This Is Why You Have Small Calves According to Science (And what to do about it)

[@Mastobog]

My dad has the best calves I've ever seen, I asked him about it once. He's an avid hiker and mountaineer. Turns out strapping 80-100lbs on your back and hiking uphill puts your calves into a deep stretch that have to push out of a couple thousand times.

[@Rastamahatma]

This just like riding a bike uphill is effectively high volume bottom ROM calf raises.

[@fractalzoomgoggles]

So...fat people calves

[@Laso-b9f]

Ok thanks for the new calf exercise idea

[@artothevid]

Trainer Vinny says that rucking is the best calf exercise. 🤓

[@fortnitetrashcan8308]

@@Laso-b9f you can do incline on a treadmill if you dont have the time to hike

[@CrazyLikeChris]

Imagine being that 1 guy.... He's me

[@johnpyershaherblhaddad5723]

yap😅

[@tomlarr21]

Of course I know him, he's me

[@emptyclothescrashingcars1572]

You're the dude living in my mirror?

[@Breath-j8x]

You know what they say about men with small calves dont you???🤔

[@stevep4236]

I'm him!

[@bambostarla6259]

Hitting calves 3x a week to pretty much failure, seeing good growth

[@AD-jc9sj]

R u tall

[@bambostarla6259]

@@AD-jc9sj 5'6 😅🥲

[@Tikus_90]

6ft3 here, and I also need to hit them more than once a week, I found doing them after my squats saves a lot of time and hassle. You already have the bar and weights set, just add a step and done. I also strictly do AMRAP sets only for calves just like delts, absolutely no need to stop at 20 reps imo.

[@kommissariate]

Yeah, 3-4 times a week. 3 sets each time. Anything less won't make mine grow

[@bambostarla6259]

@@AD-jc9sj 5'6 :)

[@jaeldi]

Applause! This was perfect. Short, to the point, easy to follow, excellent video production value (visually interesting). Would love to see a video like this for every muscle/muscle group in a saved playlist. You earned a subscribe. Do forearms next, please! Also, beautiful calves.

[@coacheugeneteo]

Thank you! I've already done a detailed forearm guide in a similar vein 💪

[@Draziell]

​@@coacheugeneteo Awesome! I found the channel because of this video and subscribed to see this next video

[@go_gorilla_go]

Asian calf genetics are absolutely elite. My GF has the calves of a sherpa who carries their clients up Everest despite never training them ever.

[@samsin34]

Asian , you mean , Chinese, Ciernanrs, Japanese .. I’m Sri Lankan , that’s considered Asian, curry Asian, we have 💩 calf genetics 😔

[@richbrake9910]

So...do you wish your ancestors picked rice in a squatted position every day like your GFs ancestors did?

[@02hreblue30]

They are also shorter with shorter tendons and muscle belly length

[@cervixcrusader85]

As an Asian guy, I can tell you that I got robbed of those genetics. I wanna say it's because I'm 181 cm, but ik plenty of taller guys/girls who have great calves lmao

[@niqqsemaj7535]

The muscle profiles that these folks have are elite...

[@renaissanceman5847]

This is the best Calve exercise... get a large Hex dumbbell (the ones that do not roll)... 65lb or bigger, place on the the floor, near a handrail (you will use the handrail to steady yourself). wear some tight fitting running shoes that allow for full ankle movement. now the dumbbell on the floor should be large enough that the handle is high enough off the floor so when you stand on its handle with the ball of your foot in line with the handle you can fully stretch the calves muscle on that one leg when standing straight up. proceed to do single calve raises, fast up, slow down, and hold at center. if holding a weight, use the hand on the same side as the calve your exercising. the small round handle of the dumbbell on the floor allows the ankle to fully flex, pivot around the handle and only allow the clave to do majority of the work, (instead of the toe flexors when using a flat surface)

[@D33Lux]

I use a backpack and load up plates when wanting to use more weight. Most back packs can hold around 40lbs, some more. They sell canvas backpacks and military one's which can hold over 80lbs This keeps your hands free. Thanks for the exercise tip.

