How the fuck do you get them to grow????? DO they grow?????

How the frick do you get them to grow????? DO they grow????? Also how about all you cum guzzlers that are like, "eeeuuuhhhhh, deadlifts n campound exacises a great fer overawll strength...." No they're not, gays lol if so, how come my calves haven't grown at ALL lol. Should I target them directly or will that just be a waste of time???

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    get better genetics. i know dudes with god tier calves, but the rest of their body is skinnyfat/dyel and they have never lifted or ran. i also know dudes who blast their calves with hella volume while roiding and have chicken calves

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Calf insertions differ by genetics, it’s not that they “refuse to grow”

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Calf insertions differ by genetics, it’s not that they “refuse to grow”

      get fat and walk it off

      My dad and uncles from both sides have massive calves by being fatasses and carrying all that weight all the time

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    do donkey calf raises they will make your legs beautiful

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    get fat and walk it off

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I never have to do legs again

      5'8, 17inch calves, 22inch thighs

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    put some weights in a backpack and walk on a treadmill

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    get into the habit of randomly flexing them any time youre at rest

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Ignore everyone who says genetics, you need weighted stretch. Most people are just abusing their achilles tendons when they train their calves, you need to pause in the bottom position so that your calves actually have to work instead of simply using the elasticity of the achilles tendon. 1 second is okay but 3 is much better. Pull yourself deeper with your tibialis anterior, and make sure your knee remains locked if you're doing standing calf raises. You'll get sore from just a few sets doing them like this, since you're actually letting your calves do the work instead of the tendons. This is why people need to do so much calf volume: their calves are hardly doing anything bc the tendon is doing all the work, so they need to compensate by doing an enormous amount of sets.

    And if you want to take this to the next level, do single leg calf raises, and once you hit concentric failure, use your other leg to assist, and then go all the way to eccentric failure. You'll be sore as hell from just one set, and within a few months you'll see visible calf growth which will also show up on the tape measure.

    Good luck Anon, go get those calf gains!

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Literally this. Focus on feeling the stretching. Stretching alone can grow a muscle or at least change it's shape but stretching under a load really forces the hypertrophy and growth. Calves are an ideal target for this. If you ever grown your hamstrings huge through RDLs and the weighted stretch treat training your calves the same way. All about the weighted stretch. And do both the standing and seated calf raises if you can. The seated version is actually more important to get a visual "bigger" calf look.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >If you ever grown your hamstrings huge through RDLs and the weighted stretch treat training your calves the same way.
        Very much this, this is why I advocate that people should eventually increase the ROM on RDLs (deficit and/or wide grip) once they become flexible enough, simply to keep chasing that maximal stretching sensation.
        >The seated version is actually more important to get a visual "bigger" calf look.
        Also very true, the soleus is much larger than people think it is. It also helps protect the achilles tendon, which is never a bad thing.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Dood the 1 legged calf raises until failure and then second leg assisted till burnout is fricking genius. Thank you for this.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        No problem bro. I'll also recommend that you add weight with a dip belt, it allows you to have both hands free to stabilize since the burn can get quite extreme when you're going all the way to eccentric failure.

        Any good videos to show what you mean? I'm sure I get it, but I have had some ACL surgeries and one leg looks so bad, so I need any additional calf work I can find.

        The only two calf exercises you need are a straight-leg variation for the gastroc, and a bent-leg variation for the soleus. The only other considerations are stability, ease of progressive overload, and the ability to get a full stretch (eg if your heel hits the ground before you can get a full stretch, you need to modify your setup so you can go lower without getting physically blocked.)

        Besides that just do calf raises the way I described them in the post; hold the bottom position for 3 seconds while pulling yourself deeper with your tibialis anterior (shin muscle), and while keeping your leg straight in the case of straight leg calf raises. Do them until failure, and optionally go to eccentric failure if you want to get even more stimulus. You can do this on any calf exercise that fulfills all the criterion listed earlier in this post.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >Add weight with a dip belt
          Holy frick. I never thought to train my calves at my own home but damn you saying like I can stand on my staircase with dip belt loaded doing calf raises off a step while stabilizing with my arms? Thank you so much. I just love the feeling of calf raises but since ditching gym for home gym I haven't been doing them weighted haven't even considered hacks and DIY ways.

