Tip 3 Tips for Really Stubborn Calves Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 3 Tips for Really Stubborn Calves You' re not destined for a lifetime of little calves Get yours to finally grow Here' s how by Michael Mylonas November 2, 2018August 18, 2019 Tags Bodybuilding, Calves, Tips, Training Some people don't train their calves because they think their other leg work is sufficient. But that doesn't really work well for calf growth, unless you're a genetic freak. You need to hit them directly... and hard. Here are three things you can do to force them to grow: 1 – Use momentum in standing calf raises You need to train your calves heavy, and a little momentum is going to help you maximize the load. Many people get the heavy part right, but where they go wrong is with their quarter-rep bouncing. So don't go overboard with momentum. I'm not talking about loading up a ridiculous amount of weight on the seated calf raise and using your Achilles tendons like springs. I'm talking about the standing calf raise in particular, using a jumping-type motion to begin the movement, and finishing it with a full, peak contraction. This "jumping calf raise" is something I was first introduced to by Menno Henselmans, and it's a fantastic way to help force your calves to move more weight while still achieving full range of motion and contraction, all with little risk of injury. This works with a barbell or a standing calf raise machine. 2 – Take a 3 second pause on the seated calf raise Pause in the bottom, stretched position. That's going to achieve two key things crucial for calf growth: It'll prevent the tendency to bounce and force your calves to hold an isometric contraction under load, which in turn will... Force your calves to initiate the movement and continue to contract through a full range of motion. 3 – Up the volume and frequency Training heavy is only part of the puzzle. By using momentum, you're going to be able to train them heavily with high volume, which is crucial. And I'm not talking like 3 sets of 10. I'm talking like 4-5 sets of 20 or more reps. Train your calves at least twice per week for growth. How much work do your calves do on a daily basis? They move your entire bodyweight thousands of times per day! So doing 3 sets of 10 isn't going to cut it. Just like other muscles, they don't just benefit from volume, but from training frequency as well. A simple way to program this into your workouts is to finish your session with: Standing calf raise with momentum Seated calf raise with 3 second pause in the bottom Do each for 4 sets of 20 reps, twice per week, at the end of any of your workouts. Work on increasing your volume each session and watch them grow. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Two New Exercises for Healthy Shoulders You can't build bigger delts if your shoulders are achy and immobile. These smart moves will fix you right up. Training Calvin Huynh December 25 Training Blast Metabolic Interval Training Call it whatever you want: circuit training, interval training, whatever. Two things are certain: 1. It ain't for wimps. 2. It'll rip the fat off you. Fat Loss Training, Metcon, Training Chad Coy March 30 Training How to Reload for Dramatic New Gains There's a way to resensitize your muscles and make them more responsive to growth. Here's everything you need to know. Christian Thibaudeau May 26 Training Tip The Over & Back Press for Shoulders Make this partial range exercise last at least 60 seconds per set and you'll trigger new delt growth with constant tension. Bodybuilding, Exercise Coaching, Shoulders, Tips Mark Dugdale April 18