Hello, readers, and I hope readers. I will share with you what is painful, in the literal sense of the word. I never knew before what pain in the calves after training was and what to do about it. Although, I didn’t really know what training was either.
But when I started pole dancing, I really learned it. I was 22 and had an ideal figure from a mathematical point of view - a ball! I haven’t lost weight by summer, so at least I’ll get myself in order by winter. Proper nutrition, training 3 times a week and all that. But not everything turned out to be as simple as I thought. After the first workout, I felt pain all over my body, and especially in my calf muscles. The body, which had been exempt from physical education all its life, went a little crazy.
It was quite difficult to even move, and thoughts about the next workout caused horror and panic. When asked on the Internet “calves hurt after training, what should I do?” I did not receive a clear answer. But at least something had to be done, because the pain was sometimes unbearable. We decided to contact a trainer, who explained everything to me in detail and clearly. And now I want to share such valuable information with you.
You need to understand that before exercise your muscles were in a state of complete rest and relaxation. And then they suddenly received a serious load. Stress? Another one. In response to this, the amount of lactic acid in the fibers greatly increases. This is what causes pain and discomfort.
If during training you spent more energy than usual, then it takes a little time to remove the acid. If you don’t strain your muscles too much for a couple of days, then everything will quickly recover. But after this incident, I realized one thing: the more often I exercise my muscles, the less often I will have any unpleasant sensations.
The cause may also be delayed pain. It usually appears 2-3 days after training. This usually occurs due to microtrauma of the fibers. But everything is not so scary: the body will simply rid the muscles of toxins and repair the damage. After 3-4 sessions the pain will begin to go away. You just need to change the load and intensity of the exercises.
Increased muscle reactivity can also lead to pain or even cramps. It was difficult to immediately understand what kind of process this was. As the trainer explained to me, this is an imbalance of fluid and salt. To prevent it, it is recommended to stretch before and after exercise.
If the pain after training is aching, stiffens the muscles and intensifies with exercise, then it may even be an injury. Pay attention to the sore area: swelling may appear on it. Usually, in the event of an injury, pain occurs immediately. Then you should stop playing sports for a while and consult a doctor.
Another reason for post-workout cramps and pain is muscle wasting. This occurs due to a lack of various microelements, such as potassium, sodium and magnesium. They are necessary for the normal functioning of muscle fibers at the cellular level. During sports, we lose these essential substances along with sweat. Therefore, the body needs to replenish their reserve over and over again. If this does not happen, then muscle contractions, pain and swelling occur.
You can replenish the amount of sodium and potassium in the body with the help of special sports electrolyte nutrition. Personally, I prefer to maintain normal potassium levels in other ways: I simply eat bananas.
But what about magnesium? There are several options here too. First, you can use magnesium oil. I simply sprayed it onto my calves and let it absorb. The effect appears quickly: the tension goes away and the muscles do not cramp for a long time. Secondly, you might want to consider magnesium supplements. But it’s better to just eat enough foods high in it. In this case, spinach, cocoa powder, black beans, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and cashews will come to the rescue.
There are many ways. Steaming helps a lot with pain in the calves, i.e. saunas, baths or just a hot shower or bath. It will get better very quickly. If this is not possible, then you can simply rub the muscles with a warming ointment or gel. It's also a good remedy. My trainer advised me to stretch after training. Here are some exercises:
When you stretch, you should feel a stretch in your calf muscles.
A contrast shower can also help in this situation. Why is it worth doing? Because warm water will relax the muscles, and cold water will reduce blood flow. This alternation will relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
But the most important saving remedy is massage. You don’t have to go to a professional massage therapist; you can do it yourself. The main thing here is to warm up and “flex” the calf muscles. Usually, after a massage, blood flow improves in them, and the pain slowly goes away. I even heard about a special massage roller. Many people praised him very much.
Pain in the calves can be avoided if you follow some rules:
Honestly, there was so much information and advice that I myself was confused at first. The main thing is that all the remedies turned out to be effective and now I am not afraid of any pain after training. Agree, then playing sports brings more pleasure.
