BE CAREFULL with calf presses. Nearly died today!!

[boarder2k9]

Today, i was on my second set of calf presses. i use the smith machine as the calf machine in my gym only goes up to 75kg and use a box on the floor to get a full range of motion. So i loaded up the bar, was at 140kg did my 14reps. As i twisted the bar so it hooked into place, it must have not been on properly and with a flash the 140kg collapsed ontop of me!! Strangley it stopped 3 notches from the bottom, i've f/ucked my knee's up massively, ive been resting them all day but can't walk properly and have loads of pain when i bend them. If it had gone any lower i would either snapped my spine or died completely. I was sooooooo lucky, been in shock all day.

I know this isn't like an informative post or anything but i wanted to emphasise the importance of concentrating ALL the time especially when lifting heavy. It was nearly the end for me and would hate for someone else to make the same mistake.

[bizzlewood]

Wow really lucky bro

[Coach1]

Wow good thing u didnt die

[musicianman]

Sorry to hear that, man. Hope you haven't hurt yourself seriously.

[boarder2k9]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all ur support.

[viperjax]

come back strong man. i know what it's like to be shaken up. the physical thing is one thing but mentally you can't believe how close it came to all going to naught.

[Mindi912]

Today, i was on my second set of calf presses. i use the smith machine as the calf machine in my gym only goes up to 75kg and use a box on the floor to get a full range of motion. So i loaded up the bar, was at 140kg did my 14reps. As i twisted the bar so it hooked into place, it must have not been on properly and with a flash the 140kg collapsed ontop of me!! Strangley it stopped 3 notches from the bottom, i've f/ucked my knee's up massively, ive been resting them all day but can't walk properly and have loads of pain when i bend them. If it had gone any lower i would either snapped my spine or died completely. I was sooooooo lucky, been in shock all day.

I know this isn't like an informative post or anything but i wanted to emphasise the importance of concentrating ALL the time especially when lifting heavy. It was nearly the end for me and would hate for someone else to make the same mistake.

seen this happen at my gym, dude on smith with a reebok deck underneath him for the lift. Didn't weight the deck down and it flipped. Him and 140 kg comes crashing down on his head, blood splatter everywhere!

I don't think he died but was definitely seriously injured.

[HitItHard]

Today, i was on my second set of calf presses. i use the smith machine as the calf machine in my gym only goes up to 75kg and use a box on the floor to get a full range of motion. So i loaded up the bar, was at 140kg did my 14reps. As i twisted the bar so it hooked into place, it must have not been on properly and with a flash the 140kg collapsed ontop of me!! Strangley it stopped 3 notches from the bottom, i've f/ucked my knee's up massively, ive been resting them all day but can't walk properly and have loads of pain when i bend them. If it had gone any lower i would either snapped my spine or died completely. I was sooooooo lucky, been in shock all day.

I know this isn't like an informative post or anything but i wanted to emphasise the importance of concentrating ALL the time especially when lifting heavy. It was nearly the end for me and would hate for someone else to make the same mistake.

if you can get 14 reps at something it doesn't qualify as "heavy". "heavy" is 80% or more of 1rm

aside from that, glad u are safe bra! reps

[Object]

Damn.. time to get a weighted vest and use the regular calf machine, lol.

[boarder2k9]

Cheers guys, yeah im pretty shaken up. A part of me doesnt wanna go back but Im too addicted to the whole bodybuilding thing to leave it at that. I'm definately not gonna train calves for a while tho!!

if you can get 14 reps at something it doesn't qualify as "heavy". "heavy" is 80% or more of 1rm

aside from that, glad u are safe bra! reps

Yeah i was gonna pack the weights on, it was my second set. I read in the sticky 'CALVES - Make them grow' thread that calves respond best to around 14 reps for hypertrophy so i've been doing that with good results actually. I would have probably packed on up to 180kg, lucky i didnt!

I'm pretty new to the whole thing so 140kg to me is pretty heavy.

Smoking weed definately helps the knee pains! lol.

[SDFlip]

that's why you're supposed to set the safety stops when using the smith for calf raises

[musicianman]

Smoking flowers definately helps the knee pains! lol.

Careful, don't get yourself banned for mentioning herbal use. Should edit your post.

I mean, smoking flowers is bad for you man.

[ironrat42]

Careful, don't get yourself banned for mentioning herbal use. Should edit your post.

I mean, smoking flowers is bad for you man.

flowers are nice

[musicianman]

flowers are nice

You swoke frowers???

