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alfresco
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Forearms are like calves . . . you either have then or you don’t.
Let me qualify that . . . If you ‘have’ them, they are subject to change, big change. If you don’t
have them (and you know who you are), then they are not subject to significant change and
will very likely never meet your expectations, become an outstanding body part, regardless of
what you do. Nothing, and I mean nothing will change that. And if they could be changed
significantly for the better (don’t’ forget . . . some have ruined them by trying all sorts of stupid
things) then every bodybuilder on the plate Earth would have great calves.
All champion bodybuilders would have great calves if they could (and it’s not for lack of trying) but
most don’t because they were not born with them. Arnold S. is one of the few bodybuilders who
managed to make significant improvement is the calf department. And there is much speculation
as to how this occurred. (I know nothing about it even though I have spent a fair amount of time
with him, trained with him, was in a position to ask him, but never did, and I have seen his calves
up close and personal.) There was a famous bodybuilder years ago who was known for his calf
development. And it just so happens he had a twin brother whose calf development was better than
his. So . . . by my way of thinking, this bodybuilder probably over training them for competition
and somehow managed to make them shrink. He would have been better off he did not train them
at all. (There are well respected members who post here, have great calves and don’t train them.)
Another famous bodybuilder who had great calves, who trained them very little (thankfully), had a
sister I am told, who had better calves than him and with zero training.
Then there are some bodybuilders on the Olympia stage whose calves have literally become worse
over the course of their career. What’s up with that? Name one other body part that over the course
of a bodybuilders career that gets smaller while their contest placing get better?
Everything to do with calf development has to do with insertion points; where your calf muscle
attaches . . . low or high on your leg with low being better. Frequency, sets, reps, stretching, toe
position, etc. is all mumbo jumbo, simply marketing from a source intending to capitalize on so
called knowledge when said knowledge has nothing to do with achieving a bigger calves.
Outside of surgical re-attachment (don’t count on it) you are stuck with what you have.
‘Site injections’ in my opinion, are all too obvious and when ‘successfully’ done and only make your
calves (and other body parts) look stupid, cartoonish. We all know what a naturally, fully developed
body part looks like. Much like skin tones in photography, you know when it looks right and when
it looks wrong. Or much like hair implants or toupees, the good ones you don’t notice.
FTI . . . calves have nothing to do with your jumping ability. In fact, your calves are incapable
of propelling you off the ground. Yes; they assist and stabilize, serve primarily as shock absorbers,
but if you were to lock your legs, tape a two by four on either side of each leg to prevent your legs
from bending, you cannot jump high enough to even get your toes off the floor while using only
your calf muscles. That is a fact. Please try it of you don’t believe me.
If wish I had a before and after fotos of my calves but I don’t. My calves have never been anything
to brag about. In fact, the less said about them the better. But . . . I do know what made them
grow, made them improve a small amount (because that is all that must people are ever going to get)
and I am happy to share that with you.
From personal experience and observations:
First . . . stretching is over rated, perhaps even unnecessary.
Second . . . high reps are better than low reps.
Third . . . more is not better when it comes to frequency. Three times a week is plenty.
Early results for me came from a simple exercise called donkey calk raises. High repetition calf raises.
50 – 100 repetition on calf raises. Of course you will need a training partner for this exercise. And when
it becomes easier, either by them becoming lighter or you becoming stronger, having your partner
hold a 25 or 45lb plate will help to increase the resistance.
Best results, what I have been doing lately, meaning the last 20 years or so, are standing calf raises
under a Smith Machine, either flat footed off the ground, or off ½ of a foam roller an (ideal compromise
for range of motion, and very comfortable). Super-set this with toe presses on a leg press machine with
no stretching. Then I do seated calf raises, pausing at the bottom and the top. And then I do one set
of 50 to 100 reps squats. Trust me . . . do squats immediately after working calves and it will both fine
tune your squatting ability and give you a bit of a pump to the ole calves . . .
Another thing you can do if you are into becoming brutally sore, if you have a couple of days where
you don’t need to walk (because you won’t be able to) is to work up and down the weight stack doing
toe presses on a leg press machine. I think the machine I use a Cybex but regardless, you just need
a platform to hang your heels over and an accessible weight stack; one you don’t have to move to
‘re-pin.’ because I never leave the machine, never get up, never rest between sets. I start with my body-
weight and do 20 reps. I then increase the weight by one plate. Do 20 more reps. So on and so forth
until I am down to 6 reps then I decrease the weight and increase the reps and work the same way
in the opposite direction. Eventually you will get back to 20 reps. I stop there. Rest about one minute,
and do this all over again. Rest one minute, and do this all over again. If you can walk the next day without
looking funny, without people staring at you . . . you did not do it right.
I love all the comments, the progress reports; this is what this forum is all about, the sharing of info.
But, for all those that brag about their progress . . . I have yet to see one foto here. Now-a-days, if you
can’t back it up with a foto, like somebody once said here, then ‘it didn’t not happen’. And while it certainly
isn’t the easiest body part to photograph; an attempt, any attempt is better than nothing. I know my
calves are nothing special, nothing to brag about, but I would love to see some of the results others are
posting about here.
