How to get Calves to grow

[DarthMaanz]

How in the f*** do I get my calves to grow. I started lifting 4 years ago for the main purpose that I wanted to increase my lower leg size, well now it’s four years later and the rest of me has grown nicely but my calves just haven’t nudged very much at all. Currently I’m just running Madcows 5x5 and adding in 3x12 seated calf raises at 110 Lbs then on the last set I drop set it down to 45 Lbs and hit out another 30. Whenever I do standing calf raises I absolutely just don’t feel my calves working at all, I can’t get any mind muscle connection with them. Please help out your chicken legged fellow. (P.S my upper legs are decent and respond to training well, I only have problem with the lower leg.)

 

[Viduus]

Seated will work your soleus (sp?) the thinner longer muscle underneath. That’s used a lot for keeping you standing upright if I remember correctly. It has a ton of endurance since it’s used to walk. Can’t train in weak for 20 seconds. You have to really tire it out.

The outer one that looks like the ball gastro...something... to lazy to look it up. Is used more for explosive power/jumping. Use heavy standing calf raises but do the explosively with a deep stretch.

 

[stonetag]

I'm not going to say what is inevitably going to be said here.

 

[Spongy]

Are you working your tibialis anterior as well?

 

[Hurt]

Your calves are, by design, able to tolerate massive volume and time under tension.

You need to up the volume considerably IMO. Also at what frequency do you train them? Once a week, twice, three times?

Also, long stretches at the bottom for a three to five count, followed by hard contractions at the top with a hold. Your calves are most efficient in the range of motion you employ when you walk, so you have to get out of that. The growth will occur because of the stress you put them under at the extremes of ROM.

where DO you feel it when you do standing calf raises? This could be a load issue, or a ROM issue.

As a rule of thumb, to hit the gastrocnemius you need to have your leg fully extended and knee locked. Because the gastroc attaches above the knee, knee bent will disengage it. Gastroc gives you the most size.

Heres an example of a calf workout I do (and I train them 3 times a week):

Standing Calf raises
10x10xvarying load - progressing til near failure

Seated calf raises
10x10xvarying load - progressing til near failure

Leg press calf raises - knee locked (light load)
3 sets of 30 reps ( 10xtoes inward, 10x toes neutral, 10x toes outward)

Standing Single leg raises holding a dumbbell, standing on a plate -
5x15x60lb DB

 

[Yaya]

I've been saying for years. Heated jumping jacks

 

[Flyingdragon]

U all r wrong.........................

Go to a local Applebees
Find a stool along the bar
The stool is a multi purpose item, one for sitting and the other for working out the calves
Seated calve raises prior to ordering the basket of bbq ribs appetizer, once your beer is delivered repeat the calve raises the duration of your visit....

And here is the most important lesson of building monsterous calves at Applebees, Tip the server well.....She has 3 young kids at home, 2 ex deadbeat baby daddys, has absolutely no time to train calves.....

 

[Viduus]

U all r wrong.........................

Go to a local Applebees
Find a stool along the bar
The stool is a multi purpose item, one for sitting and the other for working out the calves
Seated calve raises prior to ordering the basket of bbq ribs appetizer, once your beer is delivered repeat the calve raises the duration of your visit....

And here is the most important lesson of building monsterous calves at Applebees, Tip the server well.....She has 3 young kids at home, 2 ex deadbeat baby daddys, has absolutely no time to train calves.....

Flexing your calves while sitting on the john trying to pass some spicy buffalo wings helps increase the intensity...

(Meaning of John open to interpretation)

 

[DarthMaanz]

Are you working your tibialis anterior as well?

No I don’t think that muscle would actually respond to growth either.

 

[BRICKS]

Like Hurt sais, calves require a thorough beating. IMO not guys don't train them nearly hard enough. The lower leg is full of connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, fascia...and no muscle is more "genetically determined" if you will (there, it's been said). That doesn't mean you can't make them grow.

I do 100s for calves. Most important to the overall shape and size of your calves is the soleus and
Underlying muscles. Your gastrocs aren't gonna be shit if the underlying stuff is shit. Just like your brachialis is your prime mass builder of your upper arm, not the biceps themselves.

