work from a seated position.

The Pump/Burn

The key to increasing muscle mass is the pump.

To create this you need to preform exercises short rest periods (60 second or less) and high sets. (6 set or more).

Stubborn Calves

They are a very stubborn muscle group. You can work them daily.

One method would be to preform exercises that work the Gastroc one day and the Soleus the next day.

Weight Load

Due to the short rest periods and higher reps, using heavy loads isn't possible.

Light to moderate load will be used.

While the weight matters, the pump is vital to growth.

Kenny Croxdale

 

[WINSTON]

calves

There are two large muscles in the calf. Each need to be worked with different exercises and different repetitions.

The Gastrocnemius

This muscle works with standing movement for the leg: Standing Calf Raise, Donkey Calf Raise, etc.

It contains more fast twitch muscle fiber. Thus, it responds to more moderate to high reps with heavier loads. (8 - 20 reps/65-80% or 1 Repetition Max)

Soleus

This contains more slow twitch muscle fiber. It responds best to very high reps, 20 reps plus per set.

With reps that high you will use around 40-60% of your 1 Repetition Max.

The Soleus is work from a seated position.

The Pump/Burn

The key to increasing muscle mass is the pump.

To create this you need to preform exercises short rest periods (60 second or less) and high sets. (6 set or more).

Stubborn Calves

They are a very stubborn muscle group. You can work them daily.

One method would be to preform exercises that work the Gastroc one day and the Soleus the next day.

Weight Load

Due to the short rest periods and higher reps, using heavy loads isn't possible.

Light to moderate load will be used.

While the weight matters, the pump is vital to growth.

Kenny Croxdale

tanks. and we mean DIAMOND calvesnot easy . not round or trengelysheped calves. ala platz.

 

[Big Smoothy]

You know there are two types of muscle. It boils down to strength or endurance. Your calves are used for walking, so they're predominantly type I, meaning they'll respond best to endurance work.

So think really high reps.
You're thinking like 3 sets of 30, right?

Try again. Multiply by 10. In one set.

I have good genetics for calves.

When I hit the calves on leg day at the end, I do 120 reps on standing curls (machine) and seated calf raises. Both weight.

As noted, contract at the top.

 

[raysd21]

I know those fucking softballs anywhere.

Jay has crazy calves.

 

[WINSTON]

arnold calves were a s ucess story . when from average calves to great calves from 1968 to 1972 . but few seems to have had that kind of sucess . before and after pics welcome .. it was said in the 1970,s by the oak that calves are the prime muscle of the legs . the forgot that . lee haney and coleman share 16 olympias title and neither had really great calves.

 

[zerofvcks]

My calves were always tiny and not that they are huge now by any mean but they're miles from where they used to be.

The two biggest factors, for myself, were training them as heavy as I could while keeping total control but also doing really high reps (20+) with light weight and really holding the contraction for a few seconds on each rep. DC style calves were a huge help.

 

[WINSTON]

mike mentzer yes the guilty one . wrote that wirth calves more than any other bodyparty the eventual size and shape seems genetics. . to prove him wrong the arnold story .. went from poor calves to great calves . robby robinson didnt suceed in this. i think that the usual exercices are good . donkeys then standing raises then tibialis anterior work and seated stuff . may add one leg toe raises and drop sets. then play volleyball . in between days . and cycling tennis . etc. more than the gym

 

[WINSTON]

wor
k the tibialis anterior too on the nautilus machine for that effect . donkeys should be done after one legged dumbbeel raises . then on some days go and play volleyball

 

[Big Smoothy]

Good thread, and good info and advice.

Luckily I was born with calves (don't know why).

Contracting at the top is always beneficial (like the bicepts and tris).

I do about 120+ reps for calves on leg day once per week.

 

[Greedy]

Jeezus christ, those are insane....

 

[WINSTON]

jay cutler calves were better than ronnie .

 

[WINSTON]

mike mentzer once said that calves more than any other bodypart the eventual size and shape seems genetic.. it was a bit my case . but lets prove him wrong if possible . buy a weight vest and go mountain running.

 

[WINSTON]

mountain running with a weight vest . all the others .. donkeys standing calf one legged toe raises are good . . then volleyball