I feel like a wise grandmother who passes on all her life experience to future generations. I hope everything that I have so carefully outlined here will help you. Do not be ill. And be sure to share this information with your friends. And I, in turn, promise to tell you something else useful next time.
These calf exercises are proven to be highly effective, so if at first it seems like there is no progress, don’t rush to stop training.
It is the impressive rhomboid calf muscles that are the hallmark of powerful, trained legs.
Small, underdeveloped calves will become your weak point if you don't give them as much attention as you should. And this is exactly what often happens: athletes focus on the upper part of the body, and the legs do not receive enough load. Hence the unpresentable appearance and the depressing condition of the calves, despite the relative development of the remaining parts of the body. Believe me, I know what I'm saying - I've been neglecting the extra challenge on my calves for quite some time, so now I'm having to catch up at a faster pace. Don't repeat my mistakes!
Muscular, trained calves not only serve to decorate the appearance, but also have great practical importance. They are a reliable support for many weightlifting exercises, such as deadlifts, various squats, etc. In fact, strong quads and hamstrings can be beneficial in any sport, as leg strength directly affects the effectiveness of the training process and the final result.
If you have weak calf muscles, your jumps will be shorter, your running speed will be less intense, and your squats and deadlifts will be less stable than athletes with well-proportioned calves. And, most importantly, in this case, the risk of injury to the knee joint is several times increased.
Perhaps you are already tired of reading this introduction, and you want to know those very magical exercises that will help you improve the shape of your calves. You're also probably wondering why building bulky calf muscles is such a labor-intensive task, what's the catch? Did you guess right?
In most cases (as in mine), banal neglect plays a role. By the way, the same applies to the abdominal press; often people do not consider it necessary to focus on it, but in vain.
So, in this article, we will look at the main obstacles in the process of building calf muscles, and also learn about very effective exercises that will help you make your calves strong. First, let's remember how our calves are anatomically structured.
The calves consist of two muscles: the gastrocnemius (it is external, so it is more noticeable) and the soleus (a deep muscle located under the gastrocnemius).
These two muscles work like a well-oiled machine to coordinate the movements of the foot and ankle joint, and also help flex the leg at the kneecap.
Most often we are concerned about the condition of the calf muscles, since they are the ones that are most noticeable. But in fact, the condition of the soleus muscles is much more important, because they support the calves.
There is an opinion among athletes that you shouldn’t worry too much about your calves (as well as your abs). That if you do enough squats and deadlifts every day, that will be enough. I don't agree with this.
You are lucky if you are born with strong calves. Then you just need to maintain their shape so that there are the necessary proportions with the hips and arms. And if you, like me, have weak and undeveloped calf muscles (and squats with deadlifts were powerless here), then you will have to work long and hard. But it's worth it.
Since we're talking about genetics, you're probably wondering why some people don't grow calves, despite all their efforts and unimaginable loads, while others don't even need to do anything purposefully for their growth.
The answer to this question lies in the composition and structure of the calf muscle fibers.
There are two main groups of muscles: type 1 is known as “slow” fibers, and type 2 is known as “fast twitch”.
Numerous studies have shown that muscle fibers in the gastrocnemius muscle can vary in composition between individuals.
For example, one bodybuilder's calf muscles are 65% type 2 fibers, while another's are only 15%. Thus, it will be much easier for the first athlete to increase the mass of his calves than for the second (my case).
In addition, scientists have found that the ratio of muscle types 1 and 2 directly depends on which muscles we use most often. For example, if muscles are more involved in low-intensity loads, but aimed at high endurance (walking, running, cycling), then there is a greater need for type 1 muscles than type 2.
However, all of the above is not the ultimate truth. Don't be upset if you have a genetic predisposition to small calves. With the right approach, almost anyone can build muscle in their calves. Simply, depending on your predominant muscle type, it will be clear whether the result will come quickly or whether you will have to work hard.
I'll tell you about the exercises that help me achieve my goal.
