I just thought about FFB’s calves, and realized that most FFB’s have pretty good calves; think it’s from walking around with all that lard for days on end.
Do you think that a good calf builder would be to wear a weight vest during the day, under a sweater or something (since winter is coming), to simulate fatness?
Or you could train your calves. goddamn
FFB??
Fat Fucking Bastard??
In answer to your question: No. Just train hard. You’ll look almost as ridiculous as an FFB if you wear a bulky weight vest under your clothes.
End of thread. Next?
Thought FFB meant Former Fat Boy, as in one who WAS fat but is not anymore.
I realize that those who are very large have fat accumulated on their calves, but many people who I have seen who were fat, and subsequently lost the weight, still retain large calf muscles.
Hope that clarifies my meaning
Okay ID…why does one lapel stick up and one down on jackets and shirts…I want to know. I asked this as one of my first posts, I know the work of a literary giant I’ll admit but the only responce was from IMHUNGRY and he sent a picture of a puppy…basterdo.
In responce to the OP, doubt it.
It’s not the “fat”, it’s the extra weight. If you had to do thousands of calf raises, as you do when walking and moving, but at a much heavier body weight, then your calves are definitely going to be bigger. I wouldn’t go as far as to carry a weighted vest around; I’m sure it will be more than you can handle right off the bat. Go for calve raises at a much higher frequency and volume.
An interesting and relevant question would be whether our military personnel who have had to hump heavy weights on their backs for extended distances on a routine basis saw an increase in calf size from this.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
An interesting and relevant question would be whether our military personnel who have had to hump heavy weights on their backs for extended distances on a routine basis saw an increase in calf size from this.[/quote]
My buddy Mike has some insane calves that he attributes to all the hiking in boots he did while in the service. Whether it was the increased frequency, or load of his gear, one thing is certain… whatever he did constituted a hell of a lot more work than he was doing previously.
S
Like the others are saying, it’s too simple.
Fat people have big calves = Fat people have to walk around with a lot of weight.
It’s a combination of volume, frequency, and heavy weight.
Simple solution for calves, as always, work 'em often, or work 'em GRUELINGLY hard (DC-style.)
I just thought about butchers’ forearms, and realized that most butchers have pretty good forearms; I think it’s from chopping meat 8 hours a day for days on end.
Do you think a good forearm builder would be to chop sides of beef 8 hours a day to simulate chopping beef?
…or should I just work forearms like all those other guys in the gym who have big forearms?
I hoped that once I got really heavy I would get the fat boy calves, it didn’t happen 
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Bill Roberts wrote:
An interesting and relevant question would be whether our military personnel who have had to hump heavy weights on their backs for extended distances on a routine basis saw an increase in calf size from this.
My buddy Mike has some insane calves that he attributes to all the hiking in boots he did while in the service. Whether it was the increased frequency, or load of his gear, one thing is certain… whatever he did constituted a hell of a lot more work than he was doing previously.
S
[/quote]
Thank you!
That certainly helps support the idea that wearing quite considerable weight and going considerable distances has reasonable possibilities for helping calf development in at least some cases.
[quote]sam_sneed wrote:
I just thought about butchers’ forearms, and realized that most butchers have pretty good forearms; I think it’s from chopping meat 8 hours a day for days on end.
Do you think a good forearm builder would be to chop sides of beef 8 hours a day to simulate chopping beef?
…or should I just work forearms like all those other guys in the gym who have big forearms? [/quote]
LOL.
I don’t think too many people here have calves as small as mine were when I was first starting. They’ve grown significantly even though they still need about two inches on them to match everything else.
What helped them grow? Training them damn near every training session as heavy as I can go and increasing my overall bodyweight by a very large degree.
Thank you to those who discussed the prospect. I know that training them in the gym with exercises will work, it has worked for countless bodybuilders past. I was merely asking a question that struck me, and I wondered it’s significance.
I agree that wearing a weight vest around would be tedious, maybe I should go hiking more often.
