IFBB Pros and other big boys/calve training

[Big A]

w8ts
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Registered: Jan 2002
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IFBB Pros and other big boys/calve training
I want to know what you had to do to turn your calves into cows?



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02-04-2002 03:54 AM



Big A
IFBB PRO / Moderator

Registered: Oct 2001
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Well, when I started training, my calves were 10.5". I used to do all the usual stuff - calf raises, donkeys, etc. I never missed a calf workout, because in those days I was so weak, calves were the only ones that could do some decent poundage that I wasn't embarassed off.
In addition, and this is very important, every night when I went to bed, I would flex the calves to the max. I would flex them until they cramped, then relaxed until the cramp went away, then again. For 1/2 hour everynight. I had to build to that though because afert he first time, they were sore for a week. But eventually, they could handle that every night.
Now they are 20" cold. Perfect diamond shape. Never done any site injections in the calves. All I do for them now is one set to failure on the standing raises, once a week.
I'll post a pic soon.



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02-04-2002 07:19 AM



Ry Roid
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I had actually the worst calves around but, thru tons of heavy training and some syntherol, ahem,hehhee I got them over 21.5inches.

RY


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02-04-2002 07:27 AM



Paul Bunyan
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I can't really help you on this one. My calves are 19.5" cold and I don't even train them. Must be lucky I guess. PB



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02-04-2002 07:47 AM



BALDNAZI
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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Brooklyn NY
Posts: 63
I need calves
I got big arms, I got big delts, big traps, pecs even a big GUT but I dont have any damn calves.Will someone post a solid routine? Summer will be here soon and I when I wear shorts I want to have some damn mass there.As of now I look like Im going to fall over,hehe...

"Der Sieg Wird Unser Sein"



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02-04-2002 10:32 AM



FRKNHUGE
Future Junior Natl Powerlifting Champ

Registered: Jan 2002
Location: in your bed with ur girl, lol
Posts: 289
this is what im doin
leg press raises, vary ur foot placing, get crazy heavy on these
do 6 sets of 10+ reps, usually i go over 1k for weight

then do seated with as much lbs as u can handle to failure

here is my SECRET stretch on a block till it hurts between every set

do this once a week

for the record mine are 22.5 gym hard



frk



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02-04-2002 10:45 AM



Ry Roid
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I like leg press calf raises also but, I do them one leg at a time so I don't have to put 1000lbs on the machine.hehehe

RY


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02-04-2002 11:24 AM



wyldeone
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Registered: Feb 2002
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try this!
Try getting in the leg press machine and turning around so you are leaning over the seat and have your ass towards the leg-press to where you stomach is over where your back normally would be and place your toes at the bottom of the press with your heals hanging over its almost as if your doing a seated calf raise its just you isolate all three heads of the calf at once and it works great 4 sets of 20 rep! 2 times a week. I hope you guys can understand what i'm trying to say as its a hard exercise to explain but it works GREAT for stuborn calves. best wishes wyldeone.



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02-04-2002 01:02 PM



Ry Roid
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You lost me on that one.

RY


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02-04-2002 09:50 PM



KIWI
IFBB Pro

Registered: Jan 2002
Location: south pacific
Posts: 24
calves
Hi bro try this for a change back when I first started training my calves were around 17inches now they are around 6 inches bigger nearly up to my arms but not quite. I used to do lots reps but all I found was they were getting harder. What I do now is for example

standing calf raises: 1 warm up, 2nd set max out 8 full reps controlled reps, 3rd set 6 full controlled reps , 4th set 5 full controlled reps:

seated calf raise: no need for warm up so 3 sets : 1st set 8 reps , 2nd set 6 reps, 3rd set 5 reps

and were finished short heavy full range , get them huge !!!

KIWI



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02-05-2002 02:43 AM



w8ts
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Registered: Jan 2002
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KIWI how many times a week do you train them?



