What is the best exercise for the calves?

What is the best exercise for the calves?

stand agasint a wall, and do calve raises, i do like 100 of them with like 3 sets and u get an amazing pump, no weights.

donkey calf raises are considered the "best", however, they are clumsy, and it is not always easy to find guys to "ride" your back! LOL.......

tough one..

I've heard donkey calf raises ([url]www.exrx.net[/url]) are the most effective, Arnold always did them...but I've never tried em, and they're kinda fruity to me (a guy basically sits on your back).

So, disregarding that one...

seated or standing calf raise (in a hack squat machine)

Another good one is to do forward lunges with dumbbells, and just touching the ground with your toes, that will work the calf.

Calves are stubborn growers though, the key for growth is high weight and high reps


I actually have a workout I got from a magazine that made my calves SIGNIFICANTLY bigger in just 3 weeks...and it still works your other leg muscles, so for a couple weeks you can try it for yourself..

Try this routine once a week. Do these exercises one after the other WITHOUT REST, 1 set each (try using a little lighter weight than usual since this is a circuit workout):

1) Lunge on tip toes, like I described above, 10-12 reps
2) Standing calf raise, 12-15 reps
3) Standing jumps (crouch down and jump up explosively, landing on your toes, this hits your calves)

Remember, do these 3 without stopping. Then rest for 90 seconds, and repeat these three exercises. Rest for 90 seconds after the 2nd time around, then do:

Standing calf raise, without weights for 2 minutes straight.

Then you're done. Trust me, your calves will be tiiired after this. And you'd only wanna do this workout for 3-4 weeks max, when you think that your calves are lagging behind. Mine grew visibly bigger in just 3 weeks

I do weighted calf raises. Also I rotate my feet every set to work the inner, middle, and outer calf. One set my toes point out, next set they point forward, next set they point in. Calfs can take a beating too since we're walking on them everyday, so lots of people do high reps.

Pushing shopping carts.

Riding Spinner bikes while standing!

Donkey raises are by far the best. I'm lucky enough to have a machine for it at my gym, don't think I'd be doing them with some stranger on my back though. In a distant 2nd I'd say one leg standing calve raises on hack squat machine.

You've gotta have something standing on top of the machine, Arnold style for them to be truly effective:)

[QUOTE=957]What is the best exercise for the calves?[/QUOTE]

Any and all, providing you do massive amounts of Reps and Sets

one leg and two leg bentover calf raises with a dip belt strapped around my waist. Works like a charm for my calves.

there is NOTHING fruity about having someone riding your back while doing donkey calf raises.....


as long as that someone/s is a very hot, well-endowed naked female. that would be stimulation enough for me to hit those calf muscles!

I do 400 lbs donkey calf raises on the machine with ease. I think I'm going to have to start doing them Arnold style with someone standing on it....maybe a hot chic or something.

I found something a while back that's been working very well for me.

It was an article on BB.com, and it was about a guy who was insanely strong, but had difficulty getting bigger and better defined calves.

He found a guy that had enormous and great-looking calves, and asked his workout.

He then wrote an article on it, and I found it, and started using it.

Essentially, you work your calves twice a week (any of these exercises you want, doesn't really matter.) One of the times is a pure sculpting workout (low weight calf raises MANY times is good here), while the other time is pure bulk (6-8 reps of the highest weight you can manage doing calf presses, calf raises, etc.)

This has worked pretty well for me in only 2 weeks of use; my calves feel much stronger, and are much better defined.