Calf training

[Simon90]

How do you approach your calf training?

Frequency, rep ranges, tempo etc….


I used to have zero calves and always used the excuse of it’s just a genetic muscle and not much can be done to grow them, until I actually applied myself and brought them up to 18.5inches. From 16. I train them every other day in the hope to get them as big as possible!

Firstly I do leg press instead of standing calf raises. I just feel them better.

One day I do a heavy day

Calf press
1 x 6-10
1 x 12-15
3-4 second negative, 3-4 second in stretch, squeeze at top for 1 second.

Seated calf raise
1 rest pause set same tempo as above

Single leg calf raise
3x20-30 same tempo as above

Loaded stretch

I do a volume day

Calf press
3x20 same tempo as above

Seated calf raise
2 x 20-30 (1.5rep style) same tempo as above

Single calf raise
3x20-30

Loaded stretch

Then a stretch emphasis day
Here I don’t go up onto my toes. I just use a heavier weight and stay in the bottom half of movement

Calf press
2 x 10-12 same tempo as above with a rest pause

Seated calf raise
1 rest pause set

Single Calf raise 3x20-30

Loaded stretch

Rest periods are short. It’s a lot of time under tension and a lot of pain!!

What do you guys do?

 

[luki7788]

And I’m not joking with that video. There was a Polish bodybuilder many, many years ago like 20 years back. He had amazing calves. Someone asked him why his calves were so good, and he said that every free moment he had, even when he was standing in the kitchen cooking rice, he would do calf raises. All day long calf raises.
Later he worked as a personal trainer, and even during his clients’ sessions he would keep doing calf raises nonstop.

It really works.

 

[traininsane11]

And I’m not joking with that video. There was a Polish bodybuilder many, many years ago like 20 years back. He had amazing calves. Someone asked him why his calves were so good, and he said that every free moment he had, even when he was standing in the kitchen cooking rice, he would do calf raises. All day long calf raises.
Later he worked as a personal trainer, and even during his clients’ sessions he would keep doing calf raises nonstop.

It really works.

This actually makes sense. The 3 people I know personally with the best calves don’t even train them but they walk naturally on their toes as opposed to flat footed so they’re constantly being worked

I’ve also noticed this on other people that have massive calves they often walk in a similar manner

 

[massephase]

I made good gains with heavy, high volume, to failure:

4 sets of standing raises 8-15 reps to failure
3 sets of donkey calf raises 8-15 reps to failure

2 times per week.

Before that, I just used normal progressive overload, usually one rest pause set and a backoff set every 5 days. And I still use it now, because calves are a strong point for me and I don't want to waste time and energy on them until my legs as a whole are a lot bigger.

Rep ranges are always on the high end because I don't want to get injured. I am quite strong, I guess due to good insertions.
Tempo is normal. I tried the Dante Trudel version with the long pause in the stretch and it didn't feel safe to me. I do the opposite and pause in the contraction for a second or two.

I also ditched the seated version because my tendonds started hurting and only do standing versions now.

 

[Siggy]

I gave up on trying to grow my chicken calves long ago. Now I just train them to be strong and I try to do a variety of things, seated calve, standing smith machine calve raise, plyometric jumps, hiking,etc.

If I tried doing them every other day like you I would end up with sore, overtrained calves and it would hinder my hill hikes which I enjoy doing.

 

[Simon90]

And I’m not joking with that video. There was a Polish bodybuilder many, many years ago like 20 years back. He had amazing calves. Someone asked him why his calves were so good, and he said that every free moment he had, even when he was standing in the kitchen cooking rice, he would do calf raises. All day long calf raises.
Later he worked as a personal trainer, and even during his clients’ sessions he would keep doing calf raises nonstop.

It really works.

I forgot to mention too I do something similar! in work at my desk the whole time I sit I do none stop calf raises squeezing as hard as I can and I do tibia raises with the desk in front of me and my shins/lower leg from front look much thicker for it so it just do!

 

[Dens228]

I had sticks forever. They aren't mind blowing but I have gotten compliments.
One exercise per leg workout, leg press calf press or seated calves.
One set or rest pause with two pauses, 20 seconds between. I don't really count the negative stroke time but it's controlled.
Steady three count at the stretch, I don't pause at full contraction.

 

[alfresco]

I train them three times a week (not as hard as I used to, I have bunions now) on a Smith machine, flat footed, minimum 50 reps - 100 reps. Same thing with seated.

 

[workingclass]

There was a Polish bodybuilder many, many years ago like 20 years back. He had amazing calves. Someone asked him why his calves were so good, and he said that every free moment he had, even when he was standing in the kitchen cooking rice, he would do calf raises. All day long calf raises.
Later he worked as a personal trainer, and even during his clients’ sessions he would keep doing calf raises nonstop.