I picked up hiking and backpacking in 2004, before I seriously started weightlifting. I hiked at least once a week all seasons beside winter. Almost all of my hikes require at least 500 ft elevation gain. My calves were about 16" when I before I discovered hiking and 16" after 4 of years of hiking. Around June 2009 I started doing calve raises. My calves measured 17.5" before I tore my knee up in September. If you want bigger calves, do various forms of calve raises.
[quote]sam_sneed wrote:
I picked up hiking and backpacking in 2004, before I seriously started weightlifting. I hiked at least once a week all seasons beside winter. Almost all of my hikes require at least 500 ft elevation gain. My calves were about 16" when I before I discovered hiking and 16" after 4 of years of hiking. Around June 2009 I started doing calve raises. My calves measured 17.5" before I tore my knee up in September. If you want bigger calves, do various forms of calve raises.[/quote]
I suspect the OP is not in the same position as you of not doing calf raises.
Advice along the lines of “just train calves” probably has no bearing on his case.
On your lack of results from backpacking, there are at least two things that could be considerations:
Your backpack was, quite likely, insufficiently heavy. Recreational backpackers do not tend to carry as much as military personnel may be required to carry.
Individuals undoubtedly vary.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
sam_sneed wrote:
I picked up hiking and backpacking in 2004, before I seriously started weightlifting. I hiked at least once a week all seasons beside winter. Almost all of my hikes require at least 500 ft elevation gain. My calves were about 16" when I before I discovered hiking and 16" after 4 of years of hiking. Around June 2009 I started doing calve raises. My calves measured 17.5" before I tore my knee up in September. If you want bigger calves, do various forms of calve raises.
I suspect the OP is not in the same position as you of not doing calf raises.
Advice along the lines of “just train calves” probably has no bearing on his case.
On your lack of results from backpacking, there are at least two things that could be considerations:
Your backpack was, quite likely, insufficiently heavy. Recreational backpackers do not tend to carry as much as military personnel may be required to carry.
Individuals undoubtedly vary.
[/quote]
Although not as heavy as a military backpack, it was sufficiently heavy to do what was required of it. Carrying the shit I needed. I backpack to backpack, not to work my calves. If I want to work my calves, I’ll do calve raises. The same way that I don’t practice 3 pointers to improve my foul shot. It may help, but I don’t feel its the way to go about things.
This is also true. But regardless of the individual, I think directly working their calves with calve raises is a far better option than hiking your ass off to get bigger calves.
I’m just showing a first hand example of a person who hikes alot who didn’t experience a huge growth in calve size. Maybe 4 years of a heavy back would’ve gotten me 18" calves but I’ll settle for 17.5" after 2-3 months of calve raises.
[quote]sam_sneed wrote:
Although not as heavy as a military backpack, it was sufficiently heavy to do what was required of it. Carrying the shit I needed. I backpack to backpack, not to work my calves. If I want to work my calves, I’ll do calve raises. The same way that I don’t practice 3 pointers to improve my foul shot. It may help, but I don’t feel its the way to go about things.
This is also true. But regardless of the individual, I think directly working their calves with calve raises is a far better option than hiking your ass off to get bigger calves.
I’m just showing a first hand example of a person who hikes alot who didn’t experience a huge growth in calve size. Maybe 4 years of a heavy back would’ve gotten me 18" calves but I’ll settle for 17.5" after 2-3 months of calve raises.
[/quote]
The thing is, not everyone is in your happy position.
For example my calves have years of seriously dedicated training, giving plenty of time and effort to each of very many different approaches, and they are still shit.
There are many out there whose calves have stalled regardless of lots of hard work that is intelligently done.
For such, it’s an interesting matter that you don’t see truly crappy calves on formerly fat people.
My suspicion is that a weight pack approach would require really pretty substantial weight – more than you used. As example guesses for a fairly average-sized guy: for running, say 65 lb; for walking, say 90.
I know someone who has been a comp BB for many years. When he started, he had $hitty calves and was fairly thin all over. Now, the guy is massive. He attributes the growth of his calves to years of heavy, high volume training, proper nutrition, and focused periodization.
His calves still look $hitty and small, but no way in hell would I say that to his face.
