Swole shoulders...swole arms...thin calves

[Schmoove]

What are some good calf building exercises?

 

[NSSVO]

Sometimes it's genetic. That's how I am, everything is well proportioned except for my calves. I went heavy, went light higher reps, shyt is not growing. o well

 

[Young_and_Reckless]

Jump rope my dude. You build stronger bigger calves in time.

 

[klientel]

I'm convinced calves are 99% genetic....

I got a homeboy who is diesel everywhere but calves and he hits his calves damn near every other day. Even tho he has nice thighs(pause), those small calves make him look like he doesn't work his legs AT ALL when he wears shorts.

On the other hand my little brother doesn't do shyt and this nikka got Ray Allen calves with veins in em and everything.

 

[MMS]

I'm convinced calves are 99% genetic....

I got a homeboy who is diesel everywhere but calves and he hits his calves damn near every other day. Even tho he has nice thighs(pause), those small calves make him look like he doesn't work his legs AT ALL when he wears shorts.

On the other hand my little brother doesn't do shyt and this nikka got Ray Allen calves with veins in em and everything.

id say youre right

i will say this, those who jump rope regularly and/or sprint seem to always have good calves

 

[infamous212]

it aint 99% genetics, i used to have thin calves, then i started working them out, then they grew. they are the same as any other muscle.

 

[GoPro]

Skinny calves aint my problem. Skinny ankles and wrists are mine. look like a 10 year old girl's. Nothing I can do about em either.

 

[klientel]

it aint 99% genetics, i used to have thin calves, then i started working them out, then they grew. they are the same as any other muscle.

I dunno, I've seen tons of people online talk about how they have worked on their calves for years and saw little to no growth. And I know a couple people who pretty much only work calves exclusively and still get little to no results. Just seems like it's one of those either u got it or u don't muscles.

I'm sure it can grow just like any other muscle but the rate of growth has to be MUCH MUCH slower than other muscles. But it appears that the general shape and insertion point of ur calves pretty much determine how they will look in the end, and that is based on genetics. If u have thin, high calves they will look small no matter how much u work em.

 

[hawaii]

Yea, I'm going with genetics. usually if you have ridiculously small calves, you have potential to have a high vertical jump (I THINK.. someone correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[Formerly known as...]

Possibly genetical but every muscle can grow and their another muscle. Mine are stubborn as shyt to. Cycling helps a lot, you see cyclists calfs??

It's just harder for black people to get them to grow IMO.

 

[Alec Baldwin]

Skinny calves aint my problem. Skinny ankles and wrists are mine. look like a 10 year old girl's. Nothing I can do about em either.

Damn you too breh? I got them calves and forearms but my wrists and ankles just shyt on everything like " TOO BAD nikka"

You're pretty much fukked as far as ankles/wrists go arent you?

 

[Jesus]

Possibly genetical but every muscle can grow and their another muscle. Mine are stubborn as shyt to. Cycling helps a lot, you see cyclists calfs??

It's just harder for black people to get them to grow IMO.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Possibly genetical but every muscle can grow and their another muscle. Mine are stubborn as shyt to. Cycling helps a lot, you see cyclists calfs??

It's just harder for black people to get them to grow IMO.

Generally, it's dependent on the level of the gastrocnemius-insertion - the lower the insertion, the more pronounced/larger the muscle-belly; the higher the insertion, the less pronounced/smaller the muscle-belly.

The scale of insertion, typically (low to high) = Asian → White → Black; body-type also plays an integral part - which is why Ray Allen, literally could be Jesus.

Yea, I'm going with genetics. usually if you have ridiculously small calves, you have potential to have a high vertical jump (I THINK.. someone correct me if I'm wrong).

The higher the insertion point, the longer the Achilles-tendon. Vertical jump = think of the tendon as a rubber band - the longer the rubber band, the more elastic energy/strength it can generate, the higher potential x-rate of force the rubber band can produce. + the IIa/IIb fast twitch muscle fibres.

Keep in mind that this only pertains to a vertical jump. Agility-tests, con-plyometrics, sprints, endurance-sprints are a WHOLE other conversation.

 

[msims]

I'm convinced calves are 99% genetic....

I got a homeboy who is diesel everywhere but calves and he hits his calves damn near every other day. Even tho he has nice thighs(pause), those small calves make him look like he doesn't work his legs AT ALL when he wears shorts.

On the other hand my little brother doesn't do shyt and this nikka got Ray Allen calves with veins in em and everything.

Man, I feel you.

I'm a pretty decent size....I work my lower have HARD....and my calves look like

Like I don't even work out my lower half. lol

But my little brother....dude doesn't work out and his shyt are

shyt is rough, man. lol

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Day One - Soleus Training

The main exercise to work the soleus is the seated calf raise. To do a set of 100 reps you'll probably have to start out using weights one-quarter to one-sixth as light as you normally use, since you won't be used to such high reps. I used only 25 pounds my first workout, but by the time I got to 80 reps my calves were screaming in pain.