[@jodyjackson5475]

Thanks! Great explanation

[@keithhopkins1346]

shorter video formats like this are much better. to the point and good content

[@microondasletal]

Going heavy with calf raises for +20 reps at the leg press is working for me. I do just one set to failure + partials and then drop set it to failure all the way until it becomes ridiculous (+partials in every drop set). I don't do calves for the whole week as they get easily sore for 5 days with that. I'm muscular (1'73m 96kg) and calves are one of my best body parts. There are now multiple studies showing much more growth in the leg press compared to other calves exercises. I think everyone reading this should try it, it's great.

[@D33Lux]

I use the HIT (high intensity training) technique, 5 sets, 20 reps, very short 15 second rests and calves are destroyed. was once so sore I could barely walk for 5 days, took 10 days to recover. Mike Mentzner said, a good workout on one body part could make you sore for upto 9-12 days. Once a week for me.

[@armandbasilico9002]

The reason for more growth in the leg press is it puts more emphasis in the stretched position. Donkeys were always considered the best calf exercise because of that stretch and the leg press closely replicates the body/leg positioning of donkeys.

[@microondasletal]

@@armandbasilico9002 Makes complete sense, I thought it was that as well and it's good to know it is

[@suppersday]

I love the contrast with a previous Athlean X video on calfs I've seen which condemns the "bad genetics" view - some of Athlean X's advice and videos are useful for sure, but content that disregards the importance of genetics is a motivational killer when you're doing everything right but not seeing the growth you'd ideally like.

[@sengunvolkan]

real. i dont like when people say "jUsT TrAiN ThEm lIkE EvErY OtHeR MuScLe bRo. JuSt tRaIn x3 A WeEk bRo" there is another way for specifically bigger calves im sure

[@AnalogFitness]

About half of the outstanding calves I see are on bodies that do not workout, at all.

[@macbird-lt8de]

if genetics didn't matter, there would probably be exercizes to make us taller lol.

[@AstonMartinStig]

Bless Asian calves genetics. I have almost never isolated my calves, and they are almost as big as my hams/quads.

[@regularjack2]

Legit dude none of the Asians at my gym train calves seriously and they all mog mine bad

[@MrJab1995]

I’m asian and I do not have big calf genetics, my wife call it ballerina calves long with muscles but looks skinny with my body proportion. 😂

[@AstonMartinStig]

​@@MrJab1995I pray for you, my brother.

[@Matheusgf9mm]

​@@MrJab1995wich part of asia? I'm half japanese and calves are nice and I suppose it is genetics

[@MrJab1995]

@@Matheusgf9mm From Phil. I’m 1/4 jap, 1/4 chinese, 1/4 spanish 🤣 everyone on my dads side does not have big calves and only the ladies got the big calves on my mom’s side.

[@soujrnr]

I never have been able to get big calves. I pretty much gave up. I was a runner that trained seven days a week for marathons and sprints, and although I could run like the wind, my calves (and legs in general) always looked like a couple of pencils. I'm 59 years old now. I broke my neck in three places some years ago, so I can't lift much or run at all now, except on a treadmill for a short period. Nevertheless, my wife and I are starting a new exercise program next Monday to try to at least maintain and tone up a bit. At our age, we've given up on the chiseling and all that, but I think leg strength will be good to work on, as well as upper body strength for my neck and shoulders. I went from being pretty much paralyzed to living completely normal with the exception of my love for running and gym time. Your video helped me to understand that genetics has a big role in it and that it wasn't because I was failing in my training. I just couldn't get them big for other reasons beyond my control. Thanks again!

[@prototype9904]

Fun FacTs: Calves take longer to grow than less dense muscles like Traps for example. As a general rule, the higher up the muscle is on the body, the less dense they become for obvious reasons(Gravity). So if you give a guy some gear he'll blow up quick~ mostly. But his calves will lag far behind, and look just like your friend at the beginning. I've seen it for literally decades at the gym, this isn't rocket science. So Yes, genetics play a huge part of where you START. But in time, average genetics will catch up eventually. Put in the time, you WILL get the results.

