This article was co-authored by Brendon Rearick. Brendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Calves are one of the toughest areas of the body to target when it comes to growing bigger muscles. Along with a number of smaller muscles, the calf is comprised of two large muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles, along with the tibialis anterior, work together to carry us everywhere we go, so it takes time, effort and some pain to shock them into getting bigger. You'll get satisfying results if you use the right workout strategy combined with a healthy diet.
Steps
Training for Bigger Calves
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Do jump squats. Place yourself in a position for a squat, holding your arms at your sides. Bend your knees to lower your body, moving to the balls of your feet and toes as you squat. Now jump upward explosively, keeping your hands at your sides. Land on the balls of your feet and squat again upon impact.- Don't use a barbell or dumbbells with this exercise. You need to be able to jump freely and explosively, and a barbell or dumbbells would inhibit this movement too much.
Tip: Doing this exercise frequently is a good way to build muscle quickly. The explosive movement is what encourages the muscle to build fast.
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2Walk on incline. Hiking or walking on an incline is one of the fastest way to develop your calves.Advertisement
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Jump rope. Jumping rope is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get bigger calves.
For this to work, you have to push yourself to jump rope for long periods of time (about 5 minutes to 10 minutes).
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Do seated calf raises.[1] This movement targets the soleus calf muscles. Sit on the machine with your toes on the lower portion of the platform and your heels extending off. Your lower thighs go under the lever pad, and your hands go on top of the lever pad to keep it in place. Lift the lever by pushing your heels up, then slowly lower your heels by bending at the ankles. Now extend the ankles as high as possible, contracting the calves, and hold.
- Repeat at least 10 - 20 times.
- Add weight to increase the difficulty of the exercise. You can also change the way in which the muscles are targeted by changing the angle of your feet. Perform a set with the toes pointed inward, then perform a set with your toes pointed 45 degrees outward.
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Do standing calf raises. You can do this exercise with a machine or a calf block. Stand under the machine or with the balls of your feet on the calf block, starting with your heels about 3 inches (7.6 cm) below the block. Raise up on the balls of your feet as high as you can, then contract your calf muscles at the peak. Hold the position, then lower yourself back to starting position.
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Do leg press calf raises.[2] This exercise is also known as the donkey raise. Sit on a leg press machine. Hold the footplate with your toes and the balls of your feet. Press it by raising your heels and breathing out. Extend your ankles as high as possible as you flex your calf. Your hips and knees should remain stationary at all times. Hold the position, then lower your heels as you bend your ankles.
- The key is to make sure all of the weight is put on your calf; be sure you don't bend your knees or use other muscles to press.
- You can increase the difficulty of this exercises by adding weights.
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Using the Right Training Strategy
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Use the full range of motion during reps. Bodybuilding experts say that doing half-reps is useless when it comes to building calf muscles. It's necessary to complete the full range of motion with every rep to engage the entire muscle. Your calves are already used to getting a little workout every time you climb the stairs or go for a walk. To make them grow, you need to put them through a workout they don't get on a daily basis.
Most calf exercises entail maintaining a slight bend at your knees to lower your body and then straightening back up. Be sure you drop as far below horizontal as possible and rise up as high as possible to get a full range of motion on an exercise.
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Make calf workouts a regular part of your routine. You should be working on your calves two to three days a week for maximum gains. Calf muscles need time to recover, just like any muscle group. Allow them time to heal and focus on other strength training or cross-training exercises on your non-calf days.[3] -
Don't bother with fancy exercises. Doing the standard calf exercises, over and over, is the best way to get bigger calves. The standard calf exercises - seated and standing calf raises, leg presses, and jumps - are designed to engage the muscles without injuring them. You can try other exercises if you become bored with the old standards, but you might just slow yourself down on your quest to get bigger calves. -
Go as hard as you can. Calves won't grow unless you put them through some pain. Again, since you use your calves every day, especially if you are physically active, your calves are already used to having strain put on them. That means that when you're working out you need to go all in and keep exercising until they burn.- Some bodybuilding instructors advise that you shouldn't worry about counting reps when you're working your calves. For each exercise, do as many reps as you can before they burn too much to keep going.
- You can extend a set by shaking out your calves after performing several reps, then resuming.
