Don’t be like Johnny Drama. Work for some serious calves.

Calves are one of those muscle groups that have an interesting stigma. Much like the forearms, the calves are either heavily neglected or a point of obsession for many bodybuilders. Even when many bodybuilders do focus on the calves – they find that they’re not making the kind of development they want. Instead of looking into getting calf implants like Johnny Drama, we’ve got some suggestions that can solve your underwhelming calf development issues.
.

Get Your Priorities Set

Some people make the mistake of training their calves at the end of their workout rather than given them special attention in the first place. If you’ve tired yourself from an intense chest day or brutal back training, the chances are that you’ll likely be so drained that focusing on your calf improvement will be secondary. The calf is like any other muscle and should be trained just as intensely. Don’t fall into the trap of tiring yourself out before focusing on the calves. Make them a priority.

Isolating the Muscles

When it comes to building muscle – the mind/muscle connection must be strong or else you’ll miss out on the most craved after sensation during training: the pump. Hypertrophy is the name of the game and focusing on keeping the form and tension on your calves will help to build up gains. Taking the rest of your body out of the motion and during seated calf raises will allow you to focus entirely on the task at hand.

Slow and Steady Wins The Race

Instead of trying to blast through your calf workout, you should consider taking it easy. Now when we say easy we don’t mean being a lazy asshole. Instead try a slow and steady approach to working your calves in order to get the best result. To get the most out of your calf development you should do your calf raises slowly and fully contract the muscle. Don’t speed through it.

Increase The Reps

Some bodybuilders have gotten so used to performing reps in the 12-15 rep range that they get stuck in the same routine – refusing to “break the rules”. But instead of just using typical methods that you use during your bench, why not try to up the reps so you can ensure your calves get a brutal thrashing. Try for 20, then work up to 30 and onward.
.

Have a lagging body part? Let us know in the comments below and be sure follow Generation Iron Facebook and Twitter.