Calves
shaf238
Posts: 4,022 Member
When I first started working out I had that typical mindset of "I want big arms and a big chest". Turns out, that's the easy bit. But good lord almighty calves just don't grow!!
I'm currently doing:
Seated calf raise x 6 sets
Smith machine calf raise x 4
Calf press on the leg press x 3
Walking calf raises x 3
Dumbell calf raises x3
Doing the above twice a week.
Growth is so minimal!! Ps, yes I'm on a bulk my diet is on point.
Anyone else struggle with this area? Or have had success?
I'm currently doing:
Seated calf raise x 6 sets
Smith machine calf raise x 4
Calf press on the leg press x 3
Walking calf raises x 3
Dumbell calf raises x3
Doing the above twice a week.
Growth is so minimal!! Ps, yes I'm on a bulk my diet is on point.
Anyone else struggle with this area? Or have had success?
2
Replies
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Not what you want to hear but it could be a genetic limitation which cannot be overcome thru diet and exercise alone.
You can see it in professional body builders and boxers who are in a max state of conditioning but have smaller or larger calves than others their size.1 -
Not what you want to hear but it could be a genetic limitation which cannot be overcome thru diet and exercise alone.
You can see it in professional body builders and boxers who are in a max state of conditioning but have smaller or larger calves than others their size.
There is a lot of this, but calves are one of the few body parts that can take years to grow. Jeff Nippard did a pretty good summary on this.
https://youtu.be/21inrjhoFkQ 4 -
Not what you want to hear but it could be a genetic limitation which cannot be overcome thru diet and exercise alone.
You can see it in professional body builders and boxers who are in a max state of conditioning but have smaller or larger calves than others their size.
You've just ruined my day....Not what you want to hear but it could be a genetic limitation which cannot be overcome thru diet and exercise alone.
You can see it in professional body builders and boxers who are in a max state of conditioning but have smaller or larger calves than others their size.
There is a lot of this, but calves are one of the few body parts that can take years to grow. Jeff Nippard did a pretty good summary on this.https://youtu.be/21inrjhoFkQ
Thank you mate will check out the vid 👍🏼
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I think you might be over complicating things a bit by having too many exercises. 2 Basics you want include a standing calve raise (straight leg) & seated calve raise (bent knee). Upping your frequency & lowering your volume per session is another good option if not responding (3-4X/week). Include both high rep sets & low rep sets (high reps on seated calve raise, then low reps on standing calve raises one session, then switch rep schemes for each exercise for the next session).
Another fun variation (because calve training is sooo boring but rewarding in the long run) is trying unilateral (one calve) sets (much more challenging/humbling how much weight you will have to drop). Takes LOTS of persistence over time for little gains. Shamefully admits to having good calve genetics (but I still train the hell out of them 3X/week because I love calve training).
Roughly 5 year timeframe difference (very small gains, calves look much more impressive from a side view - gastrocnemius is quite prominent vs. soleus - worked a lot on seated calve raises):
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I didn't do any specific calf exercises, but I have bulked about 10 pounds in the past 6 months and I believe that is the only skeletal muscle group that I saw zero gain from.3
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The way I got my calf's big was doing seated leg lifts with 1k pounds.0
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Basically.3 -
You can have mine
. I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance. 6 -
As mentioned already (so I am just confirming things) calves are one-part genetics and one-part proper training (seated and standing....super important to hit them *BOTH* ways). Also, as mentioned, the calves are one of those muscle groups (going with "muscle group" here in that there are multiple muscles involved) that can indeed be worked more often....
And, I do believe that I have seen that Jeff Nippard youtube video. He puts out consistently outstanding information. Like that dude!0 -
You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Ha! I love that. Do you by chance know who Omar Isuf is? He is from your neck of the woods! Ask him about working calves!!!!! Be very far away when you do that! He does not like working calves (because his apparently do not respond). He has no idea of what "acceptance" is......not when it comes to calves! Thanks for the chuckle!0 -
LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Ha! I love that. Do you by chance know who Omar Isuf is? He is from your neck of the woods! Ask him about working calves!!!!! Be very far away when you do that! He does not like working calves (because his apparently do not respond). He has no idea of what "acceptance" is......not when it comes to calves! Thanks for the chuckle!
Oh yea for sure I've heard of Omar.. I didn't know he was Canadian though.
Haha.. ok I won't ask him
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LiftHeavyThings27105 wrote: »You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Ha! I love that. Do you by chance know who Omar Isuf is? He is from your neck of the woods! Ask him about working calves!!!!! Be very far away when you do that! He does not like working calves (because his apparently do not respond). He has no idea of what "acceptance" is......not when it comes to calves! Thanks for the chuckle!