[@Veganjactivists]

Clicked this so fast 😂

[@blakewyatt386]

lol same

[@krane15]

If it makes people with smaller high calves feel better, know that they're best for sprinting and jumping. Large calves look fantastic while walking (so wear shorts year round) and are revered on the bodybuilding stage but serve no active purpose.

[@02hreblue30]

@@krane15 look at a thoroughbred

[@Degarth]

Strong calves actually help a ton in wrestling.

[@CC-xu2yz]

I'm sure they are beneficial in many strength related activities, but, yeah, never worried too much about it.

[@armandbasilico9002]

@@Degarth They can be strong without being big. If I am not mistaken Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar were outstanding collegiate wrestlers and they both have slender calves.

[@Degarth]

@@armandbasilico9002 sure exceptions to the rule exist.

[@GOlone9597]

My calves grew only during the pandemic, I've been an avid cyclist from 2020 to 2022, but stopped now. Now I barely train it in the gym but still got big and defined calves.

[@FluffyBull]

Since they are used walking around, once you build them they pretty much don’t go away

[@GOlone9597]

@@FluffyBull it looks like a straight twig before I got into cycling.

[@trex5878]

My right wrist and forearm grew during the pandemic

[@cosmiclounge]

I've retained visible forearm definition from a period in 2016 when I bought an apartment with a pull-up bar pre-installed and set myself the (fairly modest) goal of completing eight chin-raises, despite having done little to no maintenance in the interim. Neuromuscular adaptation is a real phenomenon.

[@bidet1515]

@@trex5878 you should change hand , to get to an equilibrium Another side effect is at the begining you have the felling it's some one else who perform the " stretching " ;)

[@briancase6180]

Stretching: this is why the lower-half of the rep works the best. Studies for decades have shown that static stretching under load can BY ITSELF cause hypertrophy. This was done first, I think, with checking leg muscles. Just overstretching them caused them to GROW.

[@nicholastotoro7721]

You can grow stubborn calves, but people with looooooong tendons will never truly have that "look."

[@A_Mind_For_Change]

Thanks for addressing anatomy, seems so many people forget that and genetics 🤦

[@dannyspitzer1267]

That's me

[@bertalangyorgyszigeti7126]

think of it in a diefferent way: you can utilize those tendons in sprinting/running. you are blessed with elastic energy storage, it helps you a lot to be explosive.

[@nicholastotoro7721]

@@bertalangyorgyszigeti7126 I prefer the former, as I'm ethnically Sicilian and Lebanese with gigantic calves that need little work and short tendons LOL!!! I always blame my "Greek toes" for my lack of speed, but in my heart I know that's not it LOL!!!

[@bertalangyorgyszigeti7126]

@@nicholastotoro7721 hahaha, good on you, dude. Only thing that matters is you being happy. Im also rather blessed with muscle bellies and I am really fine with it, too.

[@Usiris23]

I shattered my heel bone years ago and couldn’t walk or use my right leg for 6+ months, within weeks my leg muscle atrophy was visibly noticeable. 8yrs later I STILL have a smaller calf than my other leg, which is annoying as hell, but also my ankle/foot tendons/muscles can’t handle what they used to, so it’s really hard to push my right foot now. The struggle is real my friends 😭 Granted, I’ve only just started training within the last 8months. So I’m still not too worried about it all.

[@user-ii7xc1ry3x]

You can fix it dw. Look into Chris Williamson talking about his experience, he had a similar issue

[@Usiris23]

@@user-ii7xc1ry3x yeah, with his achilles, right? I’ve been doing right leg isolation calf raises but it really stresses my shit out if I over do it. I’ll wake up with a tender ass foot and have a limp for a bit. I can do about half bodyweight on it and if I do both legs at the same time I can tell my left leg wants to take a majority of the weight. Something I have to live with for sure, which I’m fine with. I don’t let it get me down, just like anything, it takes time. 💪🏽

[@junichiroyamashita]

Isn't the heel the hardest bone? How did you break it?

