Muscular-Fitness

Since we use our calf muscles every day when we’re walking around, there seems to be some debate over how often we should train our calves for optimum muscular development and how much weight should we use. The key to effectively building the calf muscles and continuing to make good muscle gains over the long term is a combination of intensity and tricking the muscle with constant change. The calf muscles get a lot of work carrying all of our bodyweight whenever we walk but this won’t make them bigger and more muscular, training them using a mix of high reps, low weight alternated with medium weight with high reps is the best way to stimulate serious calf growth.

The calf muscles can take a lot of work so to stimulate muscle growth in the calf area you need to mix it up and blast the calves in a completely different way than what they get from everyday walking. One of the best calf training routines is to do high reps of standing calf raises in the 30-40 rep range for 4 sets once per week. In the same week on another day try doing very heavy partial reps from the bottom to the half way point for 10-15 reps for 2 sets. Follow those lower partial reps with 2 sets of high partial reps from the top or extended toe position down to the half way point for another 2 sets. Then on a third day in the same training week, do some seated calf raises with medium heavy weight for another 4 sets of 30-40 reps. On days 1 and 3 try to complete a full rep for each and every repetition. On day 2 you will only do partial reps from the bottom half of the raise to the half way point and then the top half of the raise to the half way point. In total you will do 4 sets 3 times per week, this is enough for real growth if you keep the intensity level high by resting only for a short period between sets.

By training this way you are constantly tricking the calves into growing by using high reps on some days mixed with partial reps with heavy weight on another day and changing from standing to seated calf raises on another day. This is just an example week of training the calves 3 times. Three times per week is enough to stimulate immediate growth in the calves but to achieve long lasting calf muscle growth you need to be consistent with your training and keep mixing your exercises around so your calves never know what to expect. As soon as they get used to a regular routine they will cease to grow so mix it up and have some fun with your calf training by trying new techniques and alternate between heavy weights and higher reps and you will be overwhelmed at your new development.