Because the weight will feel light the first 30 or 40 reps, make sure you do the reps slowly and strictly over a full range of motion. Get as much stretch as possible at the bottom of the rep (really forcing the heel down) and come up on your toes as high as you can in the top position. Once the calves start burning badly you can speed up the reps. Your range of motion will shorten a bit, but make every effort to keep it as large as possible.

As soon as you get off the seated calf machine, immediately begin squatting calf raises. Squat down for this movement, keeping your heels directly under your glutes. Keep your feet and knees pressed together and steady yourself by holding onto a power rack, a pair of dipping bars or any heavy piece of gym equipment. Rise up as high as possible, trying to come up on your toes like a ballet dancer, with the bottoms of your feet in line with your body. At the top of the movement, push your heels to your glutes and hold for a second or two. Then lower and repeat. You should aim for 50 reps a set, but after the 100-rep set of seated calf raises most bodybuilders will probably fail after 12 or 15 reps. Keep adding as many reps as you can until you can do 50.

The pain of these squatting calf raises has to be experienced to be believed. But this routine grants no rest for the weary. Following the squatting calf raises, immediately stand on either a high block or the platform of a standing calf machine and do your fascial calf stretching. Get into the low position of a one-leg calf raise, hold for a count of 15 seconds, then repeat for the other leg. Over the next few weeks, keep increasing the amount of tiwe you hold each stretch, ultimately aiming for a one-minute stretch for each leg.

This superset of seated calf raises, squatting calf raises and fascial stretching is one set (or a triset, if you prefer). You have to do one to three more of these trisets before moving on to the second triset grouping. Parrillo suggests you do only two of each type of triset during the first workout. Work up over time to four trisets of each.

Your first exercise for the second triset for the soleus is the bent-leg toe press on the leg press machine. You must again do 100 reps a set, so you'll have to use a very light weight to begin with. Even 25 or 30 pounds (plus the weight of the machine) will be hard at first. Make sure your knees are always bent to keep the pressure on the soleus. After finishing your 100 reps, hobble off the machine and immediately do as many squatting calf raises as you can stand, quickly followed by your fascial stretching. As with the first triset, do only two of the second tri-set group the first workout and work up to four over time.

I did only four total trisets the first time I performed this routine, but I was in agony and couldn't walk properly the next day. I knew my calves had been through hell. The pump and burn were unbelievable.

Day Two - Gastrocnemius Training

Your two main exercises will be the standing calf raise and the toe press on the leg press machine with the knees locked. The drill is the same - four tri-sets of each exercise, though I recommend that beginners do just two trisets until they start building up their calves.

You get a break on the standing calf raises. Instead of sets of 100 reps you need only do 50. As soon as you finish your set, immediately go into a set of squatting calf raises, doing as many as you can. Do 12 or 15 at first, but work your way up to 50. Next comes the fascial stretch for each calf, initially held for a count of 15, then up to a minute. Keep an accurate training diary to monitor your efforts and give yourself a goal to beat every time you train.

After two trisets of the above exercises, move on to the second triset combination: straight-leg toe presses (for sets of 100 reps), squatting calf raises and calf stretches. Two trisets should suffice the first couple of weeks, but eventually go for four trisets of each combination.

That's it. Day three is for rest, and believe me, you'll need it. Then repeat the same workout schedule the next two days. Always keep adding weight to your main core exercises and more reps to your squatting calf raises. Hold the calf stretches for longer and longer periods of time.

This is probably the most painful and intense calf routine you'll ever try. But if you lack good calves and are willing to put in the work, this is the routine for you.

TOE POSITIONS AND OTHER POINTERS

Many of us are taught to vary our toe positions as we do our calf exercises; toes out for the inner head, toes in for the outer head and toes straight ahead for the main belly of the calf. Parrillo takes a slightly different approach. Concentrate on your heel, not your toe position. To work the outer head, twist your heels out as you rise up; to work the inner head, twist your heels in. For most reps it helps to focus on putting all the pressure on the big toe as you rise up on your toes.

Your stance width also affects where the pressure is felt in the calf muscle, If you use a shoulder-width or wider stance, you'll feel it more on the outside head of the calves because you'll tend to roll more on the outside edges of the foot. A closer stance makes it easier to work the inner head.

On your 100-rep sets you might want to break the set up into thirds: Parrillo's way would be 34 reps keeping the heel straight, 33 twisting the heel out to work the outer head and 33 reps twisting your heels in to work the inner head. The latter will result in fuller, more complete development and give you a better chance of obtaining that much-desired diamond shape.

Take each set to failure, and if you train with a partner, have him help you do forced reps on the last 15 or 20. This will allow you to use slightly heavier weights. Really go for the burn, making sure not to rest between exercises of the triset. Rest only about 60 seconds after each triset.

One final tip. After about a month on this routine, add in some heavy training days. On every third or fourth calf workout, do some heavy sets of 12 to 15 reps before blasting the high-rep stuff. This lets you hit the deeper muscle fibers and keeps your strength up.

I stress the importance of the bolded - you must work the Tibialis Anterior and Soleus = seated calf raises and reverse calf raises (barbell).