[mobikwa]

if you can get 14 reps at something it doesn't qualify as "heavy". "heavy" is 80% or more of 1rm

aside from that, glad u are safe bra! reps

Yeah... Heavy for calves is different than other muscles.


OP, I'm a little confused how it all fell on you. You had the bar on your back, then twisted it to lock it but it didn't go all the way and you bent down to get out from under it and it all fell? What about holding the bar with your hands as if in the top of a deadlift. Train your grip and calves at the same time and if it falls the worst that will happen is it will scrape your shins.

[ironrat42]

You swoke frowers???

i swoke frozers like 3-4x a day.

[VoxExMachina]

that's why you're supposed to set the safety stops when using the smith for calf raises

^ This.

Learn how to use the safety stops on any equipment that has them, no matter what exercise you're doing. Just cause it's a "machine", you still need to work safely with it.

[musicianman]

i swoke frozers like 3-4x a day.

I smack fanta every once in a wire.

[tha_deuce]

Today, i was on my second set of calf presses. i use the smith machine as the calf machine in my gym only goes up to 75kg and use a box on the floor to get a full range of motion. So i loaded up the bar, was at 140kg did my 14reps. As i twisted the bar so it hooked into place, it must have not been on properly and with a flash the 140kg collapsed ontop of me!! Strangley it stopped 3 notches from the bottom, i've f/ucked my knee's up massively, ive been resting them all day but can't walk properly and have loads of pain when i bend them. If it had gone any lower i would either snapped my spine or died completely. I was sooooooo lucky, been in shock all day.

I know this isn't like an informative post or anything but i wanted to emphasise the importance of concentrating ALL the time especially when lifting heavy. It was nearly the end for me and would hate for someone else to make the same mistake.

[boarder2k9]

^ This.

Learn how to use the safety stops on any equipment that has them, no matter what exercise you're doing. Just cause it's a "machine", you still need to work safely with it.

To everyone that says i need to learn how to use the machine and its safety function. I'm not stupid, i know how to use the safety stops. i rotated the bar to put it on the stops and i guess it didnt lock on properly (note: 140kg falls to the floor pretty damn quickly, i don't really know what happened). If i didnt know how to use the machine i would be too embarresed to post here as i know all the abuse i'd have thrown at me.

to the bloke that said about using a deadlift grip to do them, thats a damn good idea!! A hell of alot safer, i'll have to see when i can include it in my routine. I get wrist pains from close grip exercises too so i know that i need to improve my grip so it may help in that aspect too. Rep for you mate! CHeers

[Jippo]

Hence why i just do heavy db calf raises. Never would trust a machine to be honest. But i know the feeling, recently really ****ed my shoulder trying to lockout a push press and the weight was inches from crashing on to my head haha.

[ThickAsABrick]

fear based bodybuilding?

[Jippo]

fear based bodybuilding?

Hahaha yeah your calves must have grown at least a couple of inches so it must all be worth it.

[VoxExMachina]

To everyone that says i need to learn how to use the machine and its safety function. I'm not stupid, i know how to use the safety stops. i rotated the bar to put it on the stops and i guess it didnt lock on properly (note: 140kg falls to the floor pretty damn quickly, i don't really know what happened). If i didnt know how to use the machine i would be too embarresed to post here as i know all the abuse i'd have thrown at me.

Thank you for attempting to neg me for pointing out that you weren't using the machine properly.

FYI, the safety stops on a Smith machine are NOT the hooks attached to the bar itself. What I was talking about are separate stops that are set below this to limit the bar travel even if the hooks are not engaged.

Note the black safety stops located at the bottom of the linear guides on this machine.

[Uncle Ben]

lol @ everything associated with this thread.

I come back after 3 months and find BB.com hasn't changed. New faces, same garbage.

[im2manly]

lol @ everything associated with this thread.

I come back after 3 months and find BB.com hasn't changed. New faces, same garbage.

Welcome home

[philipj]

After leg presses, to bi-set with calf raise I lock the slide from coming all the way down. Move balls of feet to the bottom of the push plate, and do full extension of the calf raise. If I were to fail or slip, the weight slide will only come down to the locked stops. You can do one calf at a time, and finish with both calf muscles working. working.

[philipj]

After leg presses, I lock the slide from coming all the way down. Move balls of feet to the bottom of the push plate, and do full extension of the calf raise. If I were to fail or slip, the weight slide will only come down to the locked stops.

[JxMxT]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all ur support.

lol

Be careful dude. Check and then check again that everythings in place before fully relaxing.

[dparm99]

Natural selection ftw!