          What is the hack with a rack and barbell to do seated calf raises? I guess I can actually just sit in the rack with barbell on the pins and lift the bar off he pins with the bar resting on my quads. Something like that I can rig up sitting on plyobox and toes on some kind of step.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >damn you saying like I can stand on my staircase with dip belt loaded doing calf raises off a step while stabilizing with my arms?
            Yes, that's exactly what I do lol. I'm currently doing mine with +30kg (gonna go up to 32.5kg today actually) for 18 eccentric reps (0 concentric lol, I could only go halfway up on the first one). Also do them with a slow eccentric, I find that it helps a lot.
            >What is the hack with a rack and barbell to do seated calf raises?
            I haven't found a suitable way to do seated calf raises at home, I do KOT calf raises instead. You can load those with a dip belt as well, just like standing raises. They're not the most comfortable to do but they work so I do them, usually for 3 sets.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              Nice I was going to say that the dip belt seems like eventually adding weight after 2 plate becomes kind of awkward. But I figure this is all about the stretch and with the pauses so long as there is some added weight I know I can stimulate growth. I have just been doing bodyweight calf raises with the stretch on my stairs standing and then I hold myself in kind of a seated position but it is really awkward. Never heard of the KOT raises going to give those a try. I feel like I can DIY a way to do seated in my rack though the way I mentioned. Going to be a fun experiment.

              I wonder how sort of 1 1/2 calf raises would feel and if that would be a good stimulus. The ROM seems a bit too small but like going to maximum stretch at the bottom pausing for 3 seconds then going up partially then back down and exploding up with another count of 3 at the top seems like it would really brutalize them.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >I was going to say that the dip belt seems like eventually adding weight after 2 plate becomes kind of awkward.
                Maybe, but if it does you could just hold a db in one hand so you don't have to put as much on the dip belt. I think 3 plates would start to become an issue, but who knows, I'm not there yet.
                >I wonder how sort of 1 1/2 calf raises would feel and if that would be a good stimulus.
                I haven't tried them before and idk if they're necessary, however I do them on squats and I find them to be extremely good for my quads, so I presume that they will be pretty good for calves too.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                I only have bumper plates so after 1 45 on the dip bar things are already weird lol. Good advice though I have some kettlebells I can hold in my offhand.

                1 1/2s were just random idea I had largely unnecessary but I am always experimenting with variations. I some how have never even thought of eighties single calf raises. I like to do sort of alternating left and right come to think about it when doing them bodyweight on my staircase. So while the left heel is at the bottom the right is at the top and alternate. I exaggerate the tilting of the pelvis when doing this. Come to think of it to actually achieve a deeper stretch I think about driving the pelvis down and not the calf. So I am actually pushing down with my hips then when I come up I am raising with my hips. I think using this same approach with the dip belt weighted single leg is going to be absolutely BRUTAL.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >1 1/2s were just random idea I had largely unnecessary but I am always experimenting with variations.
                I think they're very valid on certain movements where the bottom portion emphasizes a certain muscle, yet for whatever reason you don't feel that muscle working that much during the movement. 1 1/2 reps force you to spend a lot more time in that bottom position, so they force that muscle to work a lot more (plus they're much harder as well lmao)
                >Come to think of it to actually achieve a deeper stretch I think about driving the pelvis down and not the calf.
                Interesting, I think what you're doing works because you're essentially using additional force to force your calf to lengthen more. Probably not necessary in my own training though since I'm being limited by my ankle mobility (talus bone limitation, not achilles tendon) on both ankles right now

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Yeah I was thinking of the 1 1/2s for calves mainly since the calves are a very explosive muscle and I use 1 1/2s on my squats to train to be explosive. But as I think about it it's too much of an isolation movement and small ROM to be something really worth doing with calf raises. Also you want to go high volume with calf raises like 10-20 with pauses where stuff like 1 1/2s usually kept to lower reps. I like just heavy squat doubles or triples 1 1/2.

                The single leg paused calf raise until failure then assisted with the second leg until burnout in my mind seem to be the ideal method for maximum stimulus.