I tried a huge number of calf exercises, and I realized the following:
No scientific explanation has yet been found for this phenomenon, but this is confirmed by the experience of weightlifters of many generations.
Periodized training involves working all muscle groups with varying variations in the number of sets, repetitions, and weight load.
These are just my theories. But they are the result of my many years of experiments and observations.
Based on these two points, I recommend that you create the following training regimen:
Effective exercises for calves:
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets
Standing calf raise
3 sets of 4-6 repetitions
Rest 1-2 minutes between sets
Calf raises with additional weights (exercise “Donkey”)
3 sets of 8-10 repetitions
Rest 1 minute between sets
3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
Seated calf raise
Simple enough. For example, I do workout A on Monday, B on Wednesday and C on Friday.
It is very important to follow the training plan completely. If you feel sorry for yourself by reducing the number of repetitions, the effect of the workout will be low.
You also need to do the exercises correctly. Here is the ideal form of execution: when lifting, strain your muscles until you feel pain in your lower leg, and also rise as high as possible; when lowering, also keep the muscles tense.
Some beginning bodybuilders prefer to use heavier weights when performing exercises, they believe that this increases the intensity. But they don't take into account that because the weights are too heavy, they can't lift up to the maximum height on their toes. And then they wonder and get upset why their calves don’t grow. Don't make this mistake!
I really hope that with a conscientious approach, these exercises will definitely help you achieve your cherished goal - to have sculpted, muscular calves!
What muscle groups can you train on an elliptical trainer? During training on the simulator, all the muscles of the body work, and the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system function at full strength, filling the body with oxygen.
Orbitrack in the house replaces visiting the fitness center and running along park paths. Why buy an elliptical trainer? To heal and strengthen the body. For complete training for all muscle groups. To form a sculpted, toned figure. Why is it so effective and what muscles does it affect?
The legs are always in a bent state, and the footrests move in an elliptical circle - these design features of the device protect the joints from unnecessary loads.
On an elliptical trainer, the body uses all muscle groups. The device is suitable for warm-up, gentle training (in the recovery period or for beginners) and full-fledged professional training.
When you exercise on the orbit track, your heart and lungs function at full capacity.
During training, the ellipsoid uses all muscle groups: legs, arms, abs, back, spine, buttocks.
The Orbitrek is a cardio machine, and it is almost impossible to build muscle mass with it. Therefore, training on an ellipsoid is always supplemented with strength exercises.
The work of muscles on the orbit track depends on the position of the body relative to the simulator.
You need to stay very straight, you can’t bend your head or stand on your tiptoes. In this position, all muscles will work.
The closer the feet are to the edges of the footrests, the more intense the load on the body.
To strengthen the calf muscles and quadriceps (thigh muscles), tilt the body forward and hold on to a stationary handrail.
They hold onto a stationary handrail, tilt their body back with their head straight and take a “half-sitting” position.
There will be no muscle gain when walking on an elliptical. Exercise stimulates the functioning of the circulatory and respiratory systems, increasing the body's endurance.
The transition from a calm mode to a two-minute “maximum” mode increases the endurance and strength of the athlete. This method is used in professional training.
In the first 15-20 days of training, a slight increase in muscle mass is observed: the girth of the arms, legs, and hips increases. After about 20 days of regular exercise, the first kilograms disappear and clothes begin to sag.
A sustainable result from training on the orbit track will appear only after three months - these are the long-term observations of trainers.
To look good, you need to exercise constantly, at least three times a week. Muscle firmness, endurance and weight loss are reversible - the results of training disappear much faster than they appear.
During a 40-minute workout, the body loses 350-400 kilocalories.
You need to exercise without breaks, preferably 5 times a week.
To exercise on an elliptical trainer, you will need to allocate the optimal time in your daily schedule and purchase a heart rate monitor with a chest sensor - the readings of the heart rate monitor built into the ellipse are not so accurate.
Finding time to exercise in the middle of the day is difficult, so many people exercise in the morning, immediately after waking up.