[@Usiris23]

@@junichiroyamashita didn’t just break, shattered in multiple places. It’s a long story but the short, I jumped from a high height and landed wrong. I have a titanium plate with 10 screws, forever in my foot. I did rehab/physical therapy for a few months and got back to a completely normal life, unless it’s really cold or I overwork or walk too much, then I’ll have a little limp for the first couple mins the next morning after I wake up. I’m sure later on once I’m older I’ll have more issues but currently 👌🏽

[@garyburrows3965]

Smashed my right heel about 6 years ago. Smaller right calf and limp at the start of every morning.

[@cristianoronaldo-bk8ym]

Other day I saw Asian grandma waiting for the bus at the station, I noticed her calves were bigger than my tights and I train my legs almost every 2 days at the gym. I wanted to cry

[@SeminarioMAE]

probably lymphedema

[@dongodlyduffy776]

@@SeminarioMAE prob not, just classic Asian short tendons / long torso = more full muscle bellies in the leg. ive seen 105 lb Asian M or F with calves bigger than their upper leg. ridiculous proportions

[@ColFighter018]

That seated calf machine looks very beneficial for ankle mobility though 😮

[@mac5917]

Why?

[@user-ii7xc1ry3x]

If feels great, but you get similar benefits while standing

[@ankur4568]

it’s great for athleticism and jumping alsoo

[@user-ii7xc1ry3x]

@@ankur4568 Compared to standing variants they bring very little to the table, that's the point/issue

[@ssjayy-xs5lh]

​@@mac5917 you don't jump from a standing position, you squat to some degree to produce power. The seated calf raise imitates that. General rule of thumb is to train what you want to get better at. If it's for a specific sport, they'll have specific/unique form and movement. For example, seated calf raise will benefit badminton.

[@GTOberfest]

Nice to see Platz there...also RIP Mr. Meadows. Great stuff

[@Individualati]

Yep, out of nowhere comes Quadzilla. Nice to see.

[@wread1982]

Eugene you are an awesome human being 🙌🏽💪🏽👊🏽🫡😁 you’re a good man helping us out 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@MoraimaDiaz]

This is super interesting. I'm going to start trying this right away. I have terrible genetics when it comes to calves 😛 . Thanks!

[@janvanardoen9531]

I have gotten better gains by focussing on the upper part of the movement , despite some studies suggesting it might not work as well.Quite a few people who try it get the same results. Ballet dancers usually get excellent calves by only using that part after all. In fact , only a very limited amount of studies have been done involving the calf muscles in great detail. Best to always experiment in order to find out what actually works best for you.

[@rhartles]

Great video bar the bit when he sums up the problems with the fitness industry: “in this study” What study? What’s the legitimacy of this study? What were the tangibles? What were the conditions and what was the original point of the study?

[@plwadodveeefdv]

There's 4 references right in the video description 👌

[@b-rare]

I have to start with calves I keep forgetting to do this and when it comes to the standing leg calf raise I’m always exhausted . Thanks for reminder

[@Egoliftdaily]

DoggCrapp Training immediately came to mind when you mentioned calf stretching, LOL. And then you showed a clip of Dante Trudel. That's cool. I enjoyed reading a lot of his forum posts and articles years ago. Wow. Nice to see research proves stretching is effective. Great vid.

[@tankconnors7323]

I can't wrap my head around doing bottom half can make 2 times more gains, that's wild to me

[@jeltoninc.8542]

It’s so true though.

[@MriyaVR]

It is very, very weird. Even hard to do, but it grew my calves 2.5x as much in just a month and a half. I also supplemented it with skipping rope. Your calves will grow, I promise

[@iontrap]

When using this method you are keeping tension on the calf muscles through the range of motion. I’m doing 18 sets to failure per week and I’ve seen my outer calves grow noticeably over the past 6 weeks.

[@Esotericdactyl]

It’s the stretch

[@damanOts]

If you think of muscles as what they actually are, cells, it makes perfect sense.

[@mayydayyy]

dope video! in my personal experience this is all very true and helpful 💪

[@wille4247]

I'm going to have to disagree with you about the seated calf raises. I stopped doing them for months, which caused my calves to shrink when you see me from the side... I added them back in and have those striations on the side of my calves and my calves look much thicker from the sides.