Back to the 100s. I start with a set of 100 reps on the seated calf, and then 100 reps in something for the gastrocs, like standing calves, or what I prefer personally is the rotary calf machine. I do as many of those hundred reps till I physically vant fo any more, then reps/pause the rest till I get to 100. When I can get about 80 or so on the first go, I up the weight. Currently I do variations of this, my typical calve workout is 400 to 600 reps. No these are not light reps. Yes, my calves are sore 24/7 but they've grown a lot and they look good. I train them 2-4 times a week.

I hear lots of guys say they are punishing their calves and they just don't grow. Chances are they aren't. They're not made of magic muscle, they just need a lot of work

 

[DarthMaanz]

Your calves are, by design, able to tolerate massive volume and time under tension.

You need to up the volume considerably IMO. Also at what frequency do you train them? Once a week, twice, three times?

Also, long stretches at the bottom for a three to five count, followed by hard contractions at the top with a hold. Your calves are most efficient in the range of motion you employ when you walk, so you have to get out of that. The growth will occur because of the stress you put them under at the extremes of ROM.

where DO you feel it when you do standing calf raises? This could be a load issue, or a ROM issue.

As a rule of thumb, to hit the gastrocnemius you need to have your leg fully extended and knee locked. Because the gastroc attaches above the knee, knee bent will disengage it. Gastroc gives you the most size.

Heres an example of a calf workout I do (and I train them 3 times a week):

Standing Calf raises
10x10xvarying load - progressing til near failure

Seated calf raises
10x10xvarying load - progressing til near failure

Leg press calf raises - knee locked (light load)
3 sets of 30 reps ( 10xtoes inward, 10x toes neutral, 10x toes outward)

Standing Single leg raises holding a dumbbell, standing on a plate -
5x15x60lb DB

i have been working it 2x week. Also when I’ve done standing calf raises I’ve always had my knee slightly bent because I thought that having your knee locked is bad on your knee? Also I appreciate the template, could I add that onto each day of my 5x5? And I’m guessing over time I should increase weight?

 

[DarthMaanz]

I've been saying for years. Heated jumping jacks

What are “heated” jumping jacks? Please explain.

 

[DarthMaanz]

Like Hurt sais, calves require a thorough beating. IMO not guys don't train them nearly hard enough. The lower leg is full of connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, fascia...and no muscle is more "genetically determined" if you will (there, it's been said). That doesn't mean you can't make them grow.

I do 100s for calves. Most important to the overall shape and size of your calves is the soleus and
Underlying muscles. Your gastrocs aren't gonna be shit if the underlying stuff is shit. Just like your brachialis is your prime mass builder of your upper arm, not the biceps themselves.

Back to the 100s. I start with a set of 100 reps on the seated calf, and then 100 reps in something for the gastrocs, like standing calves, or what I prefer personally is the rotary calf machine. I do as many of those hundred reps till I physically vant fo any more, then reps/pause the rest till I get to 100. When I can get about 80 or so on the first go, I up the weight. Currently I do variations of this, my typical calve workout is 400 to 600 reps. No these are not light reps. Yes, my calves are sore 24/7 but they've grown a lot and they look good. I train them 2-4 times a week.

I hear lots of guys say they are punishing their calves and they just don't grow. Chances are they aren't. They're not made of magic muscle, they just need a lot of work

That seems like an enormous amount of reps, do you think since I’m natty I would still be able to gain size on them training them like that.

 

[DarthMaanz]

I'm not going to say what is inevitably going to be said here.

Go ahead and shoot. What is that? That you can’t grow calves?

 

[jennerrator]

The lower leg is full of connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, fascia...and no muscle is more "genetically determined" if you will (there, it's been said). That doesn't mean you can't make them grow.

 

[Viduus]

How do I train my genetics? Anything I can get from GNC to help increase those?

 

[BRICKS]

That seems like an enormous amount of reps, do you think since I’m natty I would still be able to gain size on them training them like that.

