How to build massive calves? We advise how to build them!

You would hardly find a more talked about topic in the fitness community than calves. They give a hard time to laymen and seasoned fighters who practically live in the gym. So how to build really massive calves? We will try to answer this question in our article today.

Anatomy of calf muscles

In order to understand how to properly exercise the calves, we must first say something about the anatomy of the calf muscles and their function. The calf muscles are among the strongest ever in the human body and are made up of slow-twitch muscle fibreswhich is also one of the factors that makes many of us simply unable to force them to grow. They are, in short, very resistant to strain.

The calf muscles consist of three heads, which are often referred to simply as the triceps surae.These are subdivided into the gastrocnemius, which is the proverbial "bulge" at the top of the calf, and the obliquecalf muscle (soleus), which is the longest muscle of the calves and extends from the heel bone and ends at the top of the tibia.

The oblique calf muscle takes care of rotation and extension of the leg and responds best to exercises with bent knees. This puts the most strain on it during seated lunges. The double-headed calf muscle, on the other hand, is involved in leg flexion and is best targeted during standing lunges. All of these muscles make a significant contribution to walking, running, jumping and other activities.

Exercises for calves

So, if you are already clear on the anatomy, we can slowly move on to what you are all waiting for. So how to really load the calf muscles properly and what exercises to choose for them?

In general, the calves can be exercised on or off machines, you can also load them with additional weight placed on your back or, for example, a one-armed barbell. There are no limits to creativity here and it is up to you what exercises you choose. However, you should always combine exercises with bent knees to load the oblique calf muscle and standing exercises for the double-headed muscle.

A stack of calf exercises

So you can incorporate into your calf training, for example, these time-tested exercises that with the right repetitions and weight can really work them hard:

• Standing lunges / multi press / calf machine
• Leg press lunges
• Donkey lunges
• Sit-ups / barbell lunges / machine lunges

We recommend combining all of these exercises differently in your workout so that your calves never have time to get used to any of them. It's also worth using a mat with your heels sticking outwards when doing lunges in the supine position. This gives you a greater range of motion and can put even more stress on your calves.

Number of reps and sets

Of course, the number of reps and sets included in the workout also plays a big role in the workout. The calves respond well to both higher and lower repetitions. Of course, the weight should also be set accordingly, with the fewer the reps, the heavier the load. The ideal is to experiment, try what works best for you and vary the workout regularly. After all, calves are a muscle like any other.

If your calves are really weak and lackluster, it's a good idea to treat them as a weakness. This means working them out quietly multiple times a week and including them at the beginning of your workout (if you're not currently going for legs). This will give them more incentive to grow.

Postural variability also plays an important role in calf training. Therefore, we recommend pulling the toes towards and away from each other, which will break up thethe load evenly on all the muscle fibres in the calves. However, always exercise in a way that feels comfortable to you and how your calves respond best.

Training plan for calves in the gym

A sample calf training plan could then look like this:

Try varying the position of your feet in the workout, adding weight and varying the number of repetitions between exercises. Variability in training is also extremely important for the calves.

Calf training plan at home

Calves have the advantage that they can be exercised at home. You just need something under your toes or a smaller step and you can load them without having to go to the gym. However, it is of course necessary to work with the number of repetitions and sets so that the calves have enough incentive to grow.

A training plan for at home can then look like this:

You can then think about your calves practically all day long. You can walk on your tiptoes here and there, stop occasionally on a step and do a few lunges, etc. You can also work out your calves, for example, by jogging or other cardio activities that involve the lower limbs.

Why don't my calves grow?

Despite your best efforts, your calves may not reach the size you want them to. Genetics and the way they are naturally shaped play a big role. Some people have calves like tree trunks, others have calves like spikes. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do about it.

However, even genetics is not a sufficient excuse to exclude them from training altogether. Every millimeter is visible and strong calves complete the overall appearance of the figure. Definitely don't give up on training them. Play around with the number of reps, foot position, exercises and the inclusion of calves in your training plan. You'll see the results come.

Proper diet and, if necessary, appropriately chosen supplementation are also essential. The calves also need fuel in the form of protein, which you can give them, for example, in the form of a protein drink. If you have a problem with weight gain in general, you don't have to worry about reaching for a gainer either. Combined with the right workout, you can get the nicely shaped and strong calves we all dream of.