                I guess tomorrow is calf day for me lol.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >I use 1 1/2s on my squats to train to be explosive
                >I like just heavy squat doubles or triples 1 1/2
                I'm a hypertrophy guy so I do 4-8 reps on 1 1/2 ATG squats, slow eccentric and pauses as well. They're brutal but very worth it.
                >The single leg paused calf raise until failure then assisted with the second leg until burnout in my mind seem to be the ideal method for maximum stimulus.
                Indeed, all I have to say is you should start with just 1 set, since otherwise you might not be able to walk the next day. Even for me I still only do 1 set 3 times per week, since I get too sore if I do 2 or more sets.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Ill have to give some higher rep 1 1/2s a try. They are so difficult even low reps feel like volume like you did double the reps. Because you kind of did lol.

                I do everything slow eccentric explosive concentric. slow eccentric with a pause (no relaxation in the pause) then explosive concentric I believe to be the ideal method to execute an exercise. I don't mean it is wrong to not pause but without the pause at least for me the purpose has to be that I need to get through reps quicker which means I am going for volume.

                If it's low rep heavy weight ideally there is a pause. Just my philosophy.

                now this here. this is a squat.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >slow eccentric with a pause (no relaxation in the pause) then explosive concentric I believe to be the ideal method to execute an exercise.
                Same, I do this on most movements these days. Feels the safest in terms of injury risk, and it maximizes the stimulus you get while keeping fatigue down. Also makes it easy to drill good motor patterns since you aren't divebombing the eccentric or anything.
                >now this here. this is a squat.

                Based

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                I gravitated to paused reps entirely because I am risk adverse and they do seem to be safe and at least for me promote safety paused heavy reps build up loads of confidence about the weight.

                When I talk about slow eccentric then pause and explosive concentric the "pause" doesn't necessarily have to be for an extended period of time but in my opinion a sort of split second mental pause should be always in ones awareness. For example with barbell curls. There is a sweet spot at the top of the curl where the muscle is fully contracted. A lifter needs to find and master reaching that sweet spot on each rep. Ideally pausing there but again it could even just be for a split second before lowering the weight.

                I'm just clarifying for other readers in the thread that you don't have to actually do an extended pause. Again for volume you want to get through reps quickly to reach the high rep volume. But still each rep you should be thinking about and executing a slight potentially split second pause at the peak of contraction.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >When I talk about slow eccentric then pause and explosive concentric the "pause" doesn't necessarily have to be for an extended period of time but in my opinion a sort of split second mental pause should be always in ones awareness.
                Pretty much what I do, unless the pause duration is specified I count any rep where the weight comes to a stop for any length of time as a pause rep. Anything longer is just a bonus.
                >For example with barbell curls. There is a sweet spot at the top of the curl where the muscle is fully contracted. A lifter needs to find and master reaching that sweet spot on each rep. Ideally pausing there but again it could even just be for a split second before lowering the weight.
                Also on curls I think it's handy to stop at the bottom as well, just to ensure each rep starts without any momentum. It helps quite a bit with strictness IMO

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Absolutely. Curls are way more complicated than they are given credit in that it is very difficult to properly keep tension in the bicep at the bottom and the top of the lift. I see so many lifters that let the tension out of the muscle at either top or bottom or not just thinking that moving the weight around is enough. If you properly contracted the bicep to it's maximum without relaxing it and then lowered the weight you should be looking to feel the stretch on the bicep and keep feeling that stretch and tension and when it's at it's maximum perform the contraction. Shit is way harder than it's given credit.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                I'm not sure why tbh but the burn I get in my biceps tends to be much more intense than in my triceps, perhaps that's why? I remember when I used to do bro-tier db curls with way too much weight with a lot of cheating, and during that time I barely felt my biceps at all so it was easy. But since I started training them properly, the sensations are much more intense. Maybe that's why people don't do curls correctly, they just don't have the pain tolerance lol (Similar to legs, people don't train legs at all because training legs is hard, even with a lot of reps in reserve)

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                No pain tolerance and don't want to take the ego blow. I bet most couldn't do 8-12 proper barbell bicep isolating curls with an empty bar.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >don't want to take the ego blow.
                Definitely, I had to slash like 10kg off my barbell curls when I started doing them strict. Most people can't handle that mentally, so they just stick with their shitty technique instead.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Come to think of it this is likely for my why neutral grip pullups grew my biceps more than curls ever did as a beginner. Because I would pause and hold isometric at the top and keep tension in the biceps at the bottom. This just naturally happens with neutral grip pullups. Now I can isolate the bicep with curls but I would recommend beginners to develop the mind muscle connection to the bicep through neutral grip pullups isoholds first.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                Interesting, I've never had the chance to do neutral grip pullups though since I don't have the setup for them at home, but they seem really good.

