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without expressed written, dated and signed permission from the author. All copyrights are
reserved.
Disclaimer and legal notices
The information provided in this book is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor and this
is not meant to be taken as medical advice. The information provided in this eBook is based on
my experience and my interpretation of current studies available on training and nutrition.
The advice and tips provided in this eBook are primarily for healthy individuals. You should
consult your physician before applying any of the tips provided here and ensure they suit your
current physical health and individual state.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………...4
CALVES ANATOMY …………………………………………………………………………..5
MECHANICAL ROLE OF CALVES MUSCLES …………………………………………....6
MUSCLE FIBERS DISTRIBUTION ………………………………………………………….7
CALVES ACTIVATION AND EXERCISE SELECTION …………………………………...9
HOW TO TRAIN CALVES …………………………………………………………………..14
KRYPTONIAN CALVES TRAINING PROTOCOL …………………………………………18
FINAL WORDS ……………………………………………………………………………....29
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INTRODUCTION
I’d lie if I would say I haven’t suffered my fair share of “chicken legs” and “no calves” comments
and the whole reason this guide came to existence is a simple fact that at one point I just got
tired of it.
We all heard “calves are all genetics” and “training them is pointless” claims and I’m here to tell
you that they’re all plain bullshit.
Yes! Calves due to their evolutionary role and a few other factors which we’ll cover in this guide
might be a bit more “hypertrophy resistant” but at the end of the day they’re muscle just like any
other and that means they have a certain growth potential.
You can’t change your muscle belly shape or insertion length but you can add a certain amount
of muscle between insertion and origin point. If your calves have high insertions well sorry I
can’t change that but I can show you how to maximize their genetic growth potential.
That is exactly what I’ll share with you in this guide. Whatever is your training background,
experience or no matter how bad your genetics is I guarantee you there’s a way to make those
stubborn twigs grow.
This guide gives you what, how and why to increase your calves training efficiency and
maximize your overall calves development!
4
CALVES ANATOMY
Before you’re able to properly stimulate the muscle it’s important that you first understand basic
anatomy and mechanical action of that muscle.
Calf musculature consists of gastrocnemius (lateral and medial head), soleus and less known
and overlooked tibialis anterior which covers the front of the lower leg.
Lateral head of gastrocnemius originates from the lateral condyle of the femur.
Medial head of gastrocnemius originates from the medial condyle of the femur.
Soleus originates at the medial border of tibia.
Both heads of gastrocnemius and soleus muscle share the common insertion point at mid
posterior achilles tendon (tendo calcaneus).
Tibialis anterior originates at the lateral surface of the tibia and adjacent interosseous
membrane. TIbialis inserts into medial cuneiform and first metatarsal bones of the foot.
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MECHANICAL ROLE OF CALVES MUSCLES
Both gastrocnemius and soleus perform plantar flexion of the foot but gastrocnemius also
assists during knee flexion.
Tibialis anterior performs dorsiflexion (foot extension) and foot inversion.
Considering majority of the calf size and visual development comes from the “back of the leg”
majority of the talk in this ebook will revolve around gastrocnemius and soleus but in order to
maximize overall development we’ll also give some attention to commonly overlooked tibialis
anterior which will add overall density and size to your lower leg.
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MUSCLE FIBERS DISTRIBUTION
There’s a common belief in lifting circles that calves are hard to grow and largely dependant on
genetics which I gotta admit isn’t entirely untrue.
The question is what really makes calves so “stubborn” when it comes to growth response?
Virtually all the studies that were observing calves activation (primarily EMG analysis) and
growth response found that resistance training indeed triggers muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
in calves but a few recent studies which were comparing post workout MPS response between
muscle groups perhaps finally found an answer to the "forbidden question".
One particular study found that post-workout MPS levels in soleus muscle are only 35%
compared to bigger muscles such as quadriceps or pectoralis where post-workout MPS levels
were 100%.
Although study wasn't exactly clear on post-workout MPS levels in gastrocnemius, considering
muscle fibers distribution chances are that MPS would still fall short of that one in bigger more
fast-twitch dominant muscles.
The reason why soleus muscle has relatively low levels of post-workout MPS is most likely
because it mostly consists of slow-twitch fibers which have both limited growth capacity and
poor response to resistance training compared to fast-twitch fibers.
Based on multiple research soleus consists roughly of 80-95% of type 1 (slow twitch fibers).
On the other hand the reason why gastrocnemius has limited growth potential isn't necessarily
muscle fibers distribution (60-75% of muscle fibers are type 1 in gastrocnemius on average) but
rather simple evolutionary adaptation.