You cannot exercise after breakfast, so exercises are carried out on an empty stomach - there are restrictions here.
Who is contraindicated for “hungry” training?
You can exercise after eating 1.5-2 hours. After training, do not eat for an hour.
The last meal before training should be nutritious: a protein diet and vegetables, without carbohydrates.
It is recommended to complete your evening workout 2 hours before bedtime.
The intensity of classes is gradually increased all the time. If the workout has become too easy, you need to increase the load.
Before and after exercises, do a warm-up.
For about 5 minutes, do any exercises that warm up the muscles, stretching exercises, or simply stand on the machine and exercise in the “minimum” mode.
The period of adaptation lasts 1.5-2 months.
There are 3 (up to 4) lessons per week.
Duration 20 (up to 30) minutes.
Heart rate is 60-70% of the maximum individual rate.
Number of steps per minute: up to 50.
The intensity of the load is slowly increased during the first 20 minutes of classes. When you can exercise continuously for 20 minutes, you can slightly increase the intensity of the workout.
There are 4 (up to 5) classes per week.
Duration 20 (up to 45) minutes.
Heart rate is 70-80% of the maximum individual rate.
Number of steps per minute: 50 (up to 60).
There are 4 (up to 6) classes per week.
Duration 30 minutes (up to 1 hour).
Heart rate is 80-90% of the maximum individual rate.
Number of steps per minute: 60 (up to 80).
In order for training on an elliptical trainer to be effective and safe, you need to constantly monitor your heart rate.
Immediately after completing the exercises, you can calculate the heart rate at the wrist or carotid artery. Usually count the number of beats in 10 seconds and multiply the result by 6.
Experienced trainers advise focusing on the readings of a heart rate monitor with a chest sensor - it gives the most accurate readings.
Immediately after exercise, the body produces maximum heart rate (heart rate).
The table shows max heart rate indicators for different age groups.
For every year of life greater than ten, the number 1 is added.
Exercise on the simulator requires compliance with safety rules and medical restrictions.
Safety precautions when using the elliptical cardio machine
After the first workouts, muscle pain may occur. The pain gradually subsides and disappears after several weeks of reasonable training.
There should be no pain during exercise. Muscle pain during exercise or immediately after it is a reason to stop training and consult a doctor.
If chest pain, shortness of breath, tachycardia or fainting weakness begin during the exercise, stop training.
There are no categorical medical contraindications for exercising on an ellipsoid. Even during pregnancy, you can continue exercises on the orbitrack - using reasonable caution.
In some conditions, you should carefully monitor the load:
I bought an elliptical trainer. At first, while walking, I watched TV or read a book - the result was zero. Then I started studying seriously for 20 minutes, without getting distracted. I lost 2 kilos in a week.
I’ve been training on the elliptical for 2 months – it’s great! A year ago I was mistaken for a pregnant woman - now all my clothes have become too big. Although I don’t follow a special diet, I just don’t eat after 6.
I won’t say that I lost a lot of weight, but it became more pleasant to look at myself in the mirror, I tightened up, and relief appeared.
I've had Kettler for about a year. It didn’t break, but it started to creak during classes - it used to work silently. After 20 minutes of class you start to sweat. I don’t like the monotony of classes, it would be better to go to a club and socialize. But there are results.
I bought a Chinese ellipsoid and found it for only 5,000 rubles. I’m quite pleased with myself, it works without problems, relief has appeared, my calves have been pumped up and my butt has tightened up.
Video tutorial on how to properly exercise on an elliptical trainer so that the maximum number of muscles work:
Thin calves do not look beautiful against the general background of legs. However, moderately pumped up calf muscles will visually balance your figure and add zest to your legs. But even in order to simply give your calves a sexy shape, you will have to sweat - you will need strength training. Today you will learn how to pump up a girl’s calves.