                I can give you the secret techniques I used to get my 21 inch calves.

                They are truly monstrous, wedge shaped meat blocks that are difficult to find socks for.

                >walk on the balls of your feet at all times
                >hike for cardio with a backpack
                > do standing calf raises after every lift day 4 sets to fail as heavy as you can

                Interesting, can't apply this on top of my training unfortunately since my calves are sore all the time from what I'm already doing

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Really appreciate it. Leg day is tomorrow, and I'm gonna frick these calves up.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Any good videos to show what you mean? I'm sure I get it, but I have had some ACL surgeries and one leg looks so bad, so I need any additional calf work I can find.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I personally think they grow from use, do train them too though. I had a bad foot and half of my calf is bulbous, the other one is not 🙁

        One of my mine is a lot smaller too because of injury. It makes uncomfortable to wear shorts. I need to find ways to just work out and grow one of them

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Eh, I kinda lean into the whole thing. Usually have a leg sleeve on so it's not too bad. It's always fun showing people the difference in the sizes between the two. One looks like a football is stuck in there, and the other looks like the leg of a 13 yr. old twitch streamer.

          It is what it is. Good thing I got the whole upside down triangle mode on lock so I got something going for me.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Hi Dr. Mike

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Good shit! I like starting the exercise & before I've even done one rep I just sink into the bottom position. It's like quicksand pulling me down. Then do a bunch of controlled slow reps & another weighted stretch at the end.

      I figured if there's one muscle you can stimulate growth with a single set, it's calves.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >I figured if there's one muscle you can stimulate growth with a single set, it's calves.
        It's funny how the colloquial knowledge is the opposite of this; people think you need to do like 30 sets a week to get calf gains, when all you need is a few sets per week performed in the correct way for the gastroc and soleus.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        You can stimulate any muscle with a single set you just have to be able to safely and confidently do it until you drop it, it can't have less resistance on the eccentric, and you have to be able to get it to muscular failure before cardiovascular failure.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      quality post

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      how could I incorporate a stretch into say a forearm training routine? I already have great calves but my forearms are pathetic.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        That is a great question. I am not that anon but you can try finger curls and try and feel the stretch at the bottom. In a way this is similar to calf raises since the forearms are to the calves what the biceps are to the hamstrings. Other than that something that you have to twist but fights back would I think do the trick to get mad tension in the forearms. I can get a nice isolation of my forearms using those spring power twister things. I hold one of the sides stationary propped against a wall or my thigh or hip and twist the spring in a way that isolated the forearm. It doesn't give the forearm a stretch but gives a point to pause and hold the forearm under high tension. I think of it like turning one of those ship doors with the heavy turn latch but that the latch is fighting me as I turn the latch. I have always thought a machine like that where you twist a latch like that but it fights you would be murder for the forearms similar to rope pulling stations whicha re also great for a high volume forearm pump.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          You can try doing these https://youtu.be/pCZY6fzzGIc?t=124 , AFAIK it's one of the only movements that trains the wrist/finger flexors in a stretched position. Not gonna go into too much detail since that video already covers the programming considerations for that exercise. For the other major forearm muscles, namely the extensors and the brachioradialis, I don't know if it's possible to get an insane stretch on them, so you'll probably just have to stick with the basics on those (wrist extensions/reverse wrist roller and ez bar reverse curls respectively). You can get a pretty good stretch on the muscles that do radial/ulnar deviation, but these are fairly small muscles that don't contribute all that much to forearm size (if you're a forearm specialist they're certainly worth training, but for everyone else it probably takes up too much time)

          these sound great,gonna incorporate them into my routine as soon as possible.it's really annoying man,my shoulders and chest look great but my arms just look average in any shirt even one size over.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        You can try doing these https://youtu.be/pCZY6fzzGIc?t=124 , AFAIK it's one of the only movements that trains the wrist/finger flexors in a stretched position. Not gonna go into too much detail since that video already covers the programming considerations for that exercise. For the other major forearm muscles, namely the extensors and the brachioradialis, I don't know if it's possible to get an insane stretch on them, so you'll probably just have to stick with the basics on those (wrist extensions/reverse wrist roller and ez bar reverse curls respectively). You can get a pretty good stretch on the muscles that do radial/ulnar deviation, but these are fairly small muscles that don't contribute all that much to forearm size (if you're a forearm specialist they're certainly worth training, but for everyone else it probably takes up too much time)