Gastrocnemius acts as a stabilization support to achilles tendon during any kind of movement
(walking, running, jumping...) and this means it already performs high volume on a daily basis.
This could just indicate that calves need extremely high training volume and frequency to
maximize MPS response and there’s plenty of real world evidence to confirm that but we’ll cover
that in detail a bit later.
Another issue could be the fact that calves have the lowest distribution of androgen receptors
out of all muscle groups which would basically mean that they have lower response to hormonal
fluctuations (specifically testosterone action) but that’s still quite debatable.
It seems even studies hold some evidence that calves have a poor growth response compared
to other muscle groups but that absolutely doesn’t mean they can’t grow. It just means you’ll
have to put in more time and effort.
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So what can we conclude based on calves muscle fibers distribution?
Slow twitch muscle fibers are known to react better to higher reps and metabolic stress type of
work but we can’t ignore the fact that gastrocnemius still has a decent amount of fast-twitch
fibers which have greater growth potential by default.
After working with so many clients I can honestly say that training calves in multiple rep ranges
is by far the best way to maximize their growth response.
When it comes to gastrocnemius in my experience the combination of moderate and high reps
works the best. From 8 reps all the way up to 20+ (even as high as 50+ if necessary).
Doing less than 8 reps is redundant because chances are you won’t be able to control the
contraction through full range of motion, you can easily maximize hypertrophy response in
8-12+ rep range(s) anyway and let’s face it; no one really cares how much you can lift on calf
raises.
Instead using the weight you can control through full range of motion and really squeeze the hell
out of your calves makes more sense.
On the other hand soleus is slow-twitch dominant to the point where doing anything less than 15
reps doesn’t make sense. I would definitely reserve higher rep ranges (15-20+) for maximizing
soleus stimulus.
What about tibialis anterior (TA)?
Research on tibialis anterior muscle fibers distribution in humans is lacking to say the least. We
have some studies performed on rats and rabbits and even they’re not perfectly clear or
conclusive.
This time I’ll rely entirely on my personal experience which is telling me that irrelevant of TA
muscle fibers distribution, in most cases it responds really well to higher reps (15-20+) primarily
due to its evolutionary role. Tibialis performs dorsiflexion, foot inversion and it acts as a
mechanical antagonist to gastrocnemius and soleus which basically means it works all the time
and it can withstand extreme amounts of volume and frequency at a lower intensity.
That’s exactly what’s happening in real life when we’re walking, running, jumping.., my logic’s
telling me that in humans TA could be slow-twitch dominant but even if it isn’t anecdotal
evidence indicates that it responds the best to higher reps.
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CALVES ACTIVATION AND EXERCISE SELECTION
We already established that even from a scientific standpoint calves are stubborn when it comes
to growth response, well at least more stubborn than most muscle groups and if you’re not one
of those genetically gifted pri*cks you’ll have to “dig deep” to force those disobentied pups into
growth.
So what does EMG analysis tell us about calves activation and exercise selection?!
What if I tell you that the highest ever measured calves activation occurred during the unracking
of the barbell prior to heavy squat?!
Yeah that actually happened but the main reason is rather obvious evolutionary role. Calves are
actually acting as a stabilization support to achilles tendon so in order to protect the ankle joints
and stabilize the whole body calves muscle fibers will fire up during any activity which
compromises “structural stability” (ex. Walking out of the rack with the barbell loaded with
weight).
Does that mean heavy squatting will build big calves? Not by a long shot!
In this specific example calves activation is a byproduct of heavy load compromising the
structural stability and balance but we’re talking about virtually neglectable range of motion and
in order to maximize hypertrophy response you need dynamic contraction through full active
range of motion and in case of calves you absolutely need stretch at the bottom which is
non-existent in the previous example.
If you want to grow your calves you’ll absolutely need direct calves work! If you got
visually developed calves just from walking, running and heavy squatting well go and hug your
parents because most of us aren’t so lucky. Let’s face it though! You wouldn’t be reading this
guide if that was the case.
When it comes to actual calves exercises EMG results aren’t exactly convincing on which
variation is the clear winner in terms of mean and peak activation but if we’re still gonna
consider those results somewhat reliable then donkey calf raises came out on top.
Keep in mind that there are so many factors going into EMG results such as overloading
capacity of each individual exercise, anatomical structure of the tested individual, technique that
individual used etc.