[@OxyGeniuz]

Seated calf raises workout your soleus which is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Don’t ignore it

[@andrewleblanc2449]

These videos are perfect, strait to the point and really useful

[@ngatihonky]

Is there much merit to John Meadows theory of working the tibialis ? He brought it up in a couple of his calf videos that when he was working it he noticed more gains in his calves.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Fills out the front of the shin, should make the calves look wider/thicker from the front. Potentially increases stability on calf exercises since it's the antagonist muscle during calf raises, so that might help also.

[@VarunSarathy]

Love you for such concise, yet in-depth info, Eugene!

[@digz808]

3:35 caught me off guard

[@DeanC-ky4zt]

I came

[@mayydayyy]

healthy alternative I HIGHLY recommend as a stretch/workout is body weight squatting while going up on your toes and holding it until you can't bear anymore. Sounds simple, can be painful if you're not limber. Also, I've had incredibly small calves my whole life even while bodybuilding before and now that I do mostly yoga and cycling they're bigger and better looking than ever. skateboarding is another fun exercise that can help because of the similar stretching and Time Under Tension it gives you.

[@edhill8568]

A little different approach. Once a week I ride out of the saddle for 20-25 miles making sure I'm doing some good hills. Rarely sit. Been very helpful in improving my hill climbing with a great side benefit which I didn't expect of strengthening my calf muscles. And yes other riders think I'm nuts doing this especially at age 73.

[@Adam-M1]

A much needed video.

[@sam_moreee]

Thank you Eugene for educating people. Shout out to Chris Beardsley for pushing those infos hard.

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

If you think about the seared vs standing position, it makes sense that standing is better because the entire chain is stretched. That makes the movement have more tension. Same goes for doing leg extensions with your hips open. The quad is already in a stretched position. Also, keep in mind that the size of your calf only matters in proportion to the rest of your leg, not compared to someone else's measurement.

[@SamrudhDixit]

I wear barefoot (minimal) shoes through the day, at gym, and on runs for about two years now. I have notices a significant difference in the definition and toning of my calves, not to mention increased mobility and strength. However, size has been about the same.

[@RealJohnKimble]

@3:14 Says the man with the bulbous calfs, the struggle is real and im in.

[@little.wing.]

Fantastic content 👏

[@tumultoustortellini]

1:20 here I was, thinking I had discovering something new, because I just was putting together some ideas about why calf raises are ineffective while doing a calf stretch routine, just to find out I was right, and also not even remotely first, and there are already studies on this. Kinda glad, kinda sad.

[@02hreblue30]

Genetics. Imagine that. Thanks for the shattering ground breaking info

[@jakehubbs1304]

...the guy who watches 10% of the video and draws a concrete conclusion about its contents.

[@Seriksy]

Super true. Full ROM was killing my calves gains. It was after I started with half rep's, i.e bottom half like Eugene showed, that I noticed a big difference in size after a couple of weeks. That is coming from someone who has been struggling with calves for years. Using the leg press machines while leaning forward also helped a lot. By still applying the same technique of course

[@wojciechsawicki4733]

training calves early in your workout is great for people who have to drive to the gym. I remember I used to train them right before leaving and using the clutch was torture. But at least I knew I trained hard

[@hetspookjee]

I do firmly believe the way someone walks and stands also affects the calve tremendously. For example some really emphasize standing on their toes with each step they take, and often have huge calves thanks to that. Others land rather harshly on their heel and roll off directly, and not pushing anything away with their feet, and so have smaller calves.

[@arivaldus]

What a fantastic info! One month from now I'll post my results🙌

[@arivaldus]

Nothing still changed, for now😏

[@dev07.07]

Best video about all Calves queries ❤

[@ethangc081]

I still like doing full ROM with my calve excercises, so what if I were to do full ROM and then do partials once I couldn't complete any more full reps?

[@eatmyneighbours]

This is a great strategy for pretty much any strength training exercise so give it a go and hopefully you’ll get some results!

