Is training Calves counterproductive?

[Macrofitter]

My calves are pretty subborn, I always had troubles bringing them up, and I've tried everything (heavy weight, light weight, high reps, low reps, supersets, every angle/machine imaginable...).

Now I haven't trained them in several weeks, but went onto the stairmill for 20 minutes after every workout. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression that my calves have grown and got a lil more cuts as well.

Is training calves maybe counterproductive when u got shitty calf-genetics, and more cardio might do the job? Think of all the cyclists with great calves, who've never seen a weight-room in their lives...

[ratherbebig]

yes tour de france for a few years might bring them up
good luck

[8 INCH not biceps]

What people dont get is that you cant really over train the calves, look at the size of the calves on the obese fucks walking around town it got big because it had to support a lot of weight, if you want big calves train them every time you go to the gym and if they are still not getting bigger then at night when you get home just stand on one leg and do one legged calf raises for 80 reps to 100 reps 6 sets, in a month you will see a difference.

[Macrofitter]

What people dont get is that you cant really over train the calves, look at the size of the calves on the obese fucks walking around town it got big because it had to support a lot of weight, if you want big calves train them every time you go to the gym and if they are still not getting bigger then at night when you get home just stand on one leg and do one legged calf raises for 80 reps to 100 reps 6 sets, in a month you will see a difference.

Sounds like the "Whatever it takes" approach....?

[8 INCH not biceps]

Sounds like the "Whatever it takes" approach....?

Check out this fat dude, walking on the golf course for years turn his calves into cows to support his weight.

[BlackMetallic]

Theres a kid at work. He's got a strong squat n deadlift

He's got skinny calves. He says they wont grow. He might b right. I told him u cant necessarily make them bigger but u can make them stronger n maybe change thier shape

I have him doin calves every workout

2 days of 10x3

The others are 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps. He's not goin for the pump.

His squat has gone up a tad but he swears the weight feels more controlable now that his calves are far stronger

His deads r better too

Of course i told him that u need to work them cuz u deserve the pain

[Macrofitter]

Theres a kid at work. He's got a strong squat n deadlift

He's got skinny calves. He says they wont grow. He might b right. I told him u cant necessarily make them bigger but u can make them stronger n maybe change thier shape

I have him doin calves every workout

2 days of 10x3

The others are 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps. He's not goin for the pump.

His squat has gone up a tad but he swears the weight feels more controlable now that his calves are far stronger

His deads r better too

Of course i told him that u need to work them cuz u deserve the pain

I don't get this "u can't overtrain calves" BS people are talking about. When I train calves, they're sore the next day, period. Would u train a sore bodypart again the very next day?

[8 INCH not biceps]

I don't get this "u can't overtrain calves" BS people are talking about. When I train calves, they're sore the next day, period. Would u train a sore bodypart again the very next day?

Yes you can lets say you did a heavy calf workout today and tomorrow they are sore, then you would do high reps instead, one of the best places to do high reps is on the leg press machine, just sit there and pump out some 60 rep sets.

[Simple Simon]

Yes you can lets say you did a heavy calf workout today and tomorrow they are sore, then you would do high reps instead, one of the best places to do high reps is on the leg press machine, just sit there and pump out some 60 rep sets.

[NelsonMuntz]

My calves were skinny as fuck through my teens and did not really grow/improve except on and off through my late twenties through my 30's  when I dropped the ego lifting and started training them for feel or whatever you want to call it. At one point 2011 right before I stopped regular training for four years they were up to 18 inches pumped. Not huge by bodybuilding standards but improved.
When I stopped regular training they were the last thing to shrink, my arms(weakest point were first)

These days I train regularly but don't take measurements, My calves are pretty much 80% of what they looked like at their best, which is damn good imo.

2 points...when they started to improve and I paid attention to the moves I did any and all sorts of set/rep combo, speed of reps, including different ranges of motion(ie when doing sets of 100, it was as many full reps, then rest pause full reps then half reps, quarter reps etc etc rest pausing till 100)

I am sorry but perhaps we can't get certain or even all bodyparts to whatever size we are seeking, but we can always improve what we have.

For example I have gone down a whole belt size(XL down all the wholes) from september 2015 at 225-230lbs to a large belt and at notch number 2 at 247lbs(as of last night).

