Arnold Schwarzenegger
Calf Training Wisdom
Calves
must be the most widely controversial muscle group to train, aside from maybe
abs. Discussions range from training heavy versus light, high reps versus low
reps, what volume and frequency are appropriate and sometimes even whether or
not to train them at all. I have strong opinions on training calves, and while
others may disagree with my stance on developing them, here they are
nonetheless.
On
Time Investment
In
my opinion, the one thing that thwarts the progress of an individual's calf
development more than anything else is attrition. Most people just don't have
the patience and persistence to maintain the necessary intensity level to
maximize this stubborn bodypart.
 |
| The Donkey Calf Raise |
I've
always believed that the price of having great calves is 500 hours. I'll
explain. 500 hours equals more than 660 45-minute calf workouts. 660 divided by
4 calf workouts per week equals about 165 weeks. That's more than three years
of work! And realize I am talking about four intense 45-minute calf workouts
per week for more than three consistent years. Be honest, and time the length
of your next calf workout. Is it even anywhere near 45 minutes?Anything
less is futile effort, unless you're genetically blessed with amazing calves.
So stick with it.
 |
| Weakness turned into strength |
On
Resistance
Back
when I was still having trouble putting size on my calves, I did calf raises
using 500-600 pounds of resistance, thinking that was more than enough weight.
Then Reg Park pointed out that each of my calves was accustomed to supporting
250 pounds of bodyweight, so 500 pounds was pretty normal for me. That's when I
started overloading my calves, using up to 1,000 pounds on standing calf
raises. And that's when they grew. Now, I'd never suggest that a beginner or
even an intermediate lifter go this heavy, but the point is to use a
sufficiently heavy weight relative to your bodyweight when training calves.
 |
| Arnold at his most massive Olympia showing Circa. 1974 |
On
Range of Motion
Simply
put, the greater your range of motion when doing seated, standing, or donkey
calf raises, the more your calves will develop. This means getting a full
stretch at the bottom, then going all the way up to the top and squeezing hard.
One exception to this rule exists -- partial reps. Back in my heyday, every
fourth calf workout (give or take) I did consisted of only half and quarter
movements using extremely heavy weight. This added resistance on my calves was
very beneficial for adding mass, despite my limited range of motion.
 |
| Standing Calf Raises |
On
Rep Ranges
It
would be impossible for me to sum up how many reps I'd typically do per set of
calf exercises -- I alternately employed high, low, and moderate reps
throughout the ''60s and '70s. For example, I might do 5 sets of 10 reps per
exercise one day, then do 20 reps per set the following workout, then maybe
12-15 reps the next. And then some days I'd load up the stack really heavy and
perform just 3-4 reps per set. On occasion I'd train with a guy like Tom Platz,
and we'd do sets of 30,40, or 50 reps. So you see, the goal when training
calves is to be as unpredictable as possible. You must constantly try new
training protocols.
 |
| Strong calves are a must |
 |
| The fruit of hard work is always sweet Full Calf Training Article on Bodybuilding Mauritius (Click to Read) |
©,2013, Veeraj Goyaram, Bodybuilding Mauritius. Any reprinting in any type of media is prohibited.
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