So I’m wondering what’s the best way to get your calves and forearms to grow further?
I’ve only been training them once a week. Should I up the frequency to twice a week, and add more volume per workout?
I am interested in this topic also. I am currently trying out the frequency approach of 100 regular calf raises per day that was advocated on a T nation article. I believe some forum posters use a heavy day and a light day for calves also.
For inspiration: Calves? - Competitive Bodybuilding - Forums - T Nation
For forearms, I suggest buying some fatgripz. They definitely work the hell out of your forearms.
For calves, I have been doing a giant superset and have had good results.
Calf Press 33 reps toes in, 33 toes forward, 33 toes out
Standing calf raise 33 toes in, 33 toes forward, 33 toes out.
1x200 is all you need to make your calves grow. It hurts like hell 
Ok, I’m not someone who you should take seriously with bodybuilding advice, as I’m an amateur and have only been lifting for 2 years. But…
Try buying a pair of minimalist shoes (zero heal lift) and walking 2 to 3 miles five times or so a week. It is good for you and will give you great calf workout. I may have won the calf genetic lottery, but I never work my calves (but I do walk in minimalist shoes) and my calves are over 17" cold. Granted, that isn’t pro body builder, but just adding walking in minimalist shoes to your week my help.
–Me
P.S. To be clear, I’m not talking about not doing calf exercises. I’m simply saying that by adding walking (or even running) in minimalist shoes will definitely help your calves grow by leaps and bounds.
P.P.S. Minimalist shoes (or barefoot if you go that way) are requisite, because you want to capture your weight when walking or running on your midfoot, not your heal, which works the calves.
Barefoot on beach/sand.
I just started 100 reps 6 sec. each barefoot middle of room the balancing is a must slowing go up on toes, hold 2 sec. slowly allmost go down repeat for 10 min.
Each time i do pulldown and rows i put a towell in my hand to make the grip bigger or just holding to stretch we feel thr difference.
I went years with having very poor calves, the only thing that really got them growing was when I starting using the DC calf training protocol.
each rep starts with a 15 count deep stretch (try to keep it around 15 seconds, I don’t always have access to a clock so I taught myself to count at a cadence that equals about 15 seconds)
explode up and contract the calf
slowly lover back into the stretch, nice and controlled.
I always shoot for around 12 reps, I started out with very lite weight to get used to the movement, it’s very brutal especially when the poundages add up. I constantly make small increases in the weight I use.
I only do 1 exercise each workout and I follow the DC training split so I’ll train them once a week for 2 weeks and then twice a week on the third (I use the “3 way DC split”).
once in awhile I’ll throw in partials at the end of the movement to failure and I always do a 60 second pre movement stretch on a step or something, get as deep a stretch as you can and hold it with just bodyweight for 60 seconds.
it’s brutal.
I second the minimalist shoes and high frequency recommendations. Wearing minimalist shoes all day does make a noticeable difference. I’m doing high frequency, high rep calf raises (every day 100 single leg calf raises with bodyweight only) and it is working pretty well so far.
[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
For forearms, I suggest buying some fatgripz. They definitely work the hell out of your forearms.
For calves, I have been doing a giant superset and have had good results.
Calf Press 33 reps toes in, 33 toes forward, 33 toes out
Standing calf raise 33 toes in, 33 toes forward, 33 toes out.
1x200 is all you need to make your calves grow. It hurts like hell :D[/quote]
I will definitely need to try out the fatgripz, seem’s like i’ve been told a few times the last couple days that my forearms suck, lol, and i’m actually realizing they really do.
I’ve been doing something similar to your calf routine, I just do it all on a leg press. I only do 100 reps but I do it every single workout. Calves grew like crazy in the last 6 months.
I find it wierd having to to calf raises on a leg press machine; it feels unnatural to me, and I also have a tendency to lock and unlock my knees as the weight goes up and down.
[quote]Sepulnation wrote:
I find it wierd having to to calf raises on a leg press machine; it feels unnatural to me, and I also have a tendency to lock and unlock my knees as the weight goes up and down. [/quote]
Yeah, I have never had success with that either. I stick with what I feel the best.