Oh yea for sure I've heard of Omar.. I didn't know he was Canadian though.
Haha.. ok I won't ask him
Yes, ma'am! He still is! HA! HA! My silly humor (being pedantic).1 -
You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Same!
I have to buy men’s sized compression socks for running because the women’s sizes are not big enough...0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Same!
I have to buy men’s sized compression socks for running because the women’s sizes are not big enough...
Me too! I buy pants specifically to fit my calves. I've lost over 60 pounds at this point and still wear wide calf boots!
If anyone figures out a way to donate freakishly large body parts to the less endowed--call me!1 -
Genetics mostly dominate here. They can be directly affect IF the resistance on them is progressive DAILY and that's usually in the form of carrying more and more weight each day along with a calorie surplus.
But if the MUSCLE INSERTION isn't low on the tibia, a "club" looking calf (lots of muscle up top, but dwindles to ankle size just below it) will always be the look.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Just like any muscle, give it the appropriate stimulas at a useful frequency and they will grow.
Giving the muscle too much stimulas not only can effect recovery it might be unknowingly increasing your AMPK inhibiting MPS. I would cut most of those working sets out and focus more on working sets close 2-3 reps to failure with extremely short rest periods with an initial set closer to 15-30 reps and the next 4-5 sets in the 4-6 rep range. This is well proven to work and has data to back it.1 -
Possibly the best known calves transformation; took the guy like 20 years.
Like others have mentioned, notice the insertion points can not change (genetics)
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Calves take time to develop but they generally respond to high volume and moderate to high frequency (3 times a week), at least in my case, I've made very solid gains in 3 years of training. A guy I know did standing calf raises with 405 lbs using that stepper little stool and broke his foot badly. He still can't walk normally after 3 months. So watch out, don't jump in to some crazy weights. Of course you do wish to follow the principle of progressive overload just like with any exercise. But it's mostly genetics. They will grow. But If they are short and inserted high up, right below your knee level, good luck with that.1
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You can have mine . I don't work them ever. They are like a beast that takes over my legs. Ahh genetics. Sorry I know that's not helpful, I feel the same about my glutes that have taken forever to grow. Lots of work, patience, after all that..maybe some acceptance.
Same here, large calves and need more glutes and quads... I put it down to cycling everywhere since I could balance on my bike, but I think I inherited my mother's chunky calves...I only do seated calf raises...
Wow 20 years for great calves, that is dedication...and what a difference. Looks like persistence is the key to most things OP...
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My calves never grew, but as soon as I started them working out every day, they started growing. Work them out every day, every rep and set tempo you want. You'll start seeing gains in 4 weeks plus. If diet and and exercise are on point, they'll grow. There is no such thing as genetics deficiency, unless you are sick of something. I hate when people say that.5
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Mentions many training aspects discussed here (notably the short recovery time between sets/metabolite techniques/drop sets, full ROM, frequency, time training, straight vs bent leg movements, etc.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISePfnmknYY[youtube/]
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There is a lot of this, but calves are one of the few body parts that can take years to grow. Jeff Nippard did a pretty good summary on this.https://youtu.be/21inrjhoFkQ
That right leg looks like a penis.3 -
Not sure if it helps, but mine seemed to grow well over time years ago when I switched up most of my cardio to cycling/riding my mountain bike almost every day. I heard it helps you keep muscle mass more than running does so maybe there's something to it!0
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I'm not an expert a bulking up or anything like that, so take this with a grain of salt, but my calves always burn after my leg workout, and they're about the only part of my body where I can actually see muscle definition (I wish they were smaller but that's genetics for ya!). Some ideas from a ballet workout:
1. slow calf raises (like 4 counts up, 4 counts down, and keep the resistance when you're coming down, don't just fall or let gravity do the work!)
2. pulses (at the top of a calf raise, pulse (not bounce) for about 16 counts and think about getting up as high on your tip toes as you can. Keep your alignment straight and don't let your knees bend too much)
3. one legged calf raises (slow, regular speed, and with pulses)
4. jumps- just jump and use your whole foot to launch you off the ground and point your toes at the top of each jump, them come down 'softly' through the whole foot. That's more of a whole leg exercise than just calves though
5. single leg squat to calf raise- not a deep squat, but enough to stretch that calf and maintain resistance against the floor (which is discussed in JTSstrength.com video posted above)
All of the above (especially the really slow rises) should also strengthen your feet, so remember to stretch/ roll out your feet and ankles afterwards.
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