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Standing vs seated calf raise
One thing that is clear based on those EMG results and that’s that straight leg variations have
significantly higher overall calves activation compared to seated variations but the reason is
primarily the fact that during seated variations gastrocnemius (outer portion of the calf muscle
group) is at a mechanical disadvantage and soleus becomes primary mover. The issue with that
is that you can’t really attach electrodes to the soleus since it’s placed underneath the
gastrocnemius so overall activation on the surface might seem like it’s lower.
That’s actually exactly the reason why you should utilize a combination of both standing and
seated calf raise variations. Gastrocnemius with its placement, larger cross-sectional area and
more fast-twitch fibers will take over a large portion of the resistance during standing variations
which may leave soleus understimulated.
Using seated calf raise variations will ensure that you optimally stimulate soleus too
which although not visible, when developed can play a major role in overall calf size as
it’s going to push gastrocnemius more out and make it more pronounced.
Foot position vs calves activation
There’s a mainstream claim in lifting circles that changing the toe position/angle can put more
emphasis on different portions of the calves muscle. Some people swear that pointing their toes
out during calf raises puts more emphasis on inner part of gastrocnemius (medial head) and
pointing their toes inwards transfers more resistance to the outer portion of the calves (lateral
head) and this might even seem logical until we tap into simple biomechanics.
The thing is; in order for muscle to be affected by nearby joint rotation it needs to perform that
function itself. The issue?! Gastrocnemius has nothing to do with internal or external foot
rotation which blows the whole theory out of the water.
If this isn’t enough then maybe a fact that there have been multiple studies observing how foot
angle/rotation affects calves activation and not a single one of them found a significant
difference in activation of individual gastrocnemius muscle heads.
No! Toes angle doesn’t affect calves activation.
That means that instead of complicating something that doesn’t make any difference anyway
you should opt in for either neutral feet position or simply experiment to find which toe angle/feet
position allows you to get the best contraction in calves as a whole and at the same time feels
most comfortable for producing maximal force.
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One thing I can tell you for sure though! Going with excessive internal or external foot rotation
will definitely limit the overloading capacity of the movement (yeah progressive overload matters
even for calves) and it might even lead to ankle issues if you’re abusing the same angle all the
time.
From a biomechanical standpoint neutral foot position makes the most sense but once again
trial&error process will lead you to the most optimal feet placement for your own unique
anatomical structure.
Why bottom portion of the calf raise is crucial
Most people are too eager to blame their genetics for their lack of calves development but after
making significant progress myself and working with a bunch of clients I can tell you with 100%
certainty that most people just think they train calves. What I mean by that is the fact that most
people just go through the motion without even stimulating calves properly.
A few bouncy, half-assed sets of calf raises at the end of the training session one or two times
per week simply won’t cut it. If you want to force those stubborn twigs into growth you’ll have to
turn calves training into a “full time job”. Don’t worry I don’t mean you’ll have to train them 8
hours every day but you’ll have to approach calves training with a structure, attention to detail
and bulletproof consistency.
You don’t like that? Well there’s nothing wrong with having small calves. You can always use
your genetics as an excuse when teenage girls start laughing while you’re crossing the street in
shorts showing off your toothpicks. We don’t judge!
Back to the matter at hand! One thing which is of utmost importance when it comes to
maximizing calves growth response is execution on those calf raises.
In particular there's research showing that calves can produce the highest amount of force in the
bottom portion of the movement when they’re stretched (due to the fact that this puts achilles
tendon at a mechanical disadvantage). This means that you can also activate the highest
amount of high threshold motor units therefore muscle fibers in that portion of ROM. This is
essential for maximizing hypertrophy response.
I’ve noticed that most people don’t even go through this portion of the ROM. Some of them by
choice and some of them because they’re performing calf raises on the floor so their heels can’t
go lower. This is a major mistake because you’re basically leaving a tons of growth stimulus on
the table.
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I don’t care where you’re training or what equipment you have available but you can always find
something elevated off the ground to put your calves through full active range of motion. A
stairs, a stepper, a box, a few weight plates, ladders… whatever just find something which will
place your feet above the ground and allow your heels to sink below that level.
Even if we didn’t have that scientific data there’s plenty of evidence that putting muscle under
stretch while resisting an external load is crucial for maximizing mTor activation (initiator for
muscle protein synthesis on cellular level). That’s something I like to call “stretched contraction”
and in my experience this mechanism is crucial for maximizing growth response in most muscle
groups.
Great thing about it is that this doesn’t require anything special except tactical exercise selection
which will allow you to put the targeted muscle through full active range of motion.
