Post: #26

Incorporate sprinting into your weekly routine as a calf workout, its about a million times less boring and your calves get detail too. Run on the balls of your feet for reps of say 100-150m or even longer intervals. For rapid gain do some sand sprints that'll boost your quads and hammys/glutes too. Its a long process but thats the fun part of gym, taking the time to develop your physique.

Post: #27

(08-10-2015 05:48 PM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  Calves have always been a nightmare for me too; being tall makes it even worse.

The only real solution is heavy and high volume. Most people just do not realise how strong the calf muscles are and train with pitiful weight.

My dad was a bodybuilder and suffered with the calf problem...I still do his routine of tri-sets with the feet pointed straight, then inwards then outwards.

I've got a thin frame. I do high weight and get best results that way. Then occasionally switch it up with higher volume. Agreed, most people don't use enough weight, or always high reps and bitch they don't grow.

Post: #28

(08-09-2015 01:54 PM)kleyau Wrote:  Do calf raises with ~100lbs more than your final set of squat.

Run in Five Fingers.

This.

And remember to do both seated and standing calf raises. Both are equally important.

Post: #29

There's only one 100% guaranteed method to get massive calves:

- Get really fucking fat
- Stay fat for 10+ years
- Lose all the fats

I've never seen an ex-fattie without massive calves, regardless of ethnicity.

Failing that, you need tailored solutions for each individual. Mine are:

- Asian genetics
- Dancing
- Rope skipping

Post: #30

(08-22-2015 02:32 AM)StrikeBack Wrote:  There's only one 100% guaranteed method to get massive calves:

- Get really fucking fat
- Stay fat for 10+ years
- Lose all the fats

I've never seen an ex-fattie without massive calves, regardless of ethnicity.

Failing that, you need tailored solutions for each individual. Mine are:

- Asian genetics
- Dancing
- Rope skipping

hahaha i saw this fat motherfucker on the bus the other day and his calves were absolutely enormous, like 24"

Post: #31

Running on high incline and calf raises got me bigger and more defined calves. You can plateau quickly so it's better to mix things up and do a variety of calf exercises.

Post: #32

I've always had bigger and more defined legs compared to my upper body, cos I never lifted until the last few years but played football most days.

I see people who never did sports but lift weights have skinny legs and are always trying to improve them. I know one guy who's a bodybuilder but does a lot of 'calf training'. I saw him once when I was running and wearing shorts, he seemed pretty suprised and impressed by my legs (no homo... I hope) Maybe this is why it's so important. Maybe the squats are only working the larger muscles in your thighs but not your calves.

I think cyclists have big and defined calves. I'm always freaked out by cyclists calves when I drive. It must be the thousands and thousands of reps of cycling.

Post: #33

My dude move somewhere that cars aren't the main transportation

buy one of these:


bike you and your bitches everywhere,

problem solved.

Post: #34

Try snowboarding. All of my friends and I who ride regularly have large calves that remain defined throughout the off-season, regardless of body type. We've also all been riding for over ten years, so it's possible that has been a contributing factor as well.

Post: #35

In terms of working out my calves, I am giving the calve machine a shot. The one where you're sitting down. I am doing 4 sets/15 reps of 350 lbs. I just recently started doing this, hopefully it will work out.

Post: #36

Ok here is what I do for calves. I use the calve machine at the gym but you can hold heavy dumbbells and do them.

I do 10 reps and on the 10th rep I hold and squeeze the hell out of the muscle for 5-10 seconds (this makes it burn) then I continue and do 8 reps and hold it for 5-10 seconds on the 8th rep.

Keep the continuing with 6 more reps and hold it for 5-10 seconds on the 6th rep. At this point your calves will burn like hell and it's up to you if you want to go further. At the very end I'll squeeze in some cheat reps and finish.

I take a break and then do another set. I guess this is like a super-set or pyramid set.

Calves can be trained everyday.

