The calf muscles are the forgotten muscles in the bodybuilding world. People at the gym often neglect to train them and that is why there are so many huge dudes walking around with little pencil twigs for legs. For those who don’t want to be that guy and want to blast their calves into some new growth check out how I added an inch to mine in two weeks.
Why you should train your calves more
Before I get into how I added some serious size I want to give a few reasons for why calf training is important for anyone who goes to the gym.
Firstly, if you have a big set of shoulders, biceps, triceps, etc. and some small little legs it looks stupid. Other bodybuilders won’t take you seriously and it doesn’t look normal. I remember reading an article in a magazine a few years ago that said that the guys with small legs and big arms are the egos in the gym; only there to make themselves feel big. Don’t be that guy.
Secondly, if you play a sport or a martial art the calf muscles and very important. How fast you can run depends a lot on how developed your lower legs are and the calf muscles determine how quickly you can spring off after changing a direction. Also, when a boxer springs forward to attack his opponent it is his calf muscles that propel him.
Thirdly, it is simply dangerous to have some parts of your body more developed than the others. If you put too much emphasis on your biceps you will get a pinched shoulder. The same goes for your calf muscles. If they are too underdeveloped you will run into problems.
How I added an inch to my calf muscles in two weeks
What I am about to talk about is a little unconventional. As you all know the way I train is not always picture perfect. I am only interested in what works, not what is popular. Always be safe when you train methods like this one.
The background
My calf muscles were lagging behind the others and I thought were looking a bit skinny. This was odd for me because I have massive quadriceps after years of playing soccer and weight lifting. My calf workout prior to this period had been pretty ordinary. I did the usual weighted calf raises and that’s about it.
I knew I needed to change something so I decided to stick with my usual ideas about intensity. If I wanted to get my calfs to change I needed to hit them with power, force and a lot of intensity.
To really work the calfs you have to do exercises that force your toes to dig in. It is like the forearms, the more you can do with your fingers the better your forearms will be. So, I decided to head to my local hill and do some running. However, I needed to add some resistance to the workout so I brought along a backpack filled with weight discs wrapped in towels. Deadly.
I also packed my 30 kilogram dumbbells into the car.
The brutal calf workout
I did a warm up at the base of the steep hill and did a lot of stretching. Nothing cripples a hill workout like a leg cramp so I made sure everything was nice and ready.
I then threw on the backpack full of weight and proceeded to sprint up the hill making sure I was using my toes as much as possible. Anyone who has done sprinting or running as a sport will tell you that you go faster if you use your toes instead of the heel/toe combination. I stuck to this method.
Once I reached the top (takes about 5 minutes where I am) I turned around and started to walk back down without stopping for a rest. As soon as I hit the bottom I picked up the dumbbells and pumped out a set of calf raises to failure using the first step that takes you to the hill as my platform.
I then took about two minutes rest while I did some stretching and then threw on the backpack and started again. I repeated this who brutal workout for about 20 minutes after which I had to stop because I thought I was going to pass out. Running hills ain’t easy.
The results
After doing that workout six times, each time with a day or two rest inbetween and lots of protein I measured about an inch of growth. I thought this was just swelling or water retention but after a month the calfs are looking bigger than ever. I don’t think my legs have ever been as sore as after that first workout, and I run hills on a regular basis.
If your legs or calf muscles are lagging behind try something different. Shock them into a bit of growth and don’t be afraid to try new and unconventional methods.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:00 am
i want to know how can i reduce my butt,thigh and calf muscles.i have huge thighs and butts please show me pictures of some exercises which are fast effective.