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >you need to pause in the bottom position so that your calves actually have to work instead of simply using the elasticity of the achilles tendon. 1 second is okay but 3 is much better.
      Doing this right now and it's absolutely brutal. Dropped from my usual 20 reps to 16

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Enjoy your first walk to the bathroom tomorrow morning lmao. Might have to crawl.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I can't fricking wait. Last time I felt proper calf doms was in 2020

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Do you do your calf raises with the foot in only the neutral position or sort of point toes in heels out for some reps and toes out heels in for some reps?

            Particularly pointing the toes in heels out. I feel like this activates the calves in a more complete way. Like half a set neutral half toes in heels out.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              Not him but I only do neutral personally, while I'm pretty sure it is possible to bias the different heads of the gastroc, it isn't necessary unless you already have big calves. Most people just need to make their calves larger in general, trying to bias one head or the other shouldn't be the focus until you actually have big calves.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                I agree, I'm just thinking if he really wanted to feel intense calf DOMS he should try and hit areas of the calves he hasn't hit before. So maybe he hasn't done seated ever he would surely feel the DOMS then if he did. A slight change in the angle of the movement could also activate some sort of smaller muscles and areas of the muscle not trained to get so e DOMS. That's all I'm saying I don't know the technical terms for sort of hitting the smaller less used muscles through slight shifts in angles under tension.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >So maybe he hasn't done seated ever he would surely feel the DOMS then if he did.
                Seated should be done from the start I agree, since it hits the soleus much better than standing raises.
                >That's all I'm saying I don't know the technical terms for sort of hitting the smaller less used muscles through slight shifts in angles under tension.
                I suppose you could use slightly different angles to possibly achieve regional hypertrophy? Dunno tbh, but again getting big calves is the important thing, finer details can be worked out later.

                at the 'bottom' of a standing calf raise are your heels supposed to be on the ground, like normal standing/resting? or are you always keeping tension/effort, whether 'up' or 'down' ???

                Your heels shouldn't touch the ground on calf raises ever, if they do you need to raise the height of the block you're using.

                in other words, do you go from "normal standing position basically relaxed" to up, or do you go from "hovering above the floor and still expending energy" to up? talking about without any machines/equipment whatsoever of course. i try to do these when waiting for water to boil or on the phone during normal daily life.

                Oh if you're doing them on the floor then you can do either, doesn't matter too much. Each rep won't be as effective due to minimal loading and stretch, however you can easily compensate by doing a shit ton of reps. Go for it.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                thank you, yes, doing them on the floor. keeping my heel from touching the floor seems more like a balancing act than cheating the rep anyway. obviously a machine/block would be better but again i prefer to get in like 100 a day rather than save it for gym days.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                >obviously a machine/block would be better but again i prefer to get in like 100 a day rather than save it for gym days.
                Yeah like i mentioned here

                [...]
                If you are doing them flat then either way works. Ideally you should be doing them with your toes on a block and your arms and hands assistinc in balance and minimal support heels never touch the ground. If you are doing them bodyweight or without a block maybe block feels weird and you want to practice balance you can do them on a slantboard. Bodyweight or holding a kettlebell or dumbbells or plates etc for loading. You can easily DIY a slant if you don't have a slant board.

                buy or DIY a slantboard for high volume home calf raises. you can load with anything. heavy backpack. water jugs. whatever.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                protip: you might think these balance boards are a meme but I purchased one for use with my standing desk and I can say my ankles have been rehabbed they feel way healthier all around. About an hour standing on one of these daily. 1 legged helps the most. It has been especially helpful combating bad balance on my right leg from imbalances developed skateboarding. I like to balance on one leg and sort of roll my ankle around. I didn't have any problems with my ankles prior to using this I just got it to add movement with my standing desk wasn't sure if it was going to only be a gimmick. But having been a skateboarder I now look forward to standing on this thing at my desk.

                I mention this because it doubles as my DIY slantboard. I just prop up one side so it stays at a slant. I stand at my desk like that also for extended periods of time. Nice extra work / rehab / helps for recovery.