[@SmoothHandle]

Regular stretching does nothing for hypertrophy. It’s truly the loaded stretch that matters.

[@Hlla387]

Hi Eugene - I’ve noticed that you are an advocate for working muscle in stretched position (as with this, also with triceps). Would it be an idea on the final set all exercises that have a stretch focus to hold at stretch position for final rep. Exercises I’m thinking about: - overhead triceps cable extension; - chin up; - dumbbell pull over - Bayesian cable curl. For some exercises I can’t see this working (eg bent over rows as pressure on lower back: dumbbell flies as puts pressure on shoulder unless light enough) but generally seems like a good idea? Grateful for any thoughts? I doubt it’s too CNS taxing either

[@asprinklingofclouds]

I think you have done the Soleus muscle and the seated calf raise a disservice in this video: 1) The Gastrocnemius is not bulkier than the Soleus, the latter is actually larger 1.5 times larger than both heads of the Gastrocnemius combined. 2) The Kinoshita study actually shows that the seated calf raise increased Soleus gains by 38% over the standing calf raise, I would not classify that as 'equal amount of gains' - that 38% can make up some significant growth over the year. 3) The Soleus is primarily a slow twitch dominant muscle whose functions are as a plantarflexor and postural control, it generates most force in the concentric, which is the opposite to the Gastrocnemius which generates most force in the eccentric. Doing only standing calf raises in the bottom partial range as shown here will do wonders for your Gastrocnemius, but you can wave goodybe to any hope of significant Soleus growth. To sum up, you MUST include a bent leg calf raise variation if you want to optimise Soleus growth, ideally in a much higher rep range than the Kinoshita study (do 25 to 100 reps instead of just 10) focussing on the concentric portion of the exercise but without bouncing the weight up.

[@dongodlyduffy776]

I cant find the research to support it, but im going to give this a shot namely the rep ranges.

[@Monster_Physique]

Would there be some correlation to shrugs, growing more in the bottom half?

[@hoseaesp6309]

This is interesting because I started doing calve raises 6 weeks ago and I've always thought the bottom half range had more of a stretch then the top. It just feels more stimulating there but everyone told me that the full range is where the growth was at.

[@Good4you5]

Thanks for the video I’ll show this whenever someone makes fun of my legs 😊

[@richardwadd]

Good info!

[@bobithpopit3193]

1:09 I don't want to be a smart ass or anything here but doesn't the gastroc also serve to flex the knee?

[@ZoogyDoogy]

Yeah assisting the flex, so in standing calf raises it's more stretched. But, still, the soleus isn't assisting this though gains similar hypertrophy than with seated calf raises 😮

[@JohnMatrixGHS]

Yeah, me too, I train mine 5 x a week, full range, and stretch. I'm gonna do them at the start of every workout, though, too now.

[@ThePhysicalReaction]

I have a dedicated calf / auxiliary leg day. I count it as a rest day since it generates very little system / CNS fatigue. :)

[@daxwilkinson767]

I did tried your donkey calf raise with alternative calf raise. Its super awesome 😊

[@lukemahanes9935]

Something else i've been doing is finding ways to bend at the hips while I do calf raises to increase the stretch. Exercises like donkey calf raises on the belt squat machine, or doing calf raises on the leg press and bending forward. Finally got my calves even with my arms with those. Those with the bottom half partial reps are insane.

[@Yuxuan-Tao]

Unc’s feeding us good 💯

[@muccmaster]

0:11 His calves are actually bigger than yours, it's just your legs are much smaller so there's less space for the muscle to be spread out.

[@wan2shuffle]

Looks like bigger soleus but smaller gastrocnemius

[@Chappelle-JT4TP]

I had trouble putting on muscle on my calves, and just stretched them instead mostly through training to do splits. Now I tried training them, and they are growing exceptionally well. Before stretching I felt as if they weren't contracting properly.