How to pump up a girl's calves
The calf muscles are a resilient and strong muscle group that is used during walking throughout the day. In order for the outlines of your calves to acquire relief, it is necessary to increase the volume of these muscles. Muscle growth (increase in volume) occurs under regularly applied load (stress), which the body has not encountered before. Those. two conditions must be met:
The calf muscles should be trained in the same way as other muscle groups . A good, hard workout once a week will provide adequate stress, with a long recovery phase. What does hard training mean? This means that you should find it difficult to complete the last reps of the calf exercises. It would be a mistake to feel sorry for yourself, to underwork yourself - the muscles won’t respond, why should they grow if the load is not that serious?
One calf workout per week will most likely be enough for you, but this should not be an axiom. If your calves do not grow in one workout while maintaining ideal exercise technique, hard work, and following the principles of nutrition and recovery, only then add another workout.
Progression of loads is a key factor in muscle growth. It is not beneficial for our body to have large muscles, because... their maintenance is very energy-intensive. A person with large muscle volumes and a small layer of fat consumes more calories than a person of the same weight with small and flabby muscles and excess fat, but does not gain weight - because. muscles, even at rest, need to be “fed” abundantly. Read more about the mechanisms and principles of muscle growth.
To build muscle, you need to give your body a load that it has not received before. This is why it is so difficult to pump up a girl’s calves at home. The lack of equipment on which you can perform effective exercises and the lack of weights will make this process long and painful. Don't waste your time and nerves on home workouts - go to the gym!
How can you progress the load:
Each new workout should be at least a little BUT more difficult than the previous one, especially for the calf muscles, which by their nature are strong and resilient.
Girls should not chase giant weights (which simply risks injuring a fragile body) - they prefer to work with very short rest breaks between approaches in a large range of repetitions. This is exactly what a girl should do. Read more about how to create a training program for girls.
Let's briefly go over the anatomy of the lower leg muscles. What we call the calves are made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The calf muscles are located high on the shin and function to lift the heels from a standing position.
The soleus muscle is located under the gastrocnemius in the depths of the lower leg. It serves to raise the heels from a sitting position. A developed soleus muscle pushes out the calf muscle of the leg, making it visually larger.
How can this be useful? To develop the calf muscles, you should use the most physiological exercises (don’t make up a bicycle - these are calf raises while standing and sitting), using both functions of these muscles.
The first and most important exercise in training your calves should be standing calf raises. Use a special simulator that will allow you to lower your heels below the horizontal - this way you will work with a large amplitude. Check out this article to understand how to properly perform standing calf raises. Put execution technique first:
The second exercise will be seated calf raises. The best option would be to use a special simulator. If you don’t have something like this in your gym, don’t despair. Place a block under your socks so that your heels can go below the horizontal, take dumbbells or a barbell, sit on a bench and place the weight on your knees. The principles of execution here are absolutely the same as in standing calf raises.
These two exercises will be enough for you to build up the shape of the calf muscles you need. Place them at the end of your workout, but don't take it lightly. Achieve a burning sensation on the last repetitions - this is a sure sign that you are doing everything right.
And don't worry about pumping up your calves. Firstly, you can stop at any time as soon as you achieve the desired shape and perform maintenance workouts, and secondly, in order to develop colossal calf muscles you need serious loads coupled with pharmacological drugs.
Taking into account the above (the natural characteristics of the calf muscles and the characteristics of the female body), take the following program as a starting point:
Do not perform exercises without warming up. If you do calf exercises at the end of the main workout, then your muscles will be warmed up and ready to work, no special warm-up is required. Select a working weight so that the last 2-3 repetitions are difficult, but you still perform the exercises with IDEAL technique.
Try to keep the pauses between approaches short (from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes). Make it challenging for your muscles. At each new workout, increase the load on your calves at least a little: by adding 0.5 kg to the working weight, additional repetitions, etc.
After your workout, don't forget to cool down, which includes short cardio and stretching. A cool-down will prevent cramps and improve the access of nutrients to the muscles being trained, which contributes to their better recovery and, therefore, growth.
The article gives an understanding of a quick way to pump up a girl’s calves. The emphasis is on training in the gym, because... this will allow you to perform the most effective exercises and maintain the principle of load progression.
