The calf raise dilemma.

[DeeBee1]

Hey guys,
I've been experiencing a little problem with calf raises. I've been doing them on a smith machine for quite a while now. (Yes I am aware of the dangers of the single range of motion).
Anyway, the problem is, that the bar is too heavy for my shoulders to handle. It hurts like a bitch and always makes me bruise, and often bursts little blood vessels on the surface layers of the skin. I fold my towel all up to make a kind of cushion, which helped before I was doing 100kg+

What can I do to combat this problem?

Inb4 man up/OP is a *******.

[12ozCurlz]

Be sure to contract your traps. This will make a sort of shelf that is perfect for resting the bar. If that doesn't do it for you, there are pads you can get that wrap around the bar. For a normal barbell they make it less stable but I suppose this not an issue on the smith machine.

You could also try a standard barbell rather than the smith machine. Often times the fact that the motion has a set track can cause the bar to create pressure points.

[BFJ]

play around with high vs. low bar - how high or low you put it on your traps/upper back

[FeelTheFear]

do it on leg press

[DeeBee1]

play around with high vs. low bar - how high or low you put it on your traps/upper back

Are you talking about holding the bar?

[k9pit]

When I SM Calf Raises I wrap a small towel around the bar. Problem solved.

I don't like the pad. It becomes a cushion, and in my opinion takes away from the force of the lift/contraction.

[Gijss]

Hey guys,
I've been experiencing a little problem with calf raises. I've been doing them on a smith machine for quite a while now. (Yes I am aware of the dangers of the single range of motion).
Anyway, the problem is, that the bar is too heavy for my shoulders to handle. It hurts like a bitch and always makes me bruise, and often bursts little blood vessels on the surface layers of the skin. I fold my towel all up to make a kind of cushion, which helped before I was doing 100kg+

What can I do to combat this problem?

Inb4 man up/OP is a *******.

Train traps, and put the bar on them.

[ZoranM]

Hey guys,
I've been experiencing a little problem with calf raises. I've been doing them on a smith machine for quite a while now. (Yes I am aware of the dangers of the single range of motion).
Anyway, the problem is, that the bar is too heavy for my shoulders to handle. It hurts like a bitch and always makes me bruise, and often bursts little blood vessels on the surface layers of the skin. I fold my towel all up to make a kind of cushion, which helped before I was doing 100kg+

What can I do to combat this problem?

Inb4 man up/OP is a *******.

Pad, towel, anything you can put around a bar will solve the problem with big weights. It's SM calves training, not rocket science.
Disregard the macho boyz.

[DeeBee1]

Train traps, and put the bar on them.

The burst blood vessels are those on my traps :S

[GeneralSerpant]

Are you talking about the red lines, as far as burst blood vessels? If so, is that really a problem? You could try pulling the bar from rack-pull position. If you're going to use any kind of padding, just make sure that it isn't too cushiony, or it won't make a difference with the pressure. As far as the bar being too heavy, this sounds like the problems I had for the first two weeks of squats.

[DeeBee1]

Yes, the little dotty red lines. No they aren't a problem, it's just the pain during reps, and the grazed neck. Gym doesn't supply one of the bar pads, and I do not have the means to purchase one myself. Towel is the best I can get. With relativity to your last sentence, i've been doing calf raises this way for one year +

[sindibee]

do it on leg press

this

[ironwill2008]

. (Yes I am aware of the dangers of the single range of motion).
.

In ^^^^ that case, you better never use a Leg Press, Hack Squat machine, or anything made by HammerStrength or any other exercise equipment company that predetermines the path of the resistance.

[adamdavidson47]

By some maxi-pads to put on your vagina, i mean shoulders.

[DeeBee1]

will do

[mobikwa]

Use less weight. A lot less. And actually lift the weights instead of just going through the motions. Look at how the guys with huge calves train them, they don't load up the bar with hundreds of pounds and bounce away.

[Ramborage]

Less weight, stand on a 45 so you get the full range of motion, and do bursts of upwards motion, and hold, and then repeat 12-15 times. The longer you hold the harder it gets obviously. This has helped me out a TON!!!