[Dr Dutch]

Theres a kid at work. He's got a strong squat n deadlift

He's got skinny calves. He says they wont grow. He might b right. I told him u cant necessarily make them bigger but u can make them stronger n maybe change thier shape

I have him doin calves every workout

2 days of 10x3

The others are 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps. He's not goin for the pump.

His squat has gone up a tad but he swears the weight feels more controlable now that his calves are far stronger

His deads r better too

Of course i told him that u need to work them cuz u deserve the pain

"change their shape" ??
There's no such thing, only size....don't act like you are some trainer dude if you don't know shit.

[BlackMetallic]

"change their shape" ??
There's no such thing, only size....don't act like you are some trainer dude if you don't know shit.

Relax

He's been doin it for 6 months. His calves still measure 15 inches

However there is noticeable difference now in definition on the lateral n medial head

[Dr Dutch]

Relax

He's been doin it for 6 months. His calves still measure 15 inches

However there is noticeable difference now in definition on the lateral n medial head

Definition = fat percentage. Not a different shape.

[ratherbebig]

what happens to the shape of your calves if you train soleus more than gastrocnemius or vice versa

[Dr Dutch]

what happens to the shape of your calves if you train soleus more than gastrocnemius or vice versa

I guess soleus grows bigger. Or gastroc. Just bigger or smaller.

[ratherbebig]

I guess soleus grows bigger. Or gastroc. Just bigger or smaller.

wouldnt that change the shape

[NelsonMuntz]

The key thing to improving anything in life is to not ask questions on GetBig because you may be discouraged by the pessimistic and sarcastic answers you receive 

[Ropo]

My calves are pretty subborn, I always had troubles bringing them up, and I've tried everything (heavy weight, light weight, high reps, low reps, supersets, every angle/machine imaginable...).

Now I haven't trained them in several weeks, but went onto the stairmill for 20 minutes after every workout. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression that my calves have grown and got a lil more cuts as well.

Is training calves maybe counterproductive when u got shitty calf-genetics, and more cardio might do the job? Think of all the cyclists with great calves, who've never seen a weight-room in their lives...

It isn't what you do, it is how you do it. 1-2" reps isn't enough for stimulation..

[falco]

[Deadpool]

 

[FREAKgeek]

My calves are pretty subborn, I always had troubles bringing them up, and I've tried everything (heavy weight, light weight, high reps, low reps, supersets, every angle/machine imaginable...).

Now I haven't trained them in several weeks, but went onto the stairmill for 20 minutes after every workout. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression that my calves have grown and got a lil more cuts as well.

Is training calves maybe counterproductive when u got shitty calf-genetics, and more cardio might do the job? Think of all the cyclists with great calves, who've never seen a weight-room in their lives...

I stopped training calves with a similar mentality, thought squats and other full body routines would suffice. Went back to direct calves work after a few months and lost strength and endurance. So, they do something.

[YngiweRhoads]

Train calves like you train everything else. They'll take time, but they'll grow.

[Dr Dutch]

Train calves like you train everything else. They'll take time, but they'll grow.

I don't really agree. I think that calves are the most genetic muscle group. If you got weak ones to start with, you should go Arnold....blast them (almost) daily, make them scream for mercy. Dorian's and Mentzer's strategy only works when you got their genetics. Their calves would grow anyway, especially with the loads of gear they both used. I wonder what Dorians calves would have looked like if he'd never trained them, just upper legs plus gear.....I think they would have been almost the same.

[BlackMetallic]

I don't really agree. I think that calves are the most genetic muscle group. If you got weak ones to start with, you should go Arnold....blast them (almost) daily, make them scream for mercy. Dorian's and Mentzer's strategy only work when you got their genetics. Their calves would grow anyway, especially with the loads of gear they both used. I wonder what Dorians calves would have looked like if he'd never trained them, just upper legs plus gear.....I think they would have been almost the same.

There was a thread on meso-rx or sumthin regarding training calves

Quite a few people posted that when they trained calves routinely they shrank

When they stopped training them, sum said they grew an inch


 

[maxkane69]

The best way to grow your muscles :
- train calves and abs every day
- train every body part every other day
- volume training and heavy weight with perfect form
- take steroids
- eat plenty of protein
This is how Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sergio Oliva used to train back in the early 70. Of course to do that you need to train twice a day every day for close 2 hours a session and it is impossible if you have a real job.