Take your workouts seriously, approach them with enthusiasm and passion, and complete your slim figure with the shape of your calves. Good luck!
Get better and stronger with bodytrain.ru
Running as a sport was held in high esteem by the ancient Greeks. In addition to the fact that running is a way for a person to move faster than walking, running has a positive effect on the human body. Many muscle groups are involved, the cardiovascular system is strengthened, tissues and organs are saturated with oxygen, and the whole body is cleansed.
Brain cells also receive a lot of oxygen – hence the incredible clarity of mind after a running workout. As a sport, running requires special preparation: shoes, clothing, breathing, the ability to warm up before training and relax the muscles after.
A running workout after a long break, a sharp increase in the load on the legs - and here is the result: the muscles (mostly quadriceps on the legs) are like stone, they are difficult to bend, the knees hurt, and the next day the descent down (on stairs or an inclined plane) is comparable with Chinese medieval torture - the pain is terrible. All these are sure signs of clogged leg muscles.
The physiological cause of congestion (in scientific terms - soreness) is elementary muscle fatigue. Those. they have no opportunity to relax. If you overdo it with heavy training without proper preparation, if you increase the load too sharply, you can even end up with a muscle tear.
This problem should be taken care of in advance. To prevent muscles from becoming clogged during training, it is necessary before starting classes.
Exercises with the highest risk of clogged muscles:
In general, muscle pain after training is normal. It means that the muscles that are making themselves felt have been given increased load, and this is good. But this pain should not cause serious discomfort, unless you have worked out for the first time after a long break.
The pain from increased stress in the muscles is quite tolerable and, in a sense, even morally pleasant (you can feel the result of the exercise). The pain from clogged muscles is incredibly strong and causes great discomfort. For example.
If the pectoral muscles are clogged, for example, it will be almost impossible for a person to spread his arms to the sides, and if the quadriceps are clogged, going down an inclined surface or stairs will become a real test. In everyday life, sore throat will greatly limit the comfort and capabilities of the practitioner.
The main vitamins that will help you avoid sore throat are A, C and E. If you can eat well during the day, eating enough of these vitamins, there is no problem. But more often this is not possible, and in this case specially developed complexes of vitamins and minerals come to the rescue:
If it is not possible to buy dietary supplements or you are wary of them, buy regular pharmacy vitamins with a high content of vitamins A, C and E. You can also buy these vitamins separately.
In 95% of people, the calf muscles are a lagging muscle group. In order to correct the imbalance, increase the strength, volume and shape of the calf muscles, they should be given special attention. The harmonious development of the lower leg muscles, in addition to the aesthetic beauty of the proportions of your body, will also provide functional strength in all basic exercises for the lower body.
A Guide to Increasing Calf Muscle Volume
A detailed guide for girls on pumping up calves is written in a separate article, but today we’ll talk about how to pump up a man’s calves.
In general, by the word “calves” many people mean the muscles of the lower leg. So that you don’t have any misunderstanding, let’s briefly go over the anatomy of these muscles.
Calf muscles - form a diamond-shaped appearance, those same “calves”. They have two bundles of muscles that pass into a single Achilles tendon. Contracts when you lift your heels with your legs fully extended.
The soleus muscle forms 2/3 of the volume of the lower leg muscles. Did not know?! A gray cardinal who deserves special attention. Located deep under the calf. With proper development, it begins to push the calf outward, increasing the volume of the entire back of the lower leg. Contracts when you raise your heels with your knees bent.
There are also a number of small muscles that help maintain balance and position of the feet, but you should not pay special attention to them - they will one way or another participate in the main exercises for the calves.
First of all, to ensure full amplitude, make sure that there is always some kind of elevation under the toe. Do not perform calf exercises while standing on a flat surface - you will simply lose useful amplitude.
The greater the amplitude, the more work the muscles will do, the more prerequisites for muscle growth.
The full amplitude is:
The second rule should help you master this principle.
