I am a basketball player so should I do any direct work to my calves. Would it help me?
In what way are you asking? For higher jumping? or do you just want to look good in shorts?
From what I have read here on T-mag, Jumping has more to do with your Achilles tendon than calves, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your calves, you should be working your full body, the more LBM you have the better you will perform on the court. So yes work out your calves. Do plyometrics, do Squats and DL’s and ab work… everything… I tried to find a post about increasing your vertical if thats what you are looking to do… I can’t remember where it is, check out Mule’s posts, he has huge jumps.
It won’t hurt, but don’t concentrate on them, go to DeFrancos website, it will tell you the best way to train, he has an article with the best 15 excercises to increase your vertical.
i am a bball player as well, i’ll tell you what has worked for me, in my case, i do absolutely no direct calf work, i just do squats/speed squats, deadlifts,gm’s and lunges, thats about it… my vert went up 4 inches even after adding 40+ lbs…
cya, ps its 74/75 with 20 seconds left as im writing this, check that, 76-75 auburn 12 seconds heeehehe, great game
ok peace!
direct work might help you have bigger calves.
other than that… your best bet is to do big movements like deadlifts and squats.
go to defranco’s site… i think in his ask joe area he answers this specifically.
here you go
Q: What are the best exercises for increasing calf strength and size? I do a lot of standing and seated calf raises, but I was wondering if there is anything else I?m missing? I?m about 2? away from dunking a basketball and I?m looking for an edge. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
John
A: Big calves have about as much to do with how high you can jump as the color of your hair. Sure, there?s nothing wrong with doing some calf raises in your training routine, but they shouldn?t be the focus of the routine. As I?ve said time and time again, the ?posterior chain? (spinal erectors, gluteals and hamstrings) makes up around 70% of the musculature that is responsible for your jumping ability. Squat and deadlift variations, Olympic lifts and good mornings will give you the best ?bang for your buck? with regards to improving your vertical jump in the weight room.
There is another very interesting factor that plays a large role in how high you can jump. I?ve had the pleasure of working with over 2-dozen athletes who can jump over 35? and, besides being very strong in the posterior chain, they had something else in common. The one thing they all had in common are what I call ?high cut? calves. What I mean by this is that the calves have an insertion point very high on the lower leg. This usually means a longer Achilles tendon. A longer Achilles tendon can store more elastic energy, which translates into more explosive jumps.
Think about this; have you ever seen a kangaroo with big calves? Of course not! The reason they can jump so well lies in the length of their Achilles tendons. Kangaroos have the longest Achilles tendon of any animal on earth. They also spring off the ground better than any other animal on earth. Unfortunately, you can?t increase the length of your Achilles tendon ? it?s genetic. You have your parents to thank for that.
Thanks guys. Some people suggested that i should start training my calves and i just wondered what you thought. Thanks.
As TheRed1 said it’s mostly posterior chain but a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link!! If your calves are your weak link then by all means get them stronger and more explosive.
if you jump flat footed then no do not directly work out your calves. that should answer your question. laters pk