[@Hatchetforce]

When it comes to stretching in between sets, John Parillo beat everyone to the punch as a coach. He felt it was one of the 5 essential requirements for muscle growth as the fascia tissue encasing a muscle becomes far less pliant as a person leaves their teen years. For him this is necessary for all muscles during and/or in between sets

[@Jotto999]

I'm skeptical of how you started the section on "stretching". It shows b footage of what appears to be stretching before (or after) an exercise. Many people believe this reduces injury risk or improves performance somehow. The empirical evidence doesn't support either of those, and "stretching" is absurdly overrated. Your main point of course was about hypertrophy, and holding stretched positions for extra hypertrophy. On that I agree completely. But you seem to also propose people should stretch in the traditional sense, to increase flexibility. Do you have another video where you make the case? It seems to be a very poor use of limited time for most people.

[@-don6496]

Good info....never considered wearing Crocs when working out.

[@2s2bs]

This is actually great news. I assumed that since my Calves didn't need much time to recover, I actually started each day of working out by doing standing calf raises! I have been trying to go to the gym for 5 days per week, every day is calf day. For results, definitely got bigger with better definition. If only I had some measuring tape so I could have measured my own journey. Also genetically I have terrible calf design so, I am really trying my best to improve with what I can work with. Also prioritizing the bottom half is brutal, SIGN ME UP

[@byoobyoo1280]

When I hike uphill I can feel me calves working a lot. I do it often and I have fairly nice calves.

[@J3LYA]

The difference between pre and post with and without stretch are essentially identical (about 0.1 difference), especially considering the massive standard deviation. What do you mean when you call this “significant” because I doubt it is statistically or meaningfully significant…

[@steverabbits]

I'm 63 now but back in my full-on training days the one muscle I never had to train was calves. Was born with gifted ones. Just measured them now, just shy of 18 inches 😂 not bad for an old man.

[@rickhoyle671]

Incredible. I knew a man with similar sized calves who was unable to wear Wellington boots!

[@steverabbits]

@@rickhoyle671 thankfully I can still get wellies on, with the amount of rain we've had lately it's just as well.

[@Sleepierhead]

I train calves a lot & to me they’re pretty decently sized but if there’s one thing I hate about training them especially during single legged standing calf raises is needing to readjust my footing every few reps. I realised it’s also not exclusive to just standing but also seated ones where the steps are fixed. You need really grippy shoes but I don’t have that luxury with my pair of beat up handmedowns. At home, I tried doing them barefoot but the corners of the steps dig into my soles it’s almost unbearably painful. Few things I’ve learned while training calves is slowing the eccentric & pausing at the bottom really grows them a lot. Calves from what I know are predominantly slow twitch muscles so I go up to 30 reps on each leg. After finishing the last rep, pausing at the bottom for 15 seconds to get that last bit of stretch also helps. Then lastly, while resting, I’d try to do the Asian squat so I can retain that ankle mobility. Repeat for 4 sets. The pump I get from them are pretty insane but painful. Funny enough though, when I wake up the next day, they’re completely recovered to train again.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

If you have access to horizontal leg press, use it for calf work, 100% stable

[@JosephRodgers-kt5nt]

Always had this thought: if its hard to add calf mass but strength does increase nicely, does that mean to train plantar flexion strength for acceleration in sprintng it could be better to use overcoming isometrics for force development (slow strength)?

[@JosephRodgers-kt5nt]

So we train the cns

[@eatmyneighbours]

Would you not expect such a training regime to emphasise slow twitch fibres, rather than the fast twitch ones that contribute more directly to acceleration? And similarly wouldn’t you want to train the cns to utilise the calf muscles explosively as this is more similar to what they’d be doing when sprinting?

[@vagabon5130]

Do you recommend training calves every day or every other day?

[@ggfarmgirl8350]

I read some years ago that the calf muscles are the one muscle group that can be exercised every day. They’re used to carrying our body load every day anyway. Wondering if people are trying to increase calf size, maybe work their calf muscles daily?

[@Lionheart_He-Man]

That is an interesting take and I think you have a point about calves ‘carrying the load of our bodies everyday 🤔

[@Deusaga]

I've seen huge success with 2 sets a week. First set is 100 reps. Second set is 3 sections of microreps with the same weight. 100 microreps at the top, 100 in the middle, 100 at the bottom. Incline walk on the treadmill on top of that. Or go hiking in hills.

