Yes yes! you gorgeous godesses with the beautiful bodies ...im the one with the stubborn calves. C mon girls, if i dont get any advice from a pro anytime soon, ill be a lost cause. So my question to you is, a girl like me, born with the bane of puny calves, is there hope for the likes of me. If i train at home, is there a routine that will actually show results, break the plateau? Darlings show a sister you care ?

have a look here: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=28729

Dipping belt and sufficient weight required. Ankle weights aren't heavy enough to build up calves. High rep, slow and controlled, full range of motion and heavy. Work the inside and outer heads by alternating the direction your feet point. Pointing out to the sides will work the inside and towards each other will work the outer sides.

Or....if you have dumbells at home, do single-leg calf raises.

Hold the dumbell in your right hand if you are doing the right leg etc.

Do them on the edge of a stair or piece of wood so you get good ROM.

When you raise up, hold it there for a second or two and do a double-dip before you lower it down. The double-dip only needs to come down an inch.

If you're doing 1 set only, try to work up to at least 15 to 20.

Or do multiple sets of 10 (2), increasing the weight on the second set.

When you get real good, do 3 or 4 sets of 8 (per leg).

Give yourself at least 48 hours between workouts for recovery.

Don't bounce up and down . Do them in a controlled slower motion.

Thanx guys. Getting a dipping belt will not be possible, but the advice on the direction of the toes is really helpful, i had no idea! So you think i should stop wearing ankle weights, what precisely are they toning. I think for the most part i feel a pull on my hamstring.

Dumbells will probably work great at home. Thanx Mr. heavy metal!!Some questions, what weight dumbells should i start with... and if i get a piece of wood cut out, what height should it be (3 inches?)

Ill keep you ppl posted on my progress.. by the way im surprised the only two respondents to my post are male

So this exercise is probably training my Gastrocnemius muscle, but what about the Soleus. Guys, im so happy i have something to work with! Toodaloo :)

The weights do increase the resistance on your calves, but not sufficiently enough to force them to grow. Plus the calves come in when you tip toe up and down, and grow better when you do it from the highest to lowest points, which you don't really do when walking.

Instead of a dip belt you could prob try a backpack and hang it on your back or wear it on your front ? ...

Regarding the direction of the toes, don't point your feet too far to the side or inwards, making a V or a inverse V is enough.

Standing raises primarily work the gastrocnemius but also involves the soleus but not all that much. For those you need to do seated raises. Again heavy, full range of motion, slowly extend your feet down, maintain at its highest point and slowly bring back all the way down.

What weight dumbell to use?

Start with whatever it takes to get you to 20 reps per leg.

This might be no DB's at all to start with.

You should be at or near failure on the last rep.

What works for me is a piece of 4x4 about 16 inches long.

Nail a piece of 10-inch long 2x4 underneath each end so the whole thing is an "H" shape.

You could go as high as capable in Dumbell weight.

But you'd be surprised how fast you can get a "burn" on for calf ex's.:D

Hey ! thanks for the input... so this is what i did, the one leg calf raise on the edge of a stair (w double dip) with 4 lbs!, 20 reps each.. Ok stop laughing ... im thinking thats probably too less ... esp. with all this talk about heavy heavy weights... plus my calves dont feel sore.

And im thinking i should probably get that wood cut out !! :) Do i need a break bw workouts or can i do my legs everyday.

One thing I forgot to say is ...... If you are doing a single-leg calf raise with a DB in one hand on a block of wood or stairs etc., it is o.k. to support yourself against the wall or whatever with the other hand.

Otherewise you'll have a heck of a time maintaining your balance.

Hey ! thanks for the input... so this is what i did, the one leg calf raise on the edge of a stair (w double dip) with 4 lbs!, 20 reps each.. Ok stop laughing ... im thinking thats probably too less ... esp. with all this talk about heavy heavy weights... plus my calves dont feel sore.

And im thinking i should probably get that wood cut out !! :) Do i need a break bw workouts or can i do my legs everyday.


yea, 4 lbs won't be enough... think about this... you're calves are at the lowest point (other than your feet) on your body and support all of your weight all the time... so they can take a lot more than 4 lbs when you're working them out... try a 10 lb weight next time and see how it feels, if that's not enough go up to 15 lbs... just experiment... you'll know you've found a good weight when the 20th rep is soooooo hard you're not sure you can finish it... THEN you'll be at the weight you need ;) when you hit failure (what I just described) you'll know it, you'll feel an intense burn in the muscle... that's what you want... walk it off and then do the other calf at the same weight :tucool:

and no... don't work your legs every day, if you work them properly they will need the same amount of rest that any other body part needs... around 48 hours rest (two days) is a good rule of thumb :tu:

yea, 4 lbs won't be enough... think about this... you're calves are at the lowest point (other than your feet) on your body and support all of your weight all the time... so they can take a lot more than 4 lbs when you're working them out... try a 10 lb weight next time and see how it feels, if that's not enough go up to 15 lbs... just experiment...

Thank you Hevy Metal and Chameleon, i was just beginning to get demotivated about my calves again! The only thing with going higher is that it starts to put a lot of pressure on my joints , my knee e.g or my ankle.. and i have had some joint trouble. is it safe to use heavier weights.

Thank you Hevy Metal and Chameleon, i was just beginning to get demotivated about my calves again! The only thing with going higher is that it starts to put a lot of pressure on my joints , my knee e.g or my ankle.. and i have had some joint trouble. is it safe to use heavier weights.


keep your knee 'soft' don't bend it exactly but don't lock the joint out either, during the excercise your knee shouldn't move or be effected at all by the movement... your ankle on the other hand is probably sore because you don't normally work that joint much unless you wear heals a lot... it's most likely just muscle soreness... but if it's actual pain you might want to see a doctor and make sure everything is okay in your ankle(s)... have you ever had any ankle injuries? sprains?

if it's just muscle soreness it will start to go away after a few weeks of heavier weight training as your ankles get stronger... just make sure you don't have any real 'pain' and you'll be fine ;)

and you'll know if it's pain opposed to muscle soreness... muscle soreness is most easily discribed as a dull ache (or sometimes not so dull :p ), sharp stabing pains are what you need to keep an eye out for and signal a possible injury ;)

thanks darling,
ill let you know when i injure something :)