Tip The Calf Exercise That Gym Bros Screw Up 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 The Calf Exercise That Gym Bros Screw Up Build your calves not your Achilles tendons dummy Here' s how by Andrew Coates August 25, 2020February 28, 2021 Tags Training If you're like most gym bros, you've probably been doing a hell of a job training your Achilles tendons. Yeah, that's what you're hitting with those bouncy, shallow reps during calf presses. The Achilles tendons are powerful elastic bands which spring load your ankles through rapid calf raises. Athletes depend on this quality for running and jumping, but when it comes to building massive calves? Sorry, no dice. If you allow this type of movement to dominate your calf training, you'll reduce its effectiveness. Pausing your end ranges of motion on any calf raise will limit the elastic rebound of the Achilles and force your calf muscle to do more work. Paused Calf Press Pause at the top and bottom of the press for at least two seconds. Dorsiflex your ankle (by bringing toes toward shins) and stretch the calf at the bottom as much as you can without pain. Then push as high onto the balls of your feet and toes as possible. If you want to develop better strength and mobility at the end ranges, spend time controlling the movement into these end ranges under load. Your ankles and feet will grow stronger as you gain more control in these end ranges. This is actually true of squatting, benching, or any other exercise. Choose a load you're able to control and press with full ankle dorsiflexion or you'll default to bouncing the weight. Apply the same approach to all calf raise variations. What If My Calves Are Tight If your calves are tight and don't allow a deep stretch at the bottom of your press, then alternate between foam rolling them for 10 rolls and static stretching them for 20-30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times then try flexing your ankles. The combination of myofascial release and stretching should temporarily relax some neutral tone of your tight calves long enough to train into the restricted range of motion. Loading with control into the otherwise restricted range should improve your ability to access this range in the future. Vary your rep ranges and train your calves more often. Calves are designed to be walked on all day, so 4 sets of 8-10 reps once a week won't cause muscle growth. 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 Minutes to a Better Bench Press Bonus: This simple drill will also make your bitchy shoulders feel great. Check it out. Bench Press, Kettlebell Training, Mobility, Tips, Training Gareth Sapstead April 20 Training Limping Into the New Millennium - Part 1 Australian Wunder Coach Ian King has devised a 12-week leg program that's among the most unique - and the most effective. Training Ian King December 3 Training The Bodybuilder-Powerlifter Hybrid Bodybuilders are all show and no go. Powerlifters are fat. Rather than stereotype, a good lifter needs to be both a bodybuilder and a powerlifter. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Charles Staley September 25 Training Iron Abs Healthy Spine Training abs shouldn't wreck your spine. Here's how to make your ab exercises safe and your core ridiculously strong. Abs, Bodybuilding, It Hurts Fix It, Training Dr John Rusin August 8