Yes you can. Think of it this way. Your calves are constantly being worked at your bodyweight when you walk etc....Ever notice how obese women, when they lose the weight and get fit, have killer calves generally? Those calves have been worked a lot harder. You need to go above and beyond what they're getting hit with daily, wether you're "enhanced" or not. My calves will never grow doing sets of ten, no matter what weight I use. Been there tried that.

 

[HDH]

I fully agree on killing the fvck out of them.

Mine didn't grow until I did. Mix it up, reps, sets, poundage, holds and supersets.

Go heavy on one (15 to 20reps), wobble over to another and burn them down with light reps. When you have to hang on to the calf machine when you are done because you can't do anything else, you are doing it right.

Going super heavy I would make sure I had a hold at the top. It gives more time under tension with the heavier weight. I hold on 75% of calf exercises, excluding the lighter burn down reps.

Think of every trick you know for sparking growth and use them all on your calves.

Oh ya, did I mention burn those fvckers down?

:32 (20):

 

[snake]

If you were not born with good calves, you'll never have good calves. Sad to say this but you can flap your arms all you want and you will never take flight.

I have some personal experience with shitty calves so maybe I'm just a bitter ol' man. Still, I'd have a better chance adding an inch to my pp then to my calves. At one time all my calves were required to do was to stop me from falling over during a heavy squat session. I use to do the 3 obligatory sets of standing calves at the end of a leg day once a week. Trust me here, that will do absolutely nothing for you.

About 4 years ago I started to take my lower leg work serious. Went from that feeble one day shit to 3 days a week. I tried different things to see what would work and what didn't. I made calves a priority because they were my weak link. Watch 90% of the guys who walk into a gym on Monday and the first thing they do? Yeah... on the bench. I'm doing standing calves for the first exercise on Monday. And my thanks for all I have done over the last 4 years is.... 3/4" and some better muscle tone. Now that's a big FU right there. Still in all, it's 3/4" more then I had 4 years ago.

Here's what kinda worked for me and trust me, I tried about everything. Standing calves at least 3x/wk. work up a heavy weight and I mean heavy. Do 5 sets of 10 reps and hold the top for a one count; pretty much just stop the weight at the top. Take a 30 second rest and hit it again. Do this first thing through the gym door when you have all you got to give. At the end of my workout, I bang out some seated to end on a good note.


One question for ya: I bet your forearms are not big either, right?

 

[DarthMaanz]

If you were not born with good calves, you'll never have good calves. Sad to say this but you can flap your arms all you want and you will never take flight.

I have some personal experience with shitty calves so maybe I'm just a bitter ol' man. Still, I'd have a better chance adding an inch to my pp then to my calves. At one time all my calves were required to do was to stop me from falling over during a heavy squat session. I use to do the 3 obligatory sets of standing calves at the end of a leg day once a week. Trust me here, that will do absolutely nothing for you.

About 4 years ago I started to take my lower leg work serious. Went from that feeble one day shit to 3 days a week. I tried different things to see what would work and what didn't. I made calves a priority because they were my weak link. Watch 90% of the guys who walk into a gym on Monday and the first thing they do? Yeah... on the bench. I'm doing standing calves for the first exercise on Monday. And my thanks for all I have done over the last 4 years is.... 3/4" and some better muscle tone. Now that's a big FU right there. Still in all, it's 3/4" more then I had 4 years ago.

Here's what kinda worked for me and trust me, I tried about everything. Standing calves at least 3x/wk. work up a heavy weight and I mean heavy. Do 5 sets of 10 reps and hold the top for a one count; pretty much just stop the weight at the top. Take a 30 second rest and hit it again. Do this first thing through the gym door when you have all you got to give. At the end of my workout, I bang out some seated to end on a good note.


One question for ya: I bet your forearms are not big either, right?

I appreciate all the advice and just like you I was born with shitty calves and have not been able to make a change on them really. As far as my forearms go, my forearms are naturally little as well although they have grown a little bit from the years of a lot of upper body work. I wish I could say all the lower body work I’ve done has helped my calves but that is sadly not the case, they may have improved a very small amount from what they were originally but it certainly hasn’t been much. The only muscle I have that really grows well compared to the rest of my body is my chest, for some reason I have superior growth in that area compared to the rest of my body even though I don’t do anything extra for it.