[DeeBee1]

Use less weight. A lot less. And actually lift the weights instead of just going through the motions. Look at how the guys with huge calves train them, they don't load up the bar with hundreds of pounds and bounce away.

Just because I am 17 and new to bodybuilding doesn't mean i'm completely useless! I would never sacrifice technique for the sake of trying to impress others or myself. I've scrutinized my technique heavily until i got it to a satisfactory standard. I've had multiple trainers check and have videoed myself. All contractions are slow and controlled within 12-15 rep range

[GeneralSerpant]

Just do them with the heaviest dumbbells you can handle, for the time being. If you're 17, then you don't have to be worrying about doing 220 lb. calf raises on Smith Machine. Just wait until you have a calf-raise/calf-extension apparatus, or until you develop your traps / teres-major more.

[speedjason]

do it on hack squat machine.
or even simple, single leg + db.

[oldballs]

same thing happens to me, I just dont care.

[Retoaded]

how long you been doing it opie? I mean, almost anything like that hurts a little bit at first, but eventually you get used to it. I mean, I am sure you want to squat 100kg one day right? How are you going to do that?

[DeeBee1]

how long you been doing it opie? I mean, almost anything like that hurts a little bit at first, but eventually you get used to it. I mean, I am sure you want to squat 100kg one day right? How are you going to do that?

I've been gyming for more than a year, doing calf raises for the length of that time frame. New, serious commitment to bodybuilding now, however, so i'm getting really fraustrated at little technique things. Don't care about weight.

[schneppy07]

this

leg press machine, or try doing them on a seated calf raise machine.

[doza808]

I agree with doing the calf presses/raises on the leg press machine. If you insist on doing them with the smith machine, lighten the weight. If you're doing the exercise correctly, you'll be failing by the 20th rep.

[mobikwa]

Just because I am 17 and new to bodybuilding doesn't mean i'm completely useless! I would never sacrifice technique for the sake of trying to impress others or myself. I've scrutinized my technique heavily until i got it to a satisfactory standard. I've had multiple trainers check and have videoed myself. All contractions are slow and controlled within 12-15 rep range

Try them in the 25-30 rep range for a few months, you'll see an explosion in size.

[jgreystoke]

I've been doing them on a smith machine for quite a while now. (Yes I am aware of the dangers of the single range of motion).

I presume you are referring to the fixed pathway forced by a machine like the Smith. That is not a problem at all for short ROM like calf raise, shrugs, Hise shrugs, all kinds of reduced ROM pressing like lockouts etc. Also not a problem with half and quarter squats(the only kind you see in most gyms, lol). Only a problem if you use a full ROM that is hostile to your joints if the machine path doesn't match your own natural groove.

Anyway, the problem is, that the bar is too heavy for my shoulders to handle.

A ton of heavy shrugging is in order to build up and toughen your traps and delts with a similarly heavy weight. One kind I find useful is the Hise Shrug, where you have the bar on your traps like you were going to squat, and you shrug it high reps. Think 20-40 reps FTW. Start light and work up. By the time you get to twenty reps with more than you can squat for a couple reps, you are getting somewhere.

In the meantime, leg press calf raises are fine. So are single leg calf raises(doubling the resistance of bodyweight compared to two legs). If you get a dipping belt you can add resistance to get that way up.

Donkey calf raises would be alpha if you could get a couple of girls to sit on your back.

A donkey calf raise machine would spare your shoulders and traps, but wouldn't be as much fun.

Forget a plate, unless you stack two or three to get a bigger ROM. Or use a strong enough step.

[dest0]

do it on leg press

2x..

[_OZ_]

Another option to consider is to exercise one calf at a time with a dumbbell, barbell, dip belt or leg press. This would obviously require far less weight and resolve the pain and bruising issue.

[creepa200]

I workout at home and just deadlift the bar once and then keep it at waist level in front of me. I made a homemade calf raise block with 2x4s and I just step up on it. Grab the bar and do the reps. If your grip starts failing just use straps.