8 Mistakes That Are Keeping Your Calves Small
It is well known that calf size is based on genetics, whilst this is
true, it doesn’t mean you can’t add mass and define shape! We are going to
correct some simple mistakes and help you achieve the calves you
need.
Very few muscle groups are as stubborn to develop as your calves, and a
constant lack of progress might compel you to stop training your lower
legs entirely. However, before you give up completely, you should know
that your calf trouble could be the result of some easily fixed training
mistakes.
Every athlete wants a set of nicely developed calves to proportionate the
legs. If you are one of the individuals that have been blessed with great
lower leg genetics than heed the following mistake prevention tips closely
for optimal calves.
Here is a list of top 8 mistakes that are keeping your calves small:
Training calves at the end of your workout:
Calves are often neglected or saved for the last part of a leg workout,
this is when you’re tired and lack energy. Muscles can’t grow if they
receive sub-par training, you must start training them the way you train
your back or chest: fresh, from every angle, and to complete
exhaustion.
Start your leg training with calves, train them with the same intensity
as you do your quads and hamstrings. If you’re trying to hit your upper
legs hard and don’t have the energy to do the same with calves, add an
extra calf day into your split or add the work to a different workout. The
point is to ensure that your calves don’t suffer from lack of
attention.
Training Calves Once a Week:
Training calves once a week is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Even if you only want to keep one major leg day a week (quads, hamstring,
calves), try adding calves onto other workouts throughout the week so your
training calves 2-3 times a week and sticking to the 10-15 Rep
Range.
While this rep range might be effective for most other parts of your
body, calves are a bit different. You need to look at doing 20+ reps
preferably closer to 30. This forces you to use a lighter weight
which means better form.
This leads to a better contraction of the calves muscles and a better
pump following those 30 reps. It also allows you to overload a muscle that
is used to high rep work (remember your calves get a lot of work naturally
throughout the day just from walking around.
Using Too Heavy Weights:
While lifting heavy is important to building muscle, if the weights are
so big that you can’t use proper form then you won’t see much benefit.
Symptoms of using too much weight include bouncing the weight at the
bottom of reps, or not contracting at the top of reps.
Worse you might end up bringing other leg muscles into the exercise to
help move the weight. In addition to reducing your gains training this way
will also set you up for possible injury. If you feel pain in your
Achilles tendon then you are definitely lifting too much weight.
Similarly, if you are unable to perform standing calf raises without
bending your knees, or seated calf raises without using your arms to help
the weight up then you need to adjust the resistance downwards.
Only Training With Small Weights:
To look on the opposite point of view, you cannot expect results only
training with light weight and high reps. Calves are one of the high
resistance muscle groups that require overload once in a while to grow.
Try something between the two: heavy weight/low reps and low weight/high
reps and see which gives you the best results. Most will find a
combination of the two gives optimal calve growth.
Foot placement:
A lot of people think that you can hit different parts of the calves
depending on whether you point your feet inward, straight ahead or
outwards. People who turn their feet at extreme angles are actually
reducing the effectiveness of the exercise and also putting a lot of
stress on the joints and tissues in the knees and ankles.
Not isolate and contract the muscles:
In order to get the full benefit of the calf raise you need to emphasis
the contraction at the top of the exercise. Focus on flexing hard at the
top of each rep and it will make all the difference in your workout.
Once you’ve contracted properly at the top of the rep it doesn’t mean you
can drop the weight down to the beginning. Lower the weight slowly and
under control and do this for each rep.
Each part of the rep should be under control. Taking your time throughout
each rep will increase the amount of time your calves are under tension,
even when using the same weights and reps you normally do.
Skipping stretching:
This commonly made mistake can be applied to any muscle in your body but
is quite noticeable when you don’t stretch your calves. If you suffer from
flat feet or high arches you might already notice the effects of skipping
the stretch after a workout.
You might feel pain, but there is another reason to stretch; it stretches
out the fascia, a thin connective tissue “cocoon” around each muscle,
which can get very tight and compress the muscle. This creates a
compacting effect on the muscle so it cannot expand and grow as
effectively.
You also need to fully stretch your calves between sets and immediately
after training them. This increases mobility, enlarges the fascia and
boosts the pump, which in turn aids recovery and growth.