In case of calves it literally just requires a slight elevation off the ground so your heels can go
below horizontal.
How to eliminate the “stretch reflex” to increase calves activation
One thing that can make a major difference on how well you’re able to engage and stimulate
your calves with conventional calf raise exercises is preventing achilles tendon “stretch reflex”
from taking over the movement.
Achilles tendon is designed to protect your ankle joint by absorbing the impact during the
“landing” portion of virtually any activity which includes ankle joint movement such as walking,
running and especially jumping.
The issue is that AT “stretch reflex” can handle more force than calves muscles can produce
(gastrocnemius and especially soleus) but there’s a simple way to prevent it from taking over.
Here is what you should do while performing calf raises:
●
●
●
●
Perform BOTH concentric and eccentric (negative) portions of the movement slowly and
with control through full ROM.
Pause at the bottom (2-4 seconds)
Pause in the middle (YES! This is crucial to minimize any chance of momentum)
Pause at the top (2-4 seconds)
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This might sound simple on paper but I can guarantee you that this can entirely change the
intensity of those calf raises and not just because you’ll prevent “stretch reflex” from taking over
but also because it’ll drastically increase overall time under tension and increase localized
metabolic stress. “Two hypertrophy birds with one stone.”
This isn’t just something you should use on only a few selected sets or exercises. This is
something you can and should apply to all your calf raise variations.
Why you should train your tibialis
This muscle is not just an afterthought for most lifters but most lifters don’t even know it exists or
at least that it can be trained and unfortunately that’s one of the main reasons why those shins
always lack visual “density”.
Would you train your biceps without training triceps or vice versa? Didn’t think so!
Well from a structural standpoint that’s kinda what you’re doing when you’re neglecting your
tibialis. Tibialis is a mechanical antagonist to gastrocnemius and soleus and as such its
development is essential for balanced weight distribution and force production throughout the
whole lower body.
Biomechanically speaking tibialis actually performs greater range of motions than gastrocs and
soleus combined which makes it largely responsible for ankle health. Underdeveloped tibialis is
one of the main causes for most ankle issues and even overuse injuries (micro tear
accumulation) such as shin splints.
Yeah it’s safe to say tibialis plays an important structural role.
It’s not just a matter of a structural balance though but if we’re talking about a visual standpoint
developed tibialis adds to the visual thickness of the frontal part of the lower leg and by default
adds to overall circumference of your calves.
Every time I would introduce direct tibialis work to my calves routine I’d add 1-2cm to my calves
circumference in a matter of a few weeks and every time I’d stop training it I’d lose those half
inches relatively fast. I noticed the same pattern with my clients.
Obviously that’s up to you but if you want to maximize your overall lower leg development and
potentially solve some of the ankle issues and structural imbalances in the process I strongly
recommend you give some love to the front part of your shin.
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HOW TO TRAIN CALVES
Obviously this will largely depend on your genetic response and individual needs but I’ll use a
bit of scientific evidence and my own experience to give you some guidelines related to training
variables and how to manipulate the same to maximize calves growth response.
Calves training frequency
You’re using your calves when walking, running, jumping, lifting, climbing.., they’re getting
“abused” virtually all day without you being aware of it. Now let me ask you something!
Do you honestly expect them to grow if you’re training them only once or twice a week with a
few half-assed sets of calf raises?!
It’s not that you wouldn’t make any progress with low(er) frequency but the way most people
train their calves in this fashion is basically throwing in a few sets of calf raises at the end of the
training sessions after they’re already exhausted and their mind went home a long time ago.
Sorry but this simply won’t cut it. If anything you’ll have to pay more attention to detail and put in
even more effort and consistency to grow those calves considering their “stubborn nature”.
Even scientific evidence supports the thesis that calves respond to high(er) frequency better
than most muscles and considering their evolutionary role it makes perfect sense.
Scientific evidence indicates that training calves directly 3x per week would be optimal for most
but in all honesty there’s quite a bit of flaws within the methodological setup of those studies and
there’s a lot of room for additional research with slightly more control over the subjects.
Obviously 3x per week sounds optimal considering the natural muscle protein synthesis curve
which peaks at roughly 24h after training the muscle and declines back to the baseline
approximately 48h after. That’s one of the main physiological benefits of increased training
frequency.
Personally I found something slightly different to work even better and that’s even higher training
frequency for calves. Every time I made significant progress in terms of calves growth I would
train my calves virtually every day or at least 6x per week and while obviously this doesn’t
necessarily mean this is an ideal approach for everyone, my clients results are once again
supporting my theory.
