[n88tr]

I tried using images.google but I mostly got porn results... thanks google. But seriously, I do a lot of work to my calves, I go to failure most times but it's a positive failure. I'll post my calves workout if you guys want but I just wonder if it's one body part that will take a lot more work than I initially thought to make them grow. I might be in a plateau. I mean, it honestly looks like I don't do any work to them, but I really do. On the machines that I can do calf exercises, I max out the weight with perfect form, with the exception of the leg press [I can't max out the weight, the most I can do is 660 lbs].

I've seen pics of really big calves in mags like MuscularDevelopment, Men'sFitness, etc but I suppose those guys are pros. Some guys, their calves are bigger than their biceps... like having a grapefruit attached to your leg...

Is more weight just the key? The max I can do for standing calf raises is 200 [really 406 including my own bodyweight] and for seated calf raises is about 120 [with a good extension]. I know I'll be doubling my standing and seated in about 6 months but will growth occur then is it just anybodies guess?

[anthk]

think of it like this. your on your legs all day so its hard to build muscle for such an endurance muscle.
some people believe heavy ass weight with typical rep ranges of 8-12 some believe you need rep ranges anywhere from 12-50
personally i only do 2 exercises and see results. i start with the seated calf raises on the smith machine. i go a moderate weight and perform 50 reps *awsome burn in my calves* then up the weight and perform 30 then up again & 25 & up again and 12. afterwards is the leg press i change my feet positions to be straight, toes pointed inward then outward. 3 x 30 reps of heavy weight and its really hard but push through the burn and you will see changes.
aslo how is your diet going?? tell us about it

[ZackKnight]

Check out his log. He posts it everyday in there.

Also, Anthk is correct. Diff things work for diff people.

You could change up and go really heavy for low reps and see what happens. That's what I did last year and my calves grew immensely.

It's all about trial and error man

[BigPoppaSnake]

Calves are hard to work. Thats why some people get calf implants.

[SDMF_1]

two calves excercises i find great are seated calf raise and standing calf raise but for mass just go for low reps i usualy do 8-8-6 for calves while increasing the weight and make sure to get the full muscle contraction when doing calves.

[n88tr]

Hmm yeah, I think I'm in a plateau.

I remember early on doing 730 for just 1 or 2 reps using the leg press as my angled calf raises, I thought my calves were going to fall off or explode... madness.

I think I'll experiment with the heavy weight for small reps for a month or so, see how that goes.

I'll also try shifting the toe positions while on the calf raises. I know I can move them outward to hit the inner calf and move them in to hit the outer calf... I do this on the standing calf raises but can I do this too on the leg press calf raises as well as the seated calf raises [the toe positions]?

[yosahab]

I'm surprised no one noticed but at 6'5" it will be harder to get your calves big because unless you have an extremely long torso they are probably pretty long.
It sucks but your height is probably working against you.
For example look at some basketball players, they have extremely strong calves and can jump out of the gym yet there legs look like sticks.
Just my $.02

[n88tr]

Am I the only one that uses the leg press for my calf raises?

[ZackKnight]

no man. I used to put like 1200lbs on there and do them hardcore and then do pyramids in weight and reps til I got a good workout.

[n88tr]

Do you think it's purely a genetic thing that on some people there is one part of the body that will grow faster, just a roll of the dice kind of thing? I mean like you don't need to work the hell out of your traps, but they just grow, whereas your chest is small even if you bench 300?

[mindstar]

i put an inch on my calves recently and this is how i did it.

use pyramiding weight for sets of 20 reps...

In order to take the stretch reflex out fo the movement, I make sure I spend at least 3 seconds at the top of each rep, flexing as hard as I can. It is brutal, but it's the only thing that makes my calves grow. Try it...

[n88tr]

I def pause and really try to feel the contraction, I've been doing that for a long time. Let me post my past couple days log on my log page and you'll see...

ty for advice

[Frag Hag]

A lot of it could be genetic, some body parts grow like weeds and others are really stubborn. Your own growth patterns will be much more apparent when you go on an all-out bulk. I personally didn't think it was that odd for someone's calves to be bigger than their biceps, seeing as how my calves are 16 inches and my arms are like 12, lol, but i guess that means that arms will be a major weak point.

I also remember reading that the insertion points for calves is inversely relational to those of the pecs. So if you have really wide pecs, the insertion points for your calves will be lower, making them appear to be longer and thinner, thus making it harder to get a lot of width on them. It's not impossible; i've seen dudes with low calf insertion points with gigantic calves, and the low insertion actually makes them look bigger when they do get that size. It just might take more work than say, your traps.

Incidentally, this also applies to women's breast size. So if you see a chick with really big boobs, check out her calves. They'll probably look small or thin. Or, if she's really flat-chested, she might have curvy calves. Y'know. If you're into that sorta thing. lol