How to get bigger calves
The basics to calf training begins with understanding the physiology of the calf muscles that make up your lower leg. The upper part of the calf is called the gastrocnemius. This is the large muscle that attaches above the knee. The soleus muscle is the lower part of your calf, and this is much smaller.
Because the gastrocnemius attaches above the knee, it does most of the work when you are performing straight leg calf movements. On the other hand, because the soleus attaches below the knee, it does most of the work when you are performing bent leg calf movements. In order to achieve maximum potential strength and muscularity you must perform both exercises.
Just as important as training the upper and lower muscles in the calf is training the inner and outer muscles. In order to focus on the outer muscle of the calf you will perform any calf exercise with your toes pointed in (pigeon toed) and you focus on pushing the weight with your outside toes. In order to focus on the inner muscles you would do the opposite and point your toes out and push the weight using your big toe.
Calf training should always be done with heavy weight and high reps. Because your calves are used to walking and running they are used to lifting lighter weights. In order to force growth you must shock the muscle with heavy weights in a rep range from 12-20 reps. Another key to calf growth is rapid increase in resistance. Most bodybuilders will increase resistance for calf exercises more frequently than other major muscle groups.
Drop sets, partial reps, and other muscle shocking tactics are very important in order to break plateaus.
Calf training can occur more frequently than other muscle groups because of the ability to recover quicker than most other muscles. Because of this, bodybuilders will take advantage and it is not uncommon to see them training calves every other day.
Remember these tips on how to get bigger calves and you’ll never want to wear long pants again!
