CALF TRAINING

Calf training. Now a big thing in the world of body building and in society. I think everyone has heard the term 'chicken legs' or something like that when describing someone with a big upper torso and skinny legs. Now this 'banter' does really effect people but i'm not here to talk about that, i'm here to talk about how to add some mass and definition to those lower parts of your legs.

Now my legs are not the biggest by far, I genetically don't have big calves. This is not me blaming it on my genetics because I used to leave out calf training all the time. You might even want to find some other information from someone with bigger legs than me after finding that out but I suggest you don't. If you are reading this you are probably going through the same thing as me so I can relate and I will give you the most honest straight up advice I possibly can. I started training my calves seriously since January now and I can see significant difference so i'm here to share what i'v learnt to turn those 'chicken legs' in to something spectacular.

So we've established that genetics play a big part in this, if you are one of those lucky ones who have big calves and just need to shape them well, fair play but if you are like me with smaller legs we have to work our arses off training. This muscle is very stubborn. It takes your weight every day, when you stand, walk, run and anything else. This means it is a very hardened and dense muscle which will take time and dedication to make grow. I was reading about Arnold Schwarzenegger and he used to half small calves, this even cost him a competition. He vowed to never let his calves effect his presence on stage again and so he began shaping his legendary calf muscles. He was told to train these muscles like you would any other, not to just put it at the end of the workout and put not much effort or intensity into the exercise. So with this information I started hitting my lower legs hard.

As they are so stubborn, I train them 3 times a week (I may even increase this amount). Don't blow this off now and lecture the computer screen about overtraining, THIS MUSCLE IS VERY STUBBORN. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HIT IT VERY HARD, and they recover much quicker than other muscles!

There are two main things you will need  for calf training, discipline and a tolerance to pain. The pain can be unbearable at times with the sole of your foot cramping, all of your little muscles in your leg tightening, your calves hardening and feeling like lead so its hard to walk but this is something you have to endure. FIGHT IT. Shrug it off and go into your next set. You should not leave that machine/exercise and walk off fine and dandy you should look like you have just been kicked in the legs by Bruce Lee. Now i'm not a believer in using muscle pain for a sign that I have had a good set but with this muscle it is a necessity. Just remember pain is temporary. I always think to myself, in a few years i'll have people coming up to me and asking how I got these booming calves and that alone gets me through it.

There are three main calf training movements. By this I mean where you place your feet:

1. Inner placement
This hits the outer head.

2. Center placement
This hits the back of the calves.

3. Outer placement
This hits the inner head for that diamond like shape.

So, one day I hit inner, the next center and the next outer. You want to hit heavy weights with high reps to shock the muscle into growing. I spend about half an hour each day I train calves and I usually do 3-4 calf related exercises.  I will change my rep range every four weeks but I will do four sets for every exercise. So at first I will go very heavy and get 10-15 reps out for each set. When I change the rep range I will lighten the load and get 20-25 out. Supersetting and dropsetting is also a brilliant way to keep the tension on the muscle. As it is so stubborn the added stress and less time to rest you give it the better your results will be. Make sure you get a full stretch in. All the way down and all the way up, do not sacrifice form and technique for weight.

So at the moment I am doing:

4 sets, 20-25 reps of seated calf raise
4 sets, 20-25 reps of standing calf raise
4 sets, 15-20 reps of leg press calf raise supersetted with 4 sets, 10 reps of angled standing calf raise.

I do this three days a week and each day has a different foot placement. Do what works for you though. Some gyms do not offer calf machines so be inventive and think outside the box. Remember your workout is not set in stone, difference is a good thing to promote muscle growth.

Don't think they will come quickly because they will not. Stop blaming your genetics as that is a way of saying you can't be bothered trying to change. The great Arnold had tiny lower legs and now they are legendary. Keep your discipline and go get some amazing calves. Keep in mind also: A young bodybuilder once said to Arnold that he wanted legs like him. He pointed to his lower legs and said to the young one 'this cost me 600 hours of painful training'. Remember it wont come easy but it will be worth it.

Just to show you not the biggest, but getting there.