People with huge calves, how do ya train em?

[pHEnomIC]

I got decent calves i think, ive gotten a few comments on em but they just don't seem that big when i see pictures. So, if i could add a lil mass on em, i think it would do some good.

All I know to do is calf raises sitting or standing. I usually do 3 sets of 10-15 for em, try weight ranges. Ohh yeah calves on the leg extenison as well.

How often do they need to be trained?

[AxlTurwalt]

A friend of mine is a national sprinter and he has MASSIVE calves. All he does to train them outside of sprinting are calf raises. He's been doing them for years 20x3 each leg every night. Thats all.

[1FstYota]

Its not how often, its how hard you train them. 3 sets of 15 ain't going to cut it at 250lbs. Calves are designed to carry your weight all day and still have the energy to do quick sprints or jog a mile if you need to, so you have to go heavy and to failure to get them to react. I go until I can't even move them up anymore, none of that ok I did 15 reps at 400lbs bull****.

[LaNeR88]

3 sets seated calf raise 10-12 reps


2 sets HEAVY standing calf raise 8-10 reps or till failure


Also, running on the treadmill on incline kills my calves

[m3xtacyz]

i usually do legpress machine, sitting calv machine, then a standing machine, followed by just no weight raises standing. so super set that one after another no rest, sure really gets the blood pumpin.

[Train2gain.tv]

3 sets seated calf raise 10-12 reps


2 sets HEAVY standing calf raise 8-10 reps or till failure


Also, running on the treadmill on incline kills my calves

I'm mostly with this guy.

Alot of people say do lots of reps liek 20 or 30.

For me, they are just another muscle and need full intensity.

All i do is 4 sets of no more than 15 reps - usually 10 - 12 on the standing calf raise machine, thats all i do... i have pretty good calves and they were crappy about a year ago!

[Remy Zero]

it's also down to genetic. there's this guy in my gym who does almost everything except toe raises, etc.

in other words, he doesn't train calves at all, but he has a pair of massive calves.

[iMatt69]

Calves are the hardest place to gain mass...Milhouse said it on The Simpsons once

[TBW]

Try free standing calf raises x 100 then get on the calf raise block and do 100 reps dont stop, just keep fighting through the pain, you will get used to the burning sensation by about 60.

-TBW

[Messly1]

it's also down to genetic. there's this guy in my gym who does almost everything except toe raises, etc.

in other words, he doesn't train calves at all, but he has a pair of massive calves.

X2...calves do come down to genetics, i have very defined calves but my personal trainer who competes in figure has absolutley no kind of definition and she trains them every 2 days i only train once a week 3 sets of 15 heavy

[dedicated bb]

I'm mostly with this guy.

Alot of people say do lots of reps liek 20 or 30.

For me, they are just another muscle and need full intensity.

All i do is 4 sets of no more than 15 reps - usually 10 - 12 on the standing calf raise machine, thats all i do... i have pretty good calves and they were crappy about a year ago!

I also agree calves are simply a muslce group and respond to overload like any other. Mine aren't the biggest but there alright and have grown a lot since i started and i only ever stay in the 8-12 rep range doing 2 exercises for the workout like standing and seated or calf press. Personally i think donkey calf raises work really well.

[cr4zyguy]

I've been doing calf raises in rep ranges of around 20 and I'm responding to it well for now. Do you guys recommend low reps or high reps for calves?

[Big_fuzzy]

My calves have been rowing alot from their piddey 16" and closing in on 17"

Happended when I begna Oly lifting, all the expliding I do and speed you move out I always go on my toes in the pull.

calves need to be trained heavy, and hard, and to failure, these things are designed for laot of volume carrying your weight, they need more volume and heavier weght.

[Roger999]

its really jsut genetics, some people naturally have big legs, and they grow pretty slow, arnie's calves used to be really small, it grew after a couple years of hard training, im lucky cause i naturally have big legs i started with 15-16" calves and am currently at 18" , i do standing calve raises 5-6X13, then seated calve raise 3X15, then a drop set with standing calve raise till i get down to around 80kg then i go to seated calve raise and continue drop set(the seated calve raise machine only goes to 67.5kg )

[iMatt69]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjbM_7mYRw

Milhouse in the future as a bodybuilder.

(NOT a Rick Roll)

[MadMushroomMan15]

I have pretty big calves and I don't do any direct work with them. I guess I have them through a lot of heavy squats, sprinting, and rowing.

[The_Nyne]

I have 18" calves, and I don't ever include calves in my workout routine. My assumption is maybe I just have good genetics calves-wise. That and/or they've been built up from doing a sports like football(all we do is sprints), wrestling, and track.

[TehXshizzit]

ill do 4x20 standing - 3x20 sitting and go on the tredmill and put the incline high and run like that...i must admit i have some huge thick calfs

[MUFC]

you can buy special shoes to wear around the house that are elevated at the front so that everytime you take a step u are doing a cal raise. My friend wears them and he has massive calves.

[V.H.9.8.4.]

Read this article and check out the guys calves. They are HUGE: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/krisgethin1.htm

[Smurg]

Its not how often, its how hard you train them. 3 sets of 15 ain't going to cut it at 250lbs. Calves are designed to carry your weight all day and still have the energy to do quick sprints or jog a mile if you need to, so you have to go heavy and to failure to get them to react. I go until I can't even move them up anymore, none of that ok I did 15 reps at 400lbs bull****.

Didn't dorian yates only do 1 set of calves per workout ?

[itslocke]

I pyramid them. I'll be doing them with as much weight as I can do for 15-20 reps and then lower the weight, keep going, lower the weight, keep going, and then until I can't do them anymore.

I do that for roughly four sets.

[NeedToBeBig]

genetics for me, (I know, sucks dont flame me) I work em once a week and their huge, It might be all the running and eating that swoll em up, but everyone in my family has big calves, I put a bar on my back like Im gunna do a squat and do heel raises.

[trivium9]

I get a full stretch on each rep and then do partial reps. I use standing, seated and donkey calf raises. Also sprinting is an amazing calf workout.

[initialize]

I've developed my calves' side muscle real well -the soleus- by doing stair and hill running. I'm still working on the gastronomeus(?), though.

[trivium9]

I've developed my calves' side muscle real well -the soleus- by doing stair and hill running. I'm still working on the gastronomeus(?), though.

Side muscle...the soleus, the true plantar flexor, lies underneath the gastroc, are you meaning just the visibility of it.

[Marthby]

Some folks just got good genes. I got big and strong calves and didn't have to do much to get them like that while my buddy Jesus trains his calves like a mo'fo' and they still won't catch up to mine. Legs are made to take a beaten on a daily basis. They hold you're body weight up everywhere you go... all frickin day and the next they'll feel like new... amazing muscles. Calves can probably take the biggest beating out of all the legs muscles so lift HEAVY, INTENSELY, and 'TIL FAILURE and they'll pretty much have to grow.

[Big W]

Calves are like Biceps, its all in your genes how they develop. Both of which, for me, are very hard to see progress..

[Wilde]

you gotta wear ankle weights wherever you go, even in the shower and while having sex

[SFreppinitbig]

For me, genetics. I've always had big calves, they've gotten bigger since I've started sprintng and squatting.