              • 1 year ago
                Anonymous

                also i like this ALOT more than my slantboard I don't even use the thing anymore. I got one that is too skinny I like this thing because I can have a wider foot position. For my knees I do bodyweight paused squats with heels elevated and with this i can get my feet at a comfortable width. with my actual slantboard that I guess is meant to have both of your feet basically touching It feels like shit since my adductors rub together. Big leg bros need wider slantboards as I have discovered.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      at the 'bottom' of a standing calf raise are your heels supposed to be on the ground, like normal standing/resting? or are you always keeping tension/effort, whether 'up' or 'down' ???

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        in other words, do you go from "normal standing position basically relaxed" to up, or do you go from "hovering above the floor and still expending energy" to up? talking about without any machines/equipment whatsoever of course. i try to do these when waiting for water to boil or on the phone during normal daily life.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        in other words, do you go from "normal standing position basically relaxed" to up, or do you go from "hovering above the floor and still expending energy" to up? talking about without any machines/equipment whatsoever of course. i try to do these when waiting for water to boil or on the phone during normal daily life.

        If you are doing them flat then either way works. Ideally you should be doing them with your toes on a block and your arms and hands assistinc in balance and minimal support heels never touch the ground. If you are doing them bodyweight or without a block maybe block feels weird and you want to practice balance you can do them on a slantboard. Bodyweight or holding a kettlebell or dumbbells or plates etc for loading. You can easily DIY a slant if you don't have a slant board.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Most people are just abusing their achilles tendons when they train their calves, you need to pause in the bottom position so that your calves actually have to work instead of simply using the elasticity of the achilles tendon.
      Frick that shit. The Achilles tendon is used together with the calf muscle, if you had no calf muscle the tendon would not be able to do anything.

      The reason people don't get gains on calf raises is because they don't train them seriously like they train other muscle groups, they just do a few sets of calf raises and that is that. If they focus on making progress on the lift and adding weight to it over time by being consistent and hitting them hard that is what is going to get the gains. I believe in using the stretch reflex because overloading/training that movement is how its supposed to be used and that is how you should train them.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >Frick that shit. The Achilles tendon is used together with the calf muscle, if you had no calf muscle the tendon would not be able to do anything.
        No shit dude, but we're trying to hit the calves here, not the achilles tendon. You can do explosive movements if you want to do that. Calf raises performed this way make your achilles tendon much more flexible anyway, which can only be a benefit.
        >I believe in using the stretch reflex because overloading/training that movement is how its supposed to be used and that is how you should train them.
        This method also has progressive overload? Lmao, it's not like pausing for a few seconds takes away from your ability to add weight. I've added nearly 20kg to my single leg calf raises over the past couple months, progression still works fine. And what matters for muscle growth is INTERNAL force generated by the muscle, the outside weight means jack shit as long as it continues to challenge the muscle. Using more weight with more advantageous leverages doesn't make you get more gains, if anything you'll get less because you'll miss out on stretch mediated hypertrophy.
        >The reason people don't get gains on calf raises is because they don't train them seriously like they train other muscle groups, they just do a few sets of calf raises and that is that.
        I do agree with this though, but if you train them correctly the amount of volume you need for calves goes down significantly. I only do 1 set 3x a week for my gastrocs, and they have been growing very rapidly since I go all the way to eccentric failure.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >I believe in using the stretch reflex because overloading/training that movement is how its supposed to be used and that is how you should train them.
        There is alot of truth to this actually. Just doing calf raises is isolation work but things like clean pulls where you extend up on the toes and focus on using the calf for the explosion work the calf moving a heavy load with the explosive stretch reflex. Olympic lifters are told to be sure they are fully extending their calves and traps with their clean pulls.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous
        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          https://i.imgur.com/iBL1xvz.jpg

          This makes much sense for hitting the achilles tendon tbh. Athletic, explosive exercise for the achilles tendon, full ROM calf raises with long pauses for the calf muscles. Simple as

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Excellent post. Another thing that will help grow them is jogging and walking in barefoot shoes or vibrams. Make sure you’re striking on the ball of your foot. One mile jogging like that a couple times a week will add noticeable size and definition within a couple months.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    140lb dyels will take you that you need to do cardio because cardio is better than bodybuilding for bodybuilding. No, what the issue actually is is that you are training it like an utter pussy. Simple as that. I've been lifting 6 years I've never seen one person train calves hard. I've seen people put a 50lb dumbbell on their lap while sitting on a bench and doing calf raises that way. That does literally nothing.