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Exercise without shoes. Training without shoes allows your feet, legs, and most importantly calves to engage in a greater range of motion. Without the aid of shoe padding and springs, your calves are forced to do more work.[4] Going without shoes and socks also helps your feet get a better grip on the mat, so you won't be as prone to slipping when you're lifting heavy weights.If you are barefoot, look into exercising on a shock absorbent floor. Jumping or high-impact movements on a hard floor such as cement can lead to joint injuries.
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Be persistent. Bodybuilders who are big everywhere else often have the most trouble getting bigger calves. It can take months, and sometimes years, to build calves, especially if your legs are naturally on the skinny side. If you keep up your routine and make sure to get plenty of calories, you will eventually see the results you want. Don't give up too quickly.- Do take into account that genetics play a role in how large your calves can get. You can build muscle through exercise, but know that genetics might predetermine that you have smaller or larger calves. The important thing is health and function, not size.
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Gaining Weight for Bigger Calves
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Eat healthy foods that are part of a balanced diet. Building bigger muscles, no matter what part of the body you're targeting, requires fueling yourself with a balanced diet. Make sure you are getting your daily recommended amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and providing your body with fresh fruits and vegetables.- Avoid eating calories in the form of saturated fats and sugars. Don't eat a lot of fried foods, snack foods, fast foods, and desserts. Avoid white flour and sugar. Foods containing these will make you feel run down instead of energized.
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Eat a lot of protein. Protein is key to building big, healthy muscles. Make sure you're getting it by eating beef, chicken, fish, lamb, and other sources of animal protein. If you are a vegetarian, eat eggs, legumes, leafy greens, and tofu, are potential sources of protein.Aim to get around 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight to help you build muscle mass.
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Supplement with creatine. Creatine is a nitrogenous acid that is created naturally in the body and helps to supply energy to muscle cells. Taking a create supplement has been shown to have the same effect, and it is not harmful if you take the recommended dosage.[5] Try supplementing your meals with creatine to get bigger calf muscles.- Creatine comes in a powdered form and is mixed with water just before you take it.
- Read the directions on the creatine package and take no more than the recommended dosage of 20 grams per day.
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Sample Exercises and Training Program
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWill my muscles get stronger from walking?
Brendon RearickBrendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Personal Trainer & Strength CoachWalking on different inclines certainly can strengthen your calf muscles over time. -
QuestionHow do I get bigger calves?Brendon RearickBrendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Personal Trainer & Strength CoachWhen it comes to working out, I would recommend donkey calf raises and machine calf raises. Walking and hiking are also great ways to tone your legs and build muscle. -
QuestionHow many calf raises should I do a day?Brendon RearickBrendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Personal Trainer & Strength CoachYou should be able to do 8-12 reps for each weighted exercise, and 2-3 sets. If you're not able to do 8 reps, decrease your weight. On the other hand, if you're not tired by 12 reps, you should increase the weight.
Tips
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Do not just work one muscle group as it will lead to injury if over trained often try to change it up or limit the exercise times.Thanks
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For best results, try to use your own body weight.Thanks
Warnings
- Do not over-train one muscle group as it will lead to injuries.Thanks
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References
- ↑ Brendon Rearick. Personal Trainer & Strength Coach. Expert Interview
- ↑ Brendon Rearick. Personal Trainer & Strength Coach. Expert Interview
- ↑ http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/legs/complete-calves-workout
- ↑ http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/get-big/get-big-calves-151025
- ↑ https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/creatine
- Videos provided by ATRAIN
- http://www.acefitness.org/blog/534/when-strength-training-is-it-better-to-do-more/
About this article
To build bigger calves, do training exercises that focus on your calf muscles, like seated calf raises, jump squats, and standing calf raises. Try exercising without shoes to allow your calves to move more and make sure you use the full range of motion for these exercises so the muscles get a proper workout. When planning your workout routine, aim to work on your calves 2-3 times a week. Push yourself as far as possible when you exercise—calf muscles are used to daily activity, so they need a lot of exertion to grow. For tips on how to eat to support calf muscle growth, read on!
Reader Success Stories
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"I realize now that calves are a brutal workout and have to be performed by themselves. Thanks."