It really works.

this is something that I noticed when I was a kid working at McDonalds maybe 20-25 years ago

there was this girl who worked there and for some reason (perhaps how she was born) always had to walk on her toes

she didn't walk this way by choice she just could not walk normal on her entire foot like a normal person

when she would come in to pickup her check I would always see that she had these monstrous calves I'm talking huuuuge

that's when I knew that constant calf training worked

 

[IFBBProDomCardone]

Do calves before leg day, gets the blood moving, legs firing, mind firing...and if you have energy at the end of leg day to hit calves, you probably are not training hard enough.

1. Standing Calve Raises- 20-30 reps, 4x sets. All the way down, all the way up. On last set, once we hit that tough 20-30 we did partials from bottom 1/2 way up AMRAP

2. Seated Calve Raise- 3-4 Sets 12-15 reps, super slow and controlled, full rom...on last set would would dropset all the weight down non stop. The reps during the dropsets were done a little bit quicker

Calves exploded doing this with Oscar. You need to really hammer them hard every time. I do miss having those calves lol

 

[valdosta]

straight leg is all that matters. and try to find a way to load them without loading your spine. doing single leg calf raises on a leg extension is my favorite; you have a straight leg, safeties, and the weight isnt loaded on your spine or lower back.

ive been doing home workouts without a leg extension, so i strap a weight belt on and do calf raises on a block (good idea to lean forward slightly on these and hold on to something for balance). 3 sets of this a week and my calves are sore for most of the week. they're very well developed

 

[valdosta]

straight leg is all that matters. and try to find a way to load them without loading your spine. doing single leg calf raises on a leg extension is my favorite; you have a straight leg, safeties, and the weight isnt loaded on your spine or lower back.

ive been doing home workouts without a leg extension, so i strap a weight belt on and do calf raises on a block (good idea to lean forward slightly on these and hold on to something for balance). 3 sets of this a week and my calves are sore for most of the week. they're very well developed

*leg press, idiot

 

[buck]

Toe press, standing and seated calf raise in that order have been my go to's. I find going from the stretch to full contraction with a weight i can actually handle with a slight pause top and bottom, works better then the slight bouncing in the lower 1/3-1/2 of the range that most seem to do that have no calves. If i want a bigger chest i don't just do 4 half assed sets a week and call it good. Standing in the kitchen while i am doing something for few minutes on my tippy toes lets me know what a real contraction feels like.

 

[dantes]

And I’m not joking with that video. There was a Polish bodybuilder many, many years ago like 20 years back. He had amazing calves. Someone asked him why his calves were so good, and he said that every free moment he had, even when he was standing in the kitchen cooking rice, he would do calf raises. All day long calf raises.
Later he worked as a personal trainer, and even during his clients’ sessions he would keep doing calf raises nonstop.

It really works.

I saw this video and was gonna do this but forgot. Thanks for posting it, also I will definitely give it a good go if you think it would work. It’s no surprise it works for him given he weighs like 350lb or something

After watching his videos I have also gone back to doing a lot more pull ups and dips. His strength in bodyweight movements is truly something I don’t think we have ever seen before

 

[dantes]

I train them three times a week (not as hard as I used to, I have bunions now) on a Smith machine, flat footed, minimum 50 reps - 100 reps. Same thing with seated.

View attachment 243400

Didn’t Phil Hermon recommend this movement for calfs (smith machine flat foot raises). I remember doing them years ago because I think it was Phil who swore by them.

 

[MackCoach]

Great great info on this thread
Thanking the contributors!

 

[alfresco]

Didn’t Phil Hermon recommend this movement for calfs (smith machine flat foot raises). I remember doing them years ago because I think it was Phil who swore by them.

Yup, Phil. And you can always do them one leg at a time and when that gets easy, you just hold a dumbbell in one hand.

Calves aren’t interesting muscle group. People think that they actually play a significant part in propulsion like jumping for instance, but in fact, if you strapped a piece of wood on either side of each of your legs to keep them straight and preventing any flexion you couldn’t get your toes off the ground while attempting to jump. The calves essentially provide stabilization and their function strength wise is pretty much insignificant.

 

[td]

I've detailed this before so forgive the redundancy.

I incline walk. That's it. I noticed that my calves grew during a prep where I was doing 2 hours of cardio a day and eating nothing. How? Walking uphill. Not fast. Not hard. Just lots of uphill steps. It was a novel stimuli.

I compare it to people who are heavy. All day long, these people are essentially doing sub-maximal calf volume.

 

[dantes]

Yup, Phil. And you can always do them one leg at a time and when that gets easy, you just hold a dumbbell in one hand.

Calves aren’t interesting muscle group. People think that they actually play a significant part in propulsion like jumping for instance, but in fact, if you strapped a piece of wood on either side of each of your legs to keep them straight and preventing any flexion you couldn’t get your toes off the ground while attempting to jump. The calves essentially provide stabilization and their function strength wise is pretty much insignificant.

It’s interesting that this method works well as in theory it shouldn’t. Based on the science they say the deep stretch is vital for calf growth but I have tried this method and it definitely works but you are not getting nearly as deep a stretch like most calf machines would provide

 

[chooch]

Mine aren’t as nice now as they were, but best results I’ve ever had personally was going heavy and high reps, shooting for 50 each set but often burning out before that.