When doing calf exercises, focus on a slow pace, allowing time for the lifting and lowering phases. This will allow you to better control the movement. There is no need to jump on bars or exercise machines, “hammering” your lower leg muscles with a partial amplitude - you won’t be able to pump up your calves this way.
The second and more important aspect is smoothness. Smooth movement is a clear lowering and rising, without jerks, without jumps, without the help of auxiliary muscles, without jerking the body, etc. I hope you understand. There should be no parasitic movements in your performance (jerks from the bottom point, lowering by inertia from the top).
Having achieved the maximum rise on your toes (and a little higher), hold this moment for a while. Don’t attach much importance to the time of such a pause at the top point, it just has to be - half a second/second is enough.
Record the peak contraction for each repetition of each exercise. This way you will force your calves to work to their fullest, stimulating them with load at the moment when they are fully contracted.
Taking into account the practical experience of many athletes, the most successful range of repetitions for the lower leg muscles is from 10 to 15. Why not more? By exceeding 15 repetitions, you begin to work on slow muscle fibers. These fibers are responsible for endurance. They hypertrophy poorly, not giving volume and relief to your calves.
In addition, the number of slow-twitch muscle fibers in the calves in most people greatly exceeds the number of fast-twitch muscle fibers. Because The calf muscles are not designed to perform heavy lifts on the toes, but are used in walking and constantly, then they need endurance - this is precisely achieved by a large number of SMV (slow muscle fibers).
This principle especially applies to natural athletes, for whom a high-repetition training regimen practically does not work (achieving IM hypertrophy is not an easy task). Choose a reasonable heavy weight with which you can perform 10 to 15 repetitions while following the above rules perfectly.
When wondering how to pump up calves, a man has to look for working methods that will make his calves move. One of these is a high volume of training load.
Your calf workout should include at least 6-8 failure sets. The number of exercises can be one (recommended only for beginners at first - 1.2 months), two or more. With EVERY set, try to finish it close to failure.
What you train, grows. As you train, so does it grow.
What is refusal in the correct understanding? This is when you cannot perform the next repetition with perfect technique on your own. Those. a failure approach is 10-15 repetitions, of which the last 2-3 are very difficult, but you perform them cleanly and beautifully (without jerking or cheating).
Calves love volume training – it takes a long time for them to get there).
There may be three options here:
It is very difficult to follow all five rules above when doing calves at the end of a leg workout (hard, but not impossible). Firstly, basic and isolating exercises for the lower body tire the calves, and secondly, at the end of the workout, the central nervous system also becomes tired, if you want there is no such enthusiasm to train the calves well, efficiently and in volume.
More often this is expressed in the fact that people simply do not finish their work. The load on the calves is weak - there are few incentives for growth!
To hammer your calves to the fullest, try doing them at a separate time (not during leg training) and compare the results.
The calf exercises themselves are not as important as following the six principles described above. I will say this, even with one exercise you can pump up your calves, moving their growth forward, but subject to all the rules.
In your training, use only the most effective movements that force the lower leg muscles to work through their full range of motion. You can select a separate exercise to train the soleus muscle - this will only be a plus.
The most effective calf exercises are:
Combine the exercises that you like best - they all work. Once again: exercises alone will not help you pump up your calves if you do not follow the principles of training the lower leg muscles.
Example training program:
Perform each approach in a refusal style (see above). The rest pause between sets should not be more than 1 minute. Despite the fact that calves can simply burn with fire from the load, they very quickly restore their performance.
Please note that any workout is preceded by a warm-up. This is a way to protect your ligaments, joints and muscles from injury and increase their performance. A cool-down at the end of your workout will help flush out waste products from clogged muscles, improve their elasticity and speed up recovery.
The article contains comprehensive information on how to pump up a man’s calves. Use this guide by incorporating the rules mentioned into your training. Share your results and opinions. Anabolism everyone!
Read other articles in the blog's knowledge base.
By pumping up your calf muscles, you can visually correct the O-shape of your legs and generally improve your body proportions. Another plus is that calf exercises strengthen the ankle ligaments, making them less vulnerable.