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02-05-2002 05:21 AM



KIWI
IFBB Pro

Registered: Jan 2002
Location: south pacific
Posts: 24
have experimented fully with training x per week , for my body 1 x per week with the rep regime that I said before works by far the best. I will try and find a photo of me and Nasser from a few years ago showing our calves from behind and post it tonight ! my computer skills aren't that hot so will be lots'a fun

KIWI



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02-05-2002 05:41 AM



LATS
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the guys with the biggest calves use low , slow controlled reps. look at the facts, dorian , nasser, kiwi, big a , ruhl ect all use low reps. the gastroc portion of the muscle is comprised of predominately fast twitch fibers. the soleus which lies underneath is compose of mainly slow twoitch fibers. a friend of mine who writes for ironman and has a phd in exercise phys (he is a professor at a large university in california) did his last paper in college about this same subject. SLOW TWITCH FIBERS HAVE VERY LITTLE GROWTH CAPACITY. why waste your time. high reps will help a muscle increase glycogen storage and build capillaries but, contractile fibers need high tension and slow controlled negatives. those that grow from high rep calf work seem to have really good genetics for calves anyway. that being said , there is nothing more impressive than good calves and great rear delts. just my opinion. lol



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02-06-2002 11:45 AM



johan
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so dropsets for calves is just a waste of time???
Damn I always do dropsets for them, maby time to change.
I hate my phatetic 17 inch calves.



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02-06-2002 06:08 PM



eye_candy
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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: canada
Posts: 62
lats
That is some good info bro. I have always followed the high rep route for calves, due to fibres in them, they have grown to 19" @ 240, but will have to try some low rep work to see how they respond. I have always used slow controlled reps.



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02-06-2002 07:11 PM



LATS
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johan
hey johan, no drop saets are actually productive as long as the first set is heavy for low reps. during drop sets you are still hitting the high threshold muscle fibers. i use drop sets in all my training strictly out of the necessity for hitting the fast twitch fibers along with the drops which still hit the high threshold as long as you hit failure in the 6 rep range. so go ahead and use them just make sure it is heavy as hell but, controlled. and again EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. if you remember serge nubret , he did high reps on everthing and got big. so human pys can prove many things but, there will always be someone to throw the study for a loop. but, for the vast majority of us it applies.



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02-06-2002 09:01 PM



Tempest
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I personally feel that is the great thing about bodybuilding! What works for you may not work for another person, BUT the great thing about discussion boards are the ability to learn and try things that you hear from others-

Temp



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02-06-2002 09:18 PM



johan
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when i dropset i do a (10*660, 6*570 and so on until I have around 220 pounds left on the legpress).

So what you saying are that I should try and raise the begining weight to maby 700 and do 4-6 reps??

And yeahh I know phatetic weights but I have only been workingout for 1,5-2 years.



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02-06-2002 09:50 PM



dougisbig
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What about your range of motion guys? I have always had the best growth by staying at the top of the motion(heel never below my toes). Are you guys doing a full range motion?

thanks,

doug



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02-06-2002 10:21 PM



Big A
IFBB PRO / Moderator

Registered: Oct 2001
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At the top I squeeze the muscle as hard as I can and staying there for 1 or 2 secs. Knees are slightly bent. As I go down, the kness lock straight and I stretch as far as I can at the bottom for another sec or so. Then as I go back up, my knees bend and lock in a slight bend position so I can contract fully in the top position.

I explode in the positive while the negative is slow.



drgoodbody
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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: in a state of paranoia
Posts: 32

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Big A

I explode in the positive while the negative is slow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



That quote, IMHO, is the right way to do virtually every lift -- bench, squat, leg presses, leg extensions, bicep curls, etc... you name it and that is how I try to do it. Hypertrophy on the negatives is what builds strength and mass, plus it conditions your tendons and ligaments for greater loads in the future. Also explosive movements on the concentric portion of the lift train the Central Nervous System for even greater lifts (at least that is what I am lead to believe if I understand what the powerlifters are saying - you Westside type monsters speak up if I'm wrong )

DrG


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02-07-2002 02:09 AM



LATS
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johan
first off, those weights arent pathetic. as long as it feels heavy to you , its heavy. yeah, try to get the first set to hit failure in the 6 reps range. (remember to warmup good and stretch a little before the first set. slow and controlled 6 reps. strip it down and shoot for another 6. strip again and go for another 6. thats 18 total reps in a short amont of time and each was heavy percentage wise. give it a try.



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02-07-2002 07:17 AM



johan
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I will give it a try now on sunday.

Thanks for the advice.