Post: #37

The real secret to huge calves:





I've never seen bigger or stronger calves than on ballet dancers.

Post: #38

Based on the pic in Arnold's "Education of a Bodybuilder", I actually built a calf-raise device that can be fitted onto the Cage. Plates could be hung from a chain. Fast gains into the 400lb range. They carry you around whenever you walk, so they're conditioned to be loaded on up.

Post: #39

I really struggled to get mine to grow from lifting weights, I really saw a breakthrough when I started cycling a lot in addition to lifting. It didn't take much either - just a few times a week sprint cycling up a long gentle slope.

Post: #40

Another vote for calves are genetic. I have had monster calves my entire life and never done a single exercise for them. My dad and brother also have massive calves. I would gladly trade my genetically huge calves for a genetically huge cock.

Post: #41

(08-12-2015 04:04 PM)Hades Wrote:  Do your calf raises on one leg.

This helps a lot, my calves started to get diamond-shaped after doing this.

Also, walk uphill a lot if you live in a hilly area.

Post: #42

It is also beneficial to train calves on a seperate day to the rest of your legs so that you can really focus on them.

Post: #43

Rope skipping on one leg really gets my calves pumping

Post: #44

(08-10-2015 01:06 PM)Hades Wrote:  My calves have always been huge, and they got even bigger once I started doing stiff legged deadlifts for not much weight (like 135) and higher rep back squats for not much weight - like 145# for a set of 5,4,3,2,1, then a balls out set of 20, then a set of 10.

Yup exactly this

Focus on most important leg exercises and calves will follow, just like biceps follow when you do your pullups/chinups. Finish your legs session workout with 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps of calf raises on one leg holding dumbbell and you're good. Or do them between other exercises if you really need to. Basically, don't stress out about calves if you're not satisfied with your still leg deadlifts and squats. Focus on the biggest muscles first.

As a side note, I see skinny guys who can't make 2 proper chinups on their own yet they attack their biceps from every angle possible doing 10-12 sets of different curls every week. I'm not saying it's you, just want to portray that first things should come first.

Post: #45

(09-20-2015 11:06 AM)XXL Wrote:  

(08-10-2015 01:06 PM)Hades Wrote:  My calves have always been huge, and they got even bigger once I started doing stiff legged deadlifts for not much weight (like 135) and higher rep back squats for not much weight - like 145# for a set of 5,4,3,2,1, then a balls out set of 20, then a set of 10.

Yup exactly this

Focus on most important leg exercises and calves will follow, just like biceps follow when you do your pullups/chinups. Finish your legs session workout with 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps of calf raises on one leg holding dumbbell and you're good. Or do them between other exercises if you really need to. Basically, don't stress out about calves if you're not satisfied with your still leg deadlifts and squats. Focus on the biggest muscles first.

For most guys that will be fine but there is quite a sizeable percentage of guys out there who really struggle to get the calves to grow without huge, concerted volume and weight.

I know cause I'm one of them and this advice wouldn't work for me sadly.

Post: #46

Update, i switched to a bodybuilding routine a couple of weeks before this thread after doing low volume on compounds for about a year. So im seeing rapid improvements all over, and even a bit in my calves.

Problem is whenever i train arms, when theyre pumped they look twice as big as my calves.
I swear by the advice received by pm, nothing pumps my calves as they do.

But so far i dont think ill ever get big calves, even getting them to look proportionate seems like an unreacheable goal. There is definitely improvement but not enough.

Post: #47

I tried the routine from the video and seemed to get some tension in my ankles. I haven't trained my calves for a couple of months though. Is this tension being caused by poor form or lack of strength that will be improved?

Post: #48

I just noticed my left calve is bigger than my right I'm pretty sure it's from driving stick shift with a heavy duty clutch

Post: #49

Any advice on increasing the flexibility of calves? I can't get as low as I'd like on squats because my calves bring my heels up.

Post: #50

Yoga stretches like down dog