Q: You have standing calf raises and [bent-at-waist] donkey calf raises as top exercises in Old Man Young Muscle 2]. I feel the donkeys better. Does it matter which one I use as ideal, and should I always do them one-leg at a time? [Read more…]
New Calf-Mass Study
Calves can be a bitch to build for many of us. But a new study gives the chicken-legged hope… [Read more…]
Muscle Mechanics for More Calf Mass
Q: I picked up your 10×10 e-book over the weekend and started using that style of training on calves immediately, but I’m doing 8×20 as you’ve suggested in the e-book. My question is, should I angle my feet differently on each set to develop the most calf mass? I was thinking toes in on the first three, toes out on the second three, and toes straight ahead on my last two sets.
A: It’s not foot angle that stresses the inner or outer heads of the gastroc, but rather which side of the foot you’re exerting the most pressure with. In other words, if you’re pushing with the inner part of the ball of your foot, the big-toe side, you will stress the inner head of the calf muscle. If you roll out onto the little-toe side of your feet as you rise, you will stress the outer head of the calf muscle.
Notice in this photo how the trainee is using a narrower stance and rolling out; that’s not what you want. Go wider than this for more calf mass…
[Read more…]High Reps or Low Reps for Calf Mass and Vascularity?
Q: My calves suck. No size or veins whatsoever. Should I be hitting them with lower reps or high reps? Some people tell me up to 30 reps, others say I should go 10 to 12 reps with heavier weight. It’s so confusing… Please help!
A: Yes, the right calf-building recipe is tough for many people—but we have a good high-low method that could be just the trick to give you more calf mass, but let’s start with the science…
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