While I was walking to class the other day I started paying attention to my calf muscles with each step, and deliberately used my calf muscle with each step. Within minutes my calf was burning slightly, however the front of my shin was on fire.
If I can get through or adapt to the shin-splint feeling, do you think you could make considerable size gains just from walking this way?
If you continue to get larger overall… yes to a certain degree.
I wonder if those new Sketchers shoes (with the rounded bottom) would have the same effect.
Possibly. I like to try and contract my calves as hard as I can when I’m walking between classes to improve my mind-muscle connection. I feel it’s helped with my calf training as of late.
I think I know the feeling you’re talking about, I get it when I deliberately take longer and faster strides for extended periods of time. I get a burn and a pump, but I don’t feel like there is enough load or ROM to really cause any significant microtrauma… my rationale being that I have probably some of the worst calves of anyone I know (who actually cares about calf size) and I walk that way pretty frequently because a. I like to feel like I’m working out b. I like to get where I’m goin’.
Just my two cents…
If your fat and/or big, then yes.
Try hiking up steep hills. You won’t even have to mentally focus on your calves. They’ll just burn along with your quads.
My 17yo son has only just begun training (doesn’t train calves anyway). He wanted me to measure him for his ‘before’ stats, results from memory:
Bwt. 234lb
Ht. 6ft 4.75"
calf 17.5"
bi’s 14.5"
Guess he’s got ‘genetic’ calves!
[quote]Boffin wrote:
My 17yo son has only just begun training (doesn’t train calves anyway). He wanted me to measure him for his ‘before’ stats, results from memory:
Bwt. 234lb
Ht. 6ft 4.75"
calf 17.5"
bi’s 14.5"
Guess he’s got ‘genetic’ calves![/quote]
Damn your son!
I tried this out and walked on my toes every time I used the steps, which involved 9 flights up and down 2-3 times per day. never saw a difference. I also did 3 30min walks where I would lean forward on a treadmill and push off on each step, but noticed nothing from that either.