Many moons ago, the Father of High Intensity Training and creator of Nautilus machines Arthur Jones was asked why he didn’t develop a calf machine. His answer…
Because the best calf exercise is a standing one-leg calf raise…
To add resistance, you can hold a dumbbell in your free hand, using the other for balance…
He was right—although a machine is best if you want to do both legs at once. A hip belt on a cable machine works nicely…
One mistake many trianees make is not going to full stretch—the gastrocnemius is a muscle that responds amazingly well to stretch loading, and that includes partials in the bottom third of the stroke…
Speaking of stretch, the best add-on exercise is a donkey calf raise. That’s where you’re bent at the waist…
The 90-degree angle of your torso creates more calf elongation than the standing version. Leg press calf raises work as well as donkeys, and you don’t need a bunch of frisky meatheads clowning around on your back….
If you don’t have a leg press, donkey machine, or willing pony-ride participants, you can do them one leg at a time…
As for the seated calf raise to train the soleus muscle that runs underneath the gastroc, studies show that the standing calf raise trains it as well or better than the seated version.
If you want to turn your calves into full-grown Brahma bulls, standing calf raises + a donkey version is all you need—and some decent genetics, of course.
NOTE: The ideal exercise identified and described in the past few newsletters—and ones coming up—are NOT the result of my genius. They come from Mr. America and biomechanics expert Doug Brignole…
His analytic brilliance helped me understand how these exercises are the best of the best for getting the most mass bang for your effort buck…
To prove it, he won the 2019 AAU Drug-Free Mr. Universe at age 59, using only ONE IDEAL EXERCISE for each muscle group…
For more on his training and how it evolved—including sets, reps, ideal exercises and more—see Never Stop Growing.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
X-Rep.com
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