When you first start bodybuilding, the focus is to "get big". The muscle magazines stress how to build humongous thighs, bulging pecs, cannonball delts, barn door lats, six-pack abs, baseball biceps, and horseshoe triceps. Little emphasis is placed on developing "huge diamond shaped calves". Therefore, it's understandable that we give calves low priority. We don't focus on calves enough. When we do train them, it's an "afterthought". We place calf training at the end of our routine when we're too tired to really train them hard.
If you want bigger calves, then you must completely change your calf training strategy. Just pumping out 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps on the standing calf raise machine isn't going to build big calves. Your calves are different from your other muscles. The fact is that these differences are the reason why traditional training methods aren't effective in building your calves. You can't train your calves in the same manner as your other body parts and expect the same results. You must employ these three strategies in your calf training to obtain the growth your want:
1. Perform the Perfect Rep - Too often, I see bodybuilders performing calf raises with a bouncing, short range, partial rep. This training practice is a waste of time and will not produce any meaningful calf growth. I encourage you to learn and practice the "Perfect Rep". What is the "Perfect Rep"? Well, the Perfect Rep is when you exercise the muscle through its entire range of motion. This means that at the top of the calf raise, or contraction part, you must raise yourself up as high as your ankle will allow - on the ball of your foot. AND, at the lower end of the range of motion, you must achieve a full stretch of the calf.
When performing the "Perfect Rep" move smoothly through the range and pause briefly at the top and the bottom. No bouncing! To thoroughly stimulate and work the calf muscles, each repetition must be executed in the "Perfect Rep" style.
2. Confuse the Muscle Often - You must mix up your exercises, rep schemes, and weight every 1-2 workouts or at least once a week to keep the calf muscles from adapting to the same routine. The calves are designed to adapt very quickly to the stresses applied. Calf muscles respond best when there's a new stress applied frequently. Keep the calf muscles guessing by changing your exercises and exercise variables.
Your calf routines should incorporate exercises in the 8 to 20 repetition range and exercises in the 20 to 100 repetition range. This is necessary to work the Type II-Fast Twitch fibers and the Type I-Slow Twitch fibers in the gastrocnemius and soleus. Because the soleus is primarily Type I-Slow Twitch muscle fiber, you should do more sets in the 20-100 rep range. For the gastrocnemius, you'll attain maximum growth by having a 50-50 split of 8-20 rep exercises and 20-100 rep exercises.
3. Work Through the Pain Zone To Muscular Failure and Growth - This may be one of the most important strategies I've discussed. When you train the calves hard, especially at higher repetitions, you'll achieve a lactic acid burn. The "lactic acid burn" is the buildup of the byproduct of Glycolysis (the energy process used during muscle contraction). The lactic acid buildup stimulates Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone in the blood during and after training. Therefore, the lactic acid burn is a good thing and you must train in a manner to achieve a "lactic acid burn". Remember, "no pain, no gain".
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