It is important to know that the size of your calves is greatly influenced by your DNA, however knowing this should not deter you from training calves but make you train them harder and smarter in order to grow them to their full potential (and then some!).
Pictured: SLW athlete Eddy Ung
To help you we asked our SLW athletes for their ultimate calf training tips and here is what they said:
- Train with more frequency. Calves recover much quicker compared to other muscle groups so they can be trained more regularly
- Alternate between maximum range of motion and 1/2 motion i.e. from middle to top & from middle to bottom
- Include holds at both the top and bottom of the range of motion
- Train all calf muscles by including bent knee and straight leg movements. These target the soleus and gastrocnemeus muscles respectively
- Change up your routine! Include a lot of variety when training calves by incorporating different movements and utilising different machines, perform one leg and two leg exercises, try pointing your toes inward and outward, mix up the rep ranges and weight accordingly
- Do drop sets and super sets
- Alternate between stretching and flexing in-between sets. This increases blood flow to the calf muscle and in turn increases mobility, aids in recovery and growth
- Go to failure- training calves should not be a walk in the park!
As with every muscle group your calves won't grow overnight, but if your consistent and consider the above tips you are sure to put on some decent size!
Pictured: SLW athlete Adam Rochester
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