Stubborn A$s Calves

I'm considering dedicating a day out of the week just to train these mutha!!as. Nothing has worked so far; heavy weight w/ low reps, low weight, heavy reps, NOTHING. I already do them 3x a week till the point that they hurt at the end of the workout.

Has anybody had stubborn calves in the past but eventually made progress in their growth? And if so how?

08-19-2011, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by awdyo1

I'm considering dedicating a day out of the week just to train these mutha!!as. Nothing has worked so far; heavy weight w/ low reps, low weight, heavy reps, NOTHING. I already do them 3x a week till the point that they hurt at the end of the workout.

Has anybody had stubborn calves in the past but eventually made progress in their growth? And if so how?

You ever consider that THIS may be your problem?

08-19-2011, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by akademiks

You ever consider that THIS may be your problem?

Exactly....they are a tiny muscle group...you should be doing them a couple sets once a week....twice a week at most...

08-19-2011, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by akademiks

You ever consider that THIS may be your problem?

Aight, hurt was an overstatement...I do them to the point that the gastrocnemius doesn't move.

08-19-2011, 11:22 AM

for me calves get the best workout when outside of the gym...sprints, stair work, jumping, etc...

of course, genetics may have just !!ed you over...[pic]

08-19-2011, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by awdyo1

Aight, hurt was an overstatement...I do them to the point that the gastrocnemius doesn't move.

what about the soleus? [pic]

08-19-2011, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by MysticKJ

what about the soleus? [pic]

Yeah I abuse the !! out them too when I'm doing sitting and donkey raises.

08-19-2011, 11:51 AM

Calves, like most muscles in the leg, can take heavy loads at frequent intervals. So yeah, you can do them everyday if you want. But like biceps, their size is limited by genetics. I have naturally big calves but I've heard of people using 8 second negatives to induce growth in theirs. 3 sets x 12-15 reps using heavy weights with 8 second negatives. Try that out.

08-19-2011, 12:06 PM

^^^ Good looks

08-19-2011, 12:31 PM

Im not sure how you guys do calves.. I only do them to increase my vertical. I dont limit reps when it comes to them. I do reps until my foot starts to cramp or I cant do them anymore with the weights im using. I usually end up doing about 4-5 sets of 50-60 reps. Maybe try wearing jump soles all day?

08-19-2011, 12:37 PM

genetics... your biggest barrier...

imho
you are gonna have to try different types of movements... for example

explosive movements = ie plyometric type training
strength = ie heavy lifts
endurance = ie skip rope

try to incorporate some of this stuff into your workout if not already there

08-19-2011, 12:48 PM

like the rest of the body, the only thing that's gonna make your calf muscles bigger is moving heavy[..] weight.

08-19-2011, 01:27 PM

first of all, you need to be eating and at a calorie surplus at the end of the day. Secondly 3 times a week is too much man. Youre not going to put on size if youre not resting.

If you do calves on monday the absolute earliest you should do them again is friday in my opinion. Probably even saturday.

08-19-2011, 02:13 PM

I heard if you black then you're generally gonna have small calves, it's a genetic thing, true?

08-19-2011, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by SHOWTIME

genetics... your biggest barrier...

imho
you are gonna have to try different types of movements... for example

explosive movements = ie plyometric type training
strength = ie heavy lifts
endurance = ie skip rope

try to incorporate some of this stuff into your workout if not already there

I appreciate the response. The sad thing is I do incorporate all those. I mean I may suffer from a case of muscle dysmorphia when it comes to my calves because every one tells me they're fine, but I want these mutha!!as on D's

08-19-2011, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by kidbrosweets

first of all, you need to be eating and at a calorie surplus at the end of the day. Secondly 3 times a week is too much man. Youre not going to put on size if youre not resting.

If you do calves on monday the absolute earliest you should do them again is friday in my opinion. Probably even saturday.

Not necessarily true. I was always taught - via exercise science classes and my PT certification book - that the muscles need 72 hours of rest. So yeah, I do them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

08-19-2011, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by awdyo1

Not necessarily true. I was always taught - via exercise science classes and my PT certification book - that the muscles need 72 hours of rest. So yeah, I do them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

[pic] what man. you just contradicted your own statement. If you do them monday wed and friday, you only give them 24 hours rest. If you arent getting the proper rest, your muscles simply wont grow. They need to be repaired before broken down again. Lifting them three times a week is like kicking somebody while theyre down and trying to get up, they wont get up and recover.

08-19-2011, 05:19 PM

try working your calves on tuesdays and thursdays then. switch it up. Sometimes i work my calves on chest and tricep day instead of leg day.

08-19-2011, 10:12 PM

Big calves are hella overrated, they might look good but they dont do anything for overall power or functional strength and if your black they will only slow you down... look at the calves of nfl or nba players, they dont look developed at all compared to the rest of their body, cuz its not important. Focus more on hitting your hammies and glutes.

08-19-2011, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by Chris daRealist

Big calves are hella overrated, they might look good but they dont do anything for overall power or functional strength and if your black they will only slow you down... look at the calves of nfl or nba players, they dont look developed at all compared to the rest of their body, cuz its not important. Focus more on hitting your hammies and glutes.

I don't follow much NFL, but I can name a number of NBA players with developed calves who haven't seem to lost a step; #1 being Ray Allen. That mutha!!a has cows.

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