    The standing calf raise you use can easily hit 5pl8s. The calf raise is a large kinetic chain + extremely small RoM so you do little work (the physics definition.) This means the weight needed for resistance is HUGE but in the gym all I see are skinny idiots putting on 100lbs and thinking that does anything. Actually put some effort into it instead of trying meme shit after meme shit like "jumping with a barbell"

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I'm in total agreement with using really heavy weight for this. How do you get a full ROM with this, though. I know a lot of people swear by doing these with their heel haning over a lip to stretch more at the bottom. I couldn't imagine that being safe when yoh're pushing big numbers.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >How do you get a full ROM with this, though. I know a lot of people swear by doing these with their heel haning over a lip to stretch more at the bottom. I couldn't imagine that being safe when yoh're pushing big numbers.
        Couldn't you just squat a tiny bit into it and focus on flexing your calves? If your knees are in front of your feet, your calves are at their full ROM.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          That takes the tension off of the gastroc and puts it onto the soleus, which isn't bad if you're trying to train the soleus (eg seated calves) but if you're trying to train the gastroc you want to keep your knees locked.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Ass to grass squats

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I usually just use what im squatting for calf raises. Put a raised platform under the bar when im done with squats and rep it out. Works decent tbqh

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I actually have great calves. Not sure if my genetics or hard training. Legs might be favorite body part at the moment.
    I do at least 100 reps for calve raises.
    I’m 6’0 and 193 lbs.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >blended and packaged in sierra leone

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >premium quality

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    heavy weight, 10-15 reps per set and very short breaks between the sets, your calves need to be in flames during end of each set

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I personally think they grow from use, do train them too though. I had a bad foot and half of my calf is bulbous, the other one is not 🙁

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    This is Arnold's advice from his Encyclopedia of bodybuilding. You have to train them using calf raises and you have to put a significant amount of time into the period also you need to load them quite a bit probably far more than you can deadlift.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >probably far more than you can deadlift
      > more than you can deadlift
      > far more

      I mean... I can deadlift 405 and you and Arnold are saying "far more" than that so we're talking like, what, that I have to do calf raises that weigh like, over 3,000 lbs?

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Stretch them. Jump rope.

  15. 1 year ago
    rinnegan

    Every strongman on the planet has big calves
    So therefore you need to do 3 things
    1) become fat
    2) do heavy carries
    3) do push presses

  16. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have huge calves and I never trained my legs. A mixture of genetics and living in a house upstairs. Since I was a kid I have done nothing but climb stairs up and down.
    Luck goes that far though, because my forearms have always been small. Thanks to lifting weights I managed to get them to normal level, but they are not impressive at all.

  17. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    unironically go backpacking/mountaineering. Load up a backpack for a 4-5 day trip up to a nice mountain lake. set up camp. Fish, relax, smoke, take time off from the world. Then go climb a fricking mountain.

    Rucking 30lbs for 10 miles at an incline beats any gym calf workout for me. And much more enjoyable.

    Anywhere in the US is ~9hours or less from solid mountains. Go climb some fricking 14ers and send pics from the summit 🙂

  18. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    those varicose veins though

  19. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    walk on your toes

  20. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I can give you the secret techniques I used to get my 21 inch calves.

    They are truly monstrous, wedge shaped meat blocks that are difficult to find socks for.

    >walk on the balls of your feet at all times
    >hike for cardio with a backpack
    > do standing calf raises after every lift day 4 sets to fail as heavy as you can

  21. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    they don't react as well to the roids you're doing
    you can consider them your honest muscles, and every time you look at them be reminded that you are a fraud and they're all you're really worth

  22. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    muscle fibers on the calves only experience tension when lengthened due to the structure of their myofibrils in each muscle fiber
    there are a few studies now showing conclusively that calves grow significantly from weighted stretching with for long periods (more than just a few seconds)
    it doesn't even matter how much weight you're using except for tracking your progress, stretching your calves under load and contracting them isometrically against resistance mid range or when almost fully lengthened is what makes then grow

  23. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I always forget how mentally ill this place is until I take a break, come back, and see threads like this with some guy sperging out about his fricking calves

  24. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    By doing calves raises everyday, stopped doing them cause of my veins, looks horrible now.

