Calve raises help!

[milhouse2]

When doing calve raises, should they be done slowly and under control or very quickly? I see some people at the gym and they almost look like they're bouncing on the machine they are going so fast.

 

[Bakerboy]

It is always a good idea to control the weight you are lifting. I like to do calf raises slow (a four count) with pause at the top, lowering the weight almost as slow or as slow on the way up as the way down.

 

[P-funk]

pause at the bottom of the rep, not the top.

 

[Bakerboy]

P-funk I thought a slight pause at the top was to hold and maintain the contraction to feel the burn (thus overloading the musscle fibers). What is the the theory behind pausing at the bottom? Is it for the stretch?

What do other people do? Pause at the top or the bottom of calf raises???

 

[GFR]

I do them slow and hold at the top

 

[P-funk]

P-funk I thought a slight pause at the top was to hold and maintain the contraction to feel the burn (thus overloading the musscle fibers). What is the the theory behind pausing at the bottom? Is it for the stretch?

What do other people do? Pause at the top or the bottom of calf raises???

the pause at the top of the contraction is fine. The reason I say pause at the bottom is because the achilles tendon is very good at returning elastic energy via the stretch relflex. This is why people can load up that thing and bounce out of the bottom. By pausing at teh bottom for a 3-5 count, you decrease the response of the muscle spindles and the calves have to work that much harder to overcome the static inertia of the calf raise machine. Give it a shot. It will cut your weights in half but it will increase your results.

 

[CowPimp]

the pause at the top of the contraction is fine. The reason I say pause at the bottom is because the achilles tendon is very good at returning elastic energy via the stretch relflex. This is why people can load up that thing and bounce out of the bottom. By pausing at teh bottom for a 3-5 count, you decrease the response of the muscle spindles and the calves have to work that much harder to overcome the static inertia of the calf raise machine. Give it a shot. It will cut your weights in half but it will increase your results.

This is a great technique for any lift really, but yeah, the calves are really fucking stubborn at giving up their elastic energy. It also involves an element of isometric contraction added into the lift. This is a great technique for the bench press or squats to get more confident out of the hole, and may even increase pectoral stimulation in the bench press (As the chest is more active at the bottom of the movement).

 

[Maxim]

I just pushed my calves past the 17" mark through JReps. I started with 10" calves -- back in '77 -- so I see this as quite an achievement! Obviously to get the most out of a set -- which only needs to be done once weekly -- you need to move deliberately between the two zones. As you overcome the sticking point, the hinderance in any exercise, you work the calves more uniformally along their entire length. All the best!

 

[GFR]

I just pushed my calves past the 17" mark through JReps. I started with 10" calves so I see this as quite an achievement! Obviously to get the most out of a set -- which only needs to be done once weekly -- you need to move deliberately between the two zones. As you overcome the sticking point, the hinderance in any exercise, you work the calves more uniformally along their entire length. All the best!

 

[Maxim]

Sorry I don't get it?

 

[GFR]

Sorry I don't get it?

Ummm, your full of shit son....get it now???

 

[FishOrCutBait]

nobody puts on 7" on their calves. ever. EVER. can i say it again? EVER

 

[GFR]

nobody puts on 7" on their calves. ever. EVER. can i say it again? EVER

Or makes them grow by 70%....these fucking kids are so full of shit. I bet they were 13 and are now 15

 

[Maxim]

Sorry, my mistake. I edited my post, I meant to say since '77.

Btw Foremanrules, three decades of dedicated lifting dismisses me from the "kid" category...I wish!