Calves are one of the strongest and most resilient muscle groups in the body and are not used to stress. Creating training stress and causing the calf muscles to grow requires a special approach.
If your calves are not growing well and are lagging behind, train them twice a week, combining different modes. On one day, perform exercises with a weight that allows you to do 25-40 repetitions per set. On another day, do 8-10 repetitions, but with more weight.
The only nuance that distinguishes women's calf training from men's is the soleus muscle. It stretches along the entire length of the lower leg, and its enlargement can make the ankle look massive. It works best when performing calf raises while sitting with weights on your knees - girls should avoid such exercises in order to keep their legs graceful.
After each calf workout, be sure to perform stretching exercises to prevent shortening of the muscles and ligaments. Elastic ankle tendons will protect you from injury and help you more effectively perform basic exercises for the buttocks - squats, deadlifts, lunges.
The basis of any exercise for the calf muscles is the extension of the foot relative to the shin, or, more simply, raising the toes. You can perform it in a special machine, in a Smith machine or Hack machine, with a barbell, with dumbbells, in a leg press machine; both legs simultaneously or alternately. In the famous “donkey” exercise, where you tilt your body forward, placing the weight on the pelvic area, you can use a partner as a load, sitting him “astride” you.
Beginner girls should start with simpler and safer options that eliminate or minimize the load on the spine - dumbbells, a press platform. Choose the weight of the weight so that it allows you to perform a given number of repetitions without violating your technique.
The range of motion is very important. The larger it is, the stronger the muscle stretches and the more powerful it contracts. At the lowest point, the heel should be lower than the toe. To do this, place pancakes or a wooden block up to 5 cm high under your socks, unless you are working in a special calf trainer.
At the top point, pause for a second, tensing your muscles as much as possible. Concentrate on each repetition - the movement should be careful and smooth. Rise up without jerking, without helping yourself with your hips. Lower yourself slowly and under control, without falling back onto your heels.
For beginners, it is enough to perform 1 calf exercise 2 times a week in the average repetition range (10-15). In the future, if your calves begin to lag behind, switch to a more complex system - train your lower legs 2 times a week, alternating high-repetition and strength modes.
Use this set of exercises in your workouts, placing them on days distant from each other so that your muscles have time to recover.
Day II – multiple repetitions:
Running, jumping rope, cycling and dancing can have the opposite effect - just look at the legs of dancers and athletes to see this. If your calves feel too bulky, you may just need to lose weight or reduce swelling. In both cases, proper nutrition will help - a balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, limiting the consumption of salt, alcohol and caffeine, and avoiding processed foods.
If it’s not a matter of fat or swelling, but large calf muscles, then it’s a matter of genetics, and the only way out is not to train your calves, so as not to make them even bigger.
Try switching to “one-legged” exercises. Start the approach with the trailing leg, performing the specified number of repetitions. Then do the same number of repetitions with your dominant leg, then switch back to your lagging leg and try to complete the same number of repetitions.
Under no circumstances use more weight on your lagging leg - this will create a disproportionate load on the ligaments.
Calves are a muscle group with tremendous strength and endurance. To make them grow, you need a “shock” approach that the muscles are not used to in everyday life. Therefore, the working weight in calf exercises can be one and a half, or even twice as high as your own. Don't be afraid of it, but don't overdo it either. If the weight of the weight does not allow you to perform the exercise technically, reduce it. For heavy exercises, choose options with minimal stress on the spine - a “donkey” or a leg press machine.
One calf exercise, done quickly after a leg workout once a week, is an option for a beginner with genetically developed calf muscles. For a girl who cares about the harmonious and proportional development of her legs, a clear plan and constant progression of loads are required.
For a girl, the main thing is general proportions, not volume. Overly massive calves can ruin your figure no less than thin and weak ones. There is no need to manically measure the girth of your shins every week - evaluate the appearance of your body as a whole, because beauty has nothing to do with numbers.