  25. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Mine got up to 18" just from deads and squats (835 and 675). Recently started training them 3x a week. 3 sets on seated (better soleus activation) and 3 sets donkey/standing. Aim to fail in the 15-20 rep range, and when you do fail do another 15 or so assisted reps on seated by lifting the pad up, isometric hold the last rep to failure. Repeat 3x. For standing I just do drop sets, and then continuously dropset and amrap on the last set. Only been doing this for 2 months and have already put another half inch on them. Intensity and training beyond failure are the keys to getting huge.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Looking pretty big anon

      https://i.imgur.com/PuWq3x7.png

      I don't lift at the level of the typical person on this board, but I do medium/long distance running (around 40 - 60km a week). Sort of wish the rest of my body matched my calves!

      Mirin. I know this one woman who doesn't look like she works out at all but has insane fricking calves, I'm talking muscle fibers moving and visible veins while walking. Good calves add surprisingly lot to a physique

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Thanks! Trying to move into bodybuilding from strength sports this year, I've learned the most important muscles for a well rounded physique are the smaller ones people tend to neglect; calves, adductors, and rear delts mainly. Even if you're mad jacked with huge quads/hams/glutes and shoulders, without those muscles you won't look very aesthetic

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          What about neck and forearms?

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Not him but they're very important as well. Would also add abs to that list (since most people either don't train them or train them incorrectly)

  26. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Walks on treadmill set to the highest incline with a focus on feeling a stretch in them after a training session as LISS cool down works wonders to tone them up. Beyond that just 1 dedicated standing and seated day of weighted calf raises is enough.

  27. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Look in the mirror and whisper "grow, grow, grow"

  28. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    mountain biking
    hiking
    jump roping

    thank me later

  29. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I don't lift at the level of the typical person on this board, but I do medium/long distance running (around 40 - 60km a week). Sort of wish the rest of my body matched my calves!

  30. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I got big calves by walking on my toes from birth until my teenage years. Make of that what you will.

  31. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Just walk and they will grow

  32. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    You're constantly using your calves, so it takes a lot to really active them.
    >High reps with high weight
    >Super sets
    >Treadmill at moderate-high walking speed on an incline

  33. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >should I target them directly
    Why wouldn't you? Weighted raises, rucks
    The biggest calf growth I ever had was when I broke a leg and could only use the one for months. That calf got fricking huge
    So then like any muscle the answer is weighted work on that muscle
    It's there for walking thus you must make walking a weight exercise
    Ergo ruck, weighted raises, even just isolateral raises

  34. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    If someone told you deadlifts and compound lifts help your calves, you were moronic for taking their b8, dumbass.
    I had legit 20" lean calves from skateboarding for 15 years, they dropped to 19" but I'm good with that. If you want them to grow, try doing half-mile backward jogs, or, do the standard calf raise shit, but hold a FULL FRICKING STRETCH for 3-5 seconds at the bottom, and a 1-3 second hold at the top. You morons who go heavy and bounce the weight around like you're having a seizure will never grow your calves, you either need to do high-rep real-life shit or you need to hold the stretch, otherwise, prepare for chicken legs forever.

  35. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    hit them 7 days a week, they can take the volume.

    same with abs

  36. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    anon here with 28.5" thighs, but only 16" calves:
    i've been doing single leg standing calf raises & double leg seated calf raises since a month now, and they've already started growing (were 15" before)

    for standing i do 4x15, alternate legs, no rest in between, in a 2-2-2-2 pattern (2 up, 2 hold, 2 down, 2 hold)
    for seated i do 4x20, same pattern, 1min rest in between

  37. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The worst or maybe best thing about having nice calves is the homos in the gym think you are coming onto them if you start flexing them in the mirror.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Based and true. I have 19.5" inchers. Makes the chicken legged gym bros seethe

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Yuge

  38. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Cafromancy

  39. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    My calves are shit but I've started doing 1 leg body weight calf raises with a big stretch from a step every couple days or so. Definitely noticing some growth happening, they're a lot more solid too.

  40. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    RUN.

  41. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Put it in the big ring.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Better yet, go fixed gear.

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