Post your most successful calf workouts.

[big E]

If you dont have an easy time with your calf development, post your most successful calf workouts that gave you new growth.

[XS]

Donkey Style - 6 to 30 reps average
1-Legged Standing holding DB - sets and reps vary
Seated - 20 rep range
*3 to 4 times a week.

Tips- It is all about the contraction. Roll up on your big toe and hold the contraction for a 2 count on every rep.
The 1# problem with calves in all of my clients and everyone I have ever met has been poor performance. 2#TOO MUCH WEIGHT for the guys who actually train and not enough for everyone else. The women almost always train to light. 

Peak contractions + Big weights = Diamonds.  *Once a week is not going to cut it.

XS

[LatsMcGee]

I call these suicide calve raises

I get on the standing calve raise machine and do five heavy reps.  I immediately drop the pin to half the weight and do twelve reps.  I think drop the pin to the bottom and do thirty reps.  I repeat this cycle one more time after this and my calves are fried.  I've always made great gains using these.

If you only train calves once a week consider repeating the cycle a third time.

[NoCalBbEr]

i've always done
 seated calf raise 4x16
smith machine calf raise 4x15

i go heavy, but i go all the way do and all the way up.

[Overload]

Donkey Style - 6 to 30 reps average
1-Legged Standing holding DB - sets and reps vary
Seated - 20 rep range
*3 to 4 times a week.

Tips- It is all about the contraction. Roll up on your big toe and hold the contraction for a 2 count on every rep.
The 1# problem with calves in all of my clients and everyone I have ever met has been poor performance. 2#TOO MUCH WEIGHT for the guys who actually train and not enough for everyone else. The women almost always train to light. 

Peak contractions + Big weights = Diamonds.  *Once a week is not going to cut it.

XS

Excellent post!

also, uphill sprints work wonders...once a week do interval sprints for 20-30 minutes. sprint all(give it everything you have) out for a good 100 yards, walk fast for a minute or two...repeat for 20-30 minutes. it works

 

[XS]

Thanx and Sprints are an excellent form of cross training.  I was focusing on in the gym moves.   

Plyometric Jump squats, Weighted Jump Roping in Strength Shoes,  Walking Lunges w/ Strength Shoes.
The Strength Shoe workout in general will add an inch to your calves in 8 weeks on a beginner to crosstraining.

Train smart and throw the kitchen sink at them. Everything grows with consistent persistent effort.  Period.


XS

[g0ddang]

i hate seated calf raises. they do little to nothing for me. the best results i've ever gotten when doing calves is standing&donkey raises. especially doing them with one leg

if i DO do seated calf raises i make sure to them first on leg days so having all that weight under my quads won't kill me.

[davie]

SO....how much weight do u use then 'LATSMGEE'?
Just wandering how heavy the weight goes up to on ur machine?
I dont have calf raise machine in my gym,any alternative (legpress,standing Barbell calf raise),that i could use instead of that machine, but i would still use the rep scheme you talked about.

davie

[muscle19]

mine really strated to respond using charles glass method, 2 days on, one day off...using 2 different exercises for around 2 sets each going for 20-25 reps a set...doing that for a month and then switching to 10-15 reps for a little while, really gives it that extra touch, and saw major improvement for calves with that split.


muscle

[Mr Anabolic]

1. Triple drop set standing raises
2. One leg raises (no rest)
3. Donkey's 

Nice burn!

[Bear03]

Seated Calf: 5 sets x 25 (first 15 hold and squeeze, rep out last 10-15)
Calf Press: 3 sets x 20, 15, 10
Standing Calf Raise (BB or Smith): 4 sets x 6-8, drop set on last 2 sets

[davie]

BEAR03....is that done once a week or repeated????Nice varied rep range.

davie

[Blood]

Real easy two-step program here:
Step 1: Be fat
Step 2: Live in a two-story house
Enjoy!

[Bear03]

BEAR03....is that done once a week or repeated????Nice varied rep range.

davie

twice a week, my man. 

[LatsMcGee]

SO....how much weight do u use then 'LATSMGEE'?
Just wandering how heavy the weight goes up to on ur machine?
I dont have calf raise machine in my gym,any alternative (legpress,standing Barbell calf raise),that i could use instead of that machine, but i would still use the rep scheme you talked about.

davie

Just use your five rep max than buddy.

[Cavalier22]

who the hell workouts legs anyways......

[Jr. Yates]

I use to go way too heavy cuz i thought that since the calves are so strong you need go really really heavy but now that i've been training longer i realized with calves (for me anyway ) i have to go really slow no bouncing get a full stretch and a full contraction and what the fuck do you  know they grew!

[JOHN MATRIX]

no matter how effectively i hit my calves, no matter how sore they become, they NEVER GET ANY BIGGER

[dontknowit]

And there's something like shitty genetics.
Mine are not small, but they're actually overpowered by the upperlegs. Don't bother yourself to much with it. Others have great genetics and don't do a damn thing for calves, and theirs are greatly developed.

Most obvious example are fat people. Some of them have like gigantic bowlingballs behind their lowerlegs just from walking, while others have only chickenlegs.