Get your calves into champion form.
Everyone has problem areas they must address in order to build a complete physique. For some, building up the arms is a fairly simple endeavor. A few bicep curls, some pull downs for the triceps, some lateral raises for the shoulders and their arms explode with little effort. But those same individuals who find it easy to develop their arms with minimal work can easily find themselves lacking in another area. For many would be bodybuilders out there, that area are the calves.
Training calves for many may be a bit of an after thought simply because during leg day their focus may lie in other exercises. Many may just worry themselves on the squat and believe that the exercise on it’s own is more than suitable for their leg day needs. But for anyone who understands the ins and outs of bodybuilding, they realize that training the calves with specific exercises is what’s going to bring together their leg development.
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So how exactly should you go about training those calves? Well it’s pretty simple actually. The core exercise for building massively muscled calves is by doing performing either standing or seated calf raises. The movement is meant to put complete emphasis on solely engaging the calf muscles. The whole point of the exercise is to isolate the calves.
But you can’t just jump into performing calf raises off the bat with no game plan. The best way to go about calf training is by first turning your toes in to engage those outer calves first while they’re still fresh, then perform the exercise with the toes straight. This way the outer part of the calves, which takes up the predominant amount of muscle in the area, is worked hard to get the best results. For a little example of how you should go about working the calves take a look at the exercise scheme below.
Standing Calf Raise on Machine (toes in): 3 sets, 20 reps
Standing Calf Raise on Machine (toes straight): 3 sets, 15 reps
Seated Calf Raise (toes in): 3 sets, 20 reps
Seated Calf Raise (toes straight): 3 sets, 15 reps
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What’s your problem area? Let us know in the comments and follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.
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