[@dariuswels]

Just to make sure I'm understanding you correctly, so you're saying there's no need to do Seated Calf Raises, as Standing Calf Raises already target both heads of the calf sufficiently, right? 🤔

[@DaveOndiekAaron85]

Amazing 💪

[@prunoRecipes]

No results for 5 years heavy standing calf raises. Modest results after 10 years of isometrics (horse stance). Finally got little calf bulges and happy with them. I was screwed from the beginning. Pruno

[@DavidPerez-nx2vy]

Thanks for the video, where can I purchase those shoes in the video?

[@SuperChaosTTV]

My calves are pretty elite, I just do 3-way calves at the end of my squat day. 3x30 (10 reps in each direction) in the squat rack (225-315lb).

[@SuperChaosTTV]

and each set I start with my toes pointed in a diifferent direction - so each way is getting equal work

[@roti8]

Does everything that applies to the standing calf raise also apply to the seated calf press machine? (The one with your legs extended)

[@coacheugeneteo]

Yes!

[@richardtibbetts574]

I have partial paralysis in my left calf, due to nerve damage in my spine that required fusing the L4&L5. I have a weak signal and I cannot even do 1 standing one legged calf raise with it. Right now I do regular standing with both legs and lean towards my left to put more resistance on the left side. Is there anything else I can do? Would a good EMS device help?

[@tommyG-1620]

What about calf “presses”, on a leg press machine?

[@MusicLuv80]

when doing standing calf raise do you bend your knees?

[@glocksNgrippers]

Can't wait to watch this! When I wear shorts it looks like I am riding an ostrich!

[@HangryPandaMike]

what about shoes? whats the better choice on shoes or does it not matter?

[@anonymousperson2816]

If I’m doing it 4x/week does that mean I can do them Mon Tue Thur Fri Like no rest? Or I need at least 1 day of rest making it basically every other day

[@streamleazefishhouse]

Is using a seated leg press where knees are straight equivalent to standing?

[@a.f.s.3004]

What are considered “small calves”? Under 14”? 16”? What size are yours flexed? I personally think calves begin to look good right around 16-17”. Thoughts?

[@richbrake9910]

Depends on your height and leg length. a 15 inch calf looks pretty big on a 5-3 woman.

[@pokinacha]

released on the same day Dr Mike Isratel drops a video on Lee Priest (clearly Mike doesn’t understand our Aussie accents) who had incredible calves. On the calf thing, I’ve seen some AMAZING calves from older soldiers who do a STACK of pack marches. Steady state cardio with (40-60kg)weight… makes sense

[@Atamanxxxvii]

Wow, hang on a minute. You had Tom Platz in your gym... is there going to be a video? That aside, this is a great set of tips. I've been specialising my calves using many of these, and I've added considerable size to them in the last 6 months or so. I did also do the stretching thing too, I even did it in one leg only, as leg surgeries for a condition I was born with means one leg is always smaller than the other, and it did work. The size difference between them was just short of an inch and a half, but now there is exactly a one inch difference in circumference between them.

[@mosubekore78]

Calves and forearms, if they are big, you look stronger. I don't know why, but overweight people usually get bigger calves even after the weightloss, probably they get used to their own body weight everyday, accidentally hyperthropic?

[@johntrujillo6933]

DO I STRETCH THE UPPER PORTION ONLY? *BEFORE/AFTER? GOAL WORK UP TO ONE HOUR?

[@padraig88]

Added an abs and calves day for several months a year and it yielded good results.

[@ZoogyDoogy]

Hey! What about intra-set stretches?

[@beybladeguru101]

I can’t do the standing variation-I max out the machine(proper form, speed, and all) and it hurts my lower back and shoulders doing it. Seated allows me to at least put some load on my calves without hurting myself :/

[@beybladeguru101]

I appreciate the other tips, however.

[@MakZakk]

in your full video you say 8-15 reps, in this short you say 6-10? which one is it?

[@Fitz0__03]

Eugene just straight mogging everyone with those calves within the few seconds of the video goddam!