Re Fat Gripz: As a long lanky ecto, forearms have never come easy for me, so I got Fat Gripz a couple of years ago and gave them a try. I quickly developed the worst case of forearm tendinitis I’ve ever had–took ~4 months to clear up. Some people have great success with them, but I wasn’t one of them.
[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
Re Fat Gripz: As a long lanky ecto, forearms have never come easy for me, so I got Fat Gripz a couple of years ago and gave them a try. I quickly developed the worst case of forearm tendinitis I’ve ever had–took ~4 months to clear up. Some people have great success with them, but I wasn’t one of them.[/quote]
I first had Tyler Grips. Those are the grips that are cone shaped. These gave me forearm tendinitis. I use Fat Grips now and have not had any tendinitis. I assume something to do with the cone shape of the Tylers gave me the tendinitis.
I’ve never focused much on forearms but I do notice a difference in size and vascularity when I ditch the straps for a few weeks.
[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
For inspiration: Calves? - Competitive Bodybuilding - Forums - T Nation
I hate you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I was doing legs on Saturday and I remembered where you wrote that you worked calves without shoes on. I figured I’d give it a go and now 3 days later I still can’t stand. If I get an accidental stretch in my calves, well, do you want to see a 250 pound man cry.
[quote]DaBeard wrote:
[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
For inspiration: Calves? - Competitive Bodybuilding - Forums - T Nation
I hate you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I was doing legs on Saturday and I remembered where you wrote that you worked calves without shoes on. I figured I’d give it a go and now 3 days later I still can’t stand. If I get an accidental stretch in my calves, well, do you want to see a 250 pound man cry. [/quote]
LOL! Sorry Beard! I forgot about the disclaimer/warning.
[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
Re Fat Gripz: As a long lanky ecto, forearms have never come easy for me, so I got Fat Gripz a couple of years ago and gave them a try. I quickly developed the worst case of forearm tendinitis I’ve ever had–took ~4 months to clear up. Some people have great success with them, but I wasn’t one of them.[/quote]
Well shit, that really sucks! I just used them today for the first time (they came in the mail yesterday) and I’m actually using them try and help strengthen my forearm because I’ve got a case of golfer’s elbow. My forearms were definitely fried and really pumped by the end of my workout and din’t feel bad at all.
I’m wondering though, has anyone successfully used them to help rehab elbow/forearm tendonitis injuries like tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow?
[quote]jldume wrote:
[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
Re Fat Gripz: As a long lanky ecto, forearms have never come easy for me, so I got Fat Gripz a couple of years ago and gave them a try. I quickly developed the worst case of forearm tendinitis I’ve ever had–took ~4 months to clear up. Some people have great success with them, but I wasn’t one of them.[/quote]
Well shit, that really sucks! I just used them today for the first time (they came in the mail yesterday) and I’m actually using them try and help strengthen my forearm because I’ve got a case of golfer’s elbow. My forearms were definitely fried and really pumped by the end of my workout and din’t feel bad at all.
I’m wondering though, has anyone successfully used them to help rehab elbow/forearm tendonitis injuries like tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow?[/quote]
I am pretty sure 2 posters wrote about improving tendonitis on this thread
I am not sure about the rehab with fat grips, but I use them successfully during arms day(1x a week). I feel like if I used them everyday could result in tendonitis, since my forearms are tender after arms day. I had tendonitis after training with captain of crush grippers so I am a bit careful.
Maybe I will use them more frequently in the future, but I am doing OL and dl etc so they get strained by that. I’ve noticed that my grip strength has increased from using fat grips, also size of forearms(from 1x a week use).
rehab wise it’s best to listen to your body imo. If it feels painful/getting worse dont do it.
[quote]jldume wrote:
I’m wondering though, has anyone successfully used them to help rehab elbow/forearm tendonitis injuries like tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow?[/quote]
Yeah me too. I suffer from bouts of this and was considering fat grips. Not prepared to waste the $$ on them if they make it worse though.