Let me qualify that . . . If you ‘have’ them, they are subject to change, big change. If you don’t
have them (and you know who you are), then they are not subject to significant change and
will very likely never meet your expectations, become an outstanding body part, regardless of
what you do. Nothing, and I mean nothing will change that. And if they could be changed
significantly for the better (don’t’ forget . . . some have ruined them by trying all sorts of stupid
things) then every bodybuilder on the plate Earth would have great calves.
All champion bodybuilders would have great calves if they could (and it’s not for lack of trying) but
most don’t because they were not born with them. Arnold S. is one of the few bodybuilders who
managed to make significant improvement is the calf department. And there is much speculation
as to how this occurred. (I know nothing about it even though I have spent a fair amount of time
with him, trained with him, was in a position to ask him, but never did, and I have seen his calves
up close and personal.) There was a famous bodybuilder years ago who was known for his calf
development. And it just so happens he had a twin brother whose calf development was better than
his. So . . . by my way of thinking, this bodybuilder probably over training them for competition
and somehow managed to make them shrink. He would have been better off he did not train them
at all. (There are well respected members who post here, have great calves and don’t train them.)
Another famous bodybuilder who had great calves, who trained them very little (thankfully), had a
sister I am told, who had better calves than him and with zero training.
Then there are some bodybuilders on the Olympia stage whose calves have literally become worse
over the course of their career. What’s up with that? Name one other body part that over the course
of a bodybuilders career that gets smaller while their contest placing get better?
Everything to do with calf development has to do with insertion points; where your calf muscle
attaches . . . low or high on your leg with low being better. Frequency, sets, reps, stretching, toe
position, etc. is all mumbo jumbo, simply marketing from a source intending to capitalize on so
called knowledge when said knowledge has nothing to do with achieving a bigger calves.
Outside of surgical re-attachment (don’t count on it) you are stuck with what you have.
‘Site injections’ in my opinion, are all too obvious and when ‘successfully’ done and only make your
calves (and other body parts) look stupid, cartoonish. We all know what a naturally, fully developed
body part looks like. Much like skin tones in photography, you know when it looks right and when
it looks wrong. Or much like hair implants or toupees, the good ones you don’t notice.
FTI . . . calves have nothing to do with your jumping ability. In fact, your calves are incapable
of propelling you off the ground. Yes; they assist and stabilize, serve primarily as shock absorbers,
but if you were to lock your legs, tape a two by four on either side of each leg to prevent your legs
from bending, you cannot jump high enough to even get your toes off the floor while using only
your calf muscles. That is a fact. Please try it of you don’t believe me.
If wish I had a before and after fotos of my calves but I don’t. My calves have never been anything
to brag about. In fact, the less said about them the better. But . . . I do know what made them
grow, made them improve a small amount (because that is all that must people are ever going to get)
and I am happy to share that with you.
From personal experience and observations:
First . . . stretching is over rated, perhaps even unnecessary.
Second . . . high reps are better than low reps.
Third . . . more is not better when it comes to frequency. Three times a week is plenty.
Early results for me came from a simple exercise called donkey calk raises. High repetition calf raises.
50 – 100 repetition on calf raises. Of course you will need a training partner for this exercise. And when
it becomes easier, either by them becoming lighter or you becoming stronger, having your partner
hold a 25 or 45lb plate will help to increase the resistance.
Best results, what I have been doing lately, meaning the last 20 years or so, are standing calf raises
under a Smith Machine, either flat footed off the ground, or off ½ of a foam roller an (ideal compromise
for range of motion, and very comfortable). Super-set this with toe presses on a leg press machine with
no stretching. Then I do seated calf raises, pausing at the bottom and the top. And then I do one set
of 50 to 100 reps squats. Trust me . . . do squats immediately after working calves and it will both fine
tune your squatting ability and give you a bit of a pump to the ole calves . . .
Another thing you can do if you are into becoming brutally sore, if you have a couple of days where
you don’t need to walk (because you won’t be able to) is to work up and down the weight stack doing
toe presses on a leg press machine. I think the machine I use a Cybex but regardless, you just need
a platform to hang your heels over and an accessible weight stack; one you don’t have to move to
‘re-pin.’ because I never leave the machine, never get up, never rest between sets. I start with my body-
weight and do 20 reps. I then increase the weight by one plate. Do 20 more reps. So on and so forth
until I am down to 6 reps then I decrease the weight and increase the reps and work the same way
in the opposite direction. Eventually you will get back to 20 reps. I stop there. Rest about one minute,
and do this all over again. Rest one minute, and do this all over again. If you can walk the next day without
looking funny, without people staring at you . . . you did not do it right.
I love all the comments, the progress reports; this is what this forum is all about, the sharing of info.
But, for all those that brag about their progress . . . I have yet to see one foto here. Now-a-days, if you
can’t back it up with a foto, like somebody once said here, then ‘it didn’t not happen’. And while it certainly
isn’t the easiest body part to photograph; an attempt, any attempt is better than nothing. I know my
calves are nothing special, nothing to brag about, but I would love to see some of the results others are
posting about here.
