Calf Talk

[rccs]

I always heard that calves are the muscles most dependent of one's genetics, to grow. I am starting to believe it. I blast my calves 3x a week and nothing! Is the only body part that never developed through the years! It is not easy to find someone that say that has big calves just because of hard training! I know some BB and PL that even juicing like hell cannot develop their calves. What do you guys think?

[Always Sore]

personally I think like anything you can build to your best potential but like biceps you cannot change your insertions or shape more then add more muscle and subtract fat. I have good calves but do not work them allot, most that do say the same thing, so it leads me to the genetics issue.There are a thousand different ways to build calves but you are only going to get to a point of your genetic limit (though some people never reach this because they do not push themselves enough and just give up).

[Overload]

keep nailing them, i have good genetics for calves. my fathers calves are bigger than mine and he hasn't lifted weights in about 20 years...my calves are bigger than my upper arms.

train them twice a week, one day with HEAVY standing raises with a good stretch and squeeze, make sure you use FULL range of motion, all the way up and flex hard, all the way down and stretch. 3-4 days later do sprints, all out, everything you have. uphill sprints work better if you have that option. i like to do straights and curves at the local high school track. sprint the straights and walk the curves. do this for 30 minutes. give it EVERYTHING you have.

bleacher runs are also good for calves...i believe calves respond well to heavy weight AND extreme reps, like sprinting.

just my opinion...

 

[pumpster]

Genetics make a big difference but most can build solid calves at least, by experimenting with different exercises and different routines until something is found that maximizes potential.
Standing, seated raises, raises using the leg press, running in sand, donkey raises-try them all, then play around with reps, sets, shorter rest times, supersets of two calf exercises, rest-pause reps after reaching failure, German Volume Training, etc. until the most effective mix is found. Only after trying all this can you say it won't happen.

A little like Scharzenegger did; even if you don't have the same genetics you can bring them up after finding the right combo.

[Bluto]

Ask Derek Anthony if nothing else helps

[alexxx]

  1st calf:  mooo moo moooo!

  2nd calf:   moo moooo mo?

  1st calf:  Moo!!  mooo moooo mooooooo!

   2nd calf:    rofmol !! 

hahaha good point.

[blondmusclhunk]

My calves are great and I only work them once a week standing and sitting raises.  All the other guys in my family have bad calves.  Its prob somwhere in the genes though

[JPM]

BMHulk: Just wondering....if the other guy's in your family have bad calves and your's are great, maybe your adopted.


40 yard sprints.....4 to 6 set's. All us linemen use to joke about all the quarterback's calves look like pipe stems. The new assistence coach had them all do 40 yarder's, twice a day, for stamina. All their calves improved greatly in just as little as a couple of weeks. Taught me a lesson about training.

Probably one of the better movements for the calves is the one legged standing calf raise. Full stretch and holding a DB for resistence, when that time comes. The  important thing is going to the extreme top position, up on the two big toes, and contracting the calf fast and hard. Speed is very important when working calves. You should be gaining speed as you raise up. Can also do flat footed calf raises, without a stretch of any kind. Calves, as a short ranged muscle group, are very powerful and should be worked that way, from time to time. Can do these in a power rack, squat stand, calf machine, slide, etc. When training extra heavy, speed and full contraction is also desired. Usually, on occasion, it's  best to train the calves one leg at a time for better focus on the exercise and muscle themselves.

Dozens of other way's to work the calves to their ultimate, for max results. Just explore different ways and find the one best suited for you. Good Luck.

[bigragu]

Any bodypart will grow if you blast it with enough intensity and volume. Genetic's however play a major role in the actual shape and size of each particular bodypart. For example, if you have naturally high calves, then yes, your calves will grow in size, however they will always be high. Thus you can go from having small high calves to having big high calves. There are certain exercises that can help strengthen and build the soleis or lower-outer portion, however if your genetic makeup is such that your calves are naturally high - then they will always remain that way.

[The Freakshow]

I always heard that calves are the muscles most dependent of one's genetics, to grow. I am starting to believe it. I blast my calves 3x a week and nothing! Is the only body part that never developed through the years! It is not easy to find someone that say that has big calves just because of hard training! I know some BB and PL that even juicing like hell cannot develop their calves. What do you guys think?

I believe that most people's calves don't grow because they try to train them differently than the rest of their body. For example, if you train your chest once a week with heavy weights for 6-10 reps and it's growing like crazy, that's how you should train your calves.

I have awesome calves (down to 19" right now). I know a lot of it is genetics. But I train them heavy, once a week. When I trained them light or heavy several times a week they didn't grow.

Try it for a few months and see how it works. Heavy weight, 6-10 reps, full complete, controlled reps, once a week. If they're not growing now, you've got nothing to lose. Good Luck!

[rccs]

I would like to thank all of tour opinions! I will get the most from them!

[darksol]

You should check out the segiment on the fit show about training calves.  I watched it and gave it a try.  My calves were sore for a week.   I seriously think that if you are having trouble getting your calves bigger, its a matter of proper training, and or calorie intake  When I train them, I make sure I go all the way up and all the way down.  When going up, at full extension I try to hold and force a cramp, then I slowly go down til I can feel a good strech in my calves.  I only use a medium weight.  You also need to train your inner and outer calves seperately.  I usually do 3 sets, toes in, toes forward, toes out.  Remember the negatives are what will help you create micro tears, so that you can build more muscle.  Of course there is a bit that is genetics, but usually its just a matter of diet and training. 

[pobrecito]

Look at how Yates trained his calves....low reps...super super high weight on the standing calf raise. Over 1000 lbs.