Every time I noticed my clients calves are lagging I would intentionally increase frequency and
distribute training volume across the week and their calves would “magically” grow.
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This is one of the rare examples where individual response and recovery capacity wouldn’t play
a significant role because calves have an amazing “adaptive capability”. If you increase
frequency they might get sore at first but they’re going to adapt to it ridiculously fast. It’s actually
one of the reasons why increasing frequency makes sense. Hypertrophy is forced adaptation so
if you want to make those calves grow you’ll have to “force them to”.
Yeah 3x per week might seem as frequent enough from a physiological standpoint but practice
shows us something else entirely.
Have you ever noticed calves development on dancers and soccer players? What’s in common
to those athletes? Their sport is utilizing a lot of explosive movements which are forcing them to
go all the way up on their toes while running, dancing, changing movement direction but what’s
even more prominent is the frequency at which they’re doing so. Yeah virtually every day!
The fact that they don’t train their calves in a conventional “hypertrophy specific” manner and
don’t bring sets to contractile failure just confirms how powerful frequency is when it comes to
calves' growth response.
You can obviously stick with “scientific” guidelines but if your calves are lagging (I mean that’s
probably why you’re reading this guide) I would advise you train your calves 5-7x per week.
Of course if you’re going to train your calves with this kind of frequency you’ll have to adjust the
volume. Basically you’ll have to decrease volume per individual session.
With this kind of frequency all you’re going to need is one exercise per day performed for 2-4
sets but the main benefit of this approach is that it won’t take too much time and it’ll allow you to
fully focus on the task at hand. You’ll be able to really focus on the connection with those calves'
muscle fibers during the sets and this can literally make all the difference on your results.
Calves training intensity
In “muscle fibers distribution” chapter I explained how both gastrocnemius and soleus are
slow-twitch fibers dominant but I also explained why that doesn’t mean you should train your
calves only in higher rep ranges.
Gastrocs still have a decent amount of fast-twitch fibers with significantly greater growth
potential but another reason why you should train calves in low(er) and moderate rep ranges is
to maximize the growth response through mechanical tension as primary growth trigger.
15
Let’s face it, calves are already doing a plenty of “high repetition” work throughout the day and
although those activities are not part of a structured training protocol and taken to contractile
failure, change in type of stimulus makes perfect sense if you want to “shock” your calves into
growth.
I’d still take muscle fibers distribution into consideration when selecting a rep range for individual
exercises.
I would advise training gastrocs (standing/straight leg calf raise variations) in virtually all rep
ranges because they make the visible and the biggest portion of the calves which makes them
most important and you wanna “show them love” through all mechanical hypertrophy triggers:
6-8
8-12
12-15
15-20+
Don’t hesitate to go even as high as 50+ reps.
When it comes to soleus (seated/knee flexed calf raise variations) I’d stick with somewhat
higher reps because frankly they’re the most slow-twitch dominant in the body. I’m talking about
15-20+ reps.
Same goes for tibialis. Although scientific evidence is lacking to say the least my experience is
telling me that tibialis responds well to higher reps and metabolic stress type of work. Once
again I’m talking about 15-20+ reps and going even higher from time to time is not a bad option
to really maximize localized metabolic stress.
Calves are one of rare muscle groups where I’d advise using intensity techniques and fancy
methods right from the start irrelevant of whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned lifter. The
reason is a simple fact that calves aren’t exactly a powerhouse among muscles which requires
a solid strength base and they’re already doing so much work throughout the day that anything
that will put more “anabolic stress” on them is welcome.
I’m not just talking about classic drop sets.., I’m talking about partial reps, density method,
iso-tension methods but we’ll dive into details in the next chapter.
The point is that you’ll need every trick in the book to make those stubborn pups grow and I’m
gonna show you exactly how.
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Calves training volume
People conducting research on the muscle growth response like generalizing things and
although this is not a time and place I have a major problem with that. That problem is called
“individual factor”.
Just to give you a sense of what I’m talking about, for example there’s a research which based
on a small group of tested subjects and their results concluded that “the best” approach for
growing calves is “training calves 3x per week and doing 70 reps per session”.
Seriously? That is optimal for everyone?!
What about individual variations in muscle fibers distribution, experience of the lifter, individual
recovery capacity or what about all the other scientific and anecdotal evidence with significantly
different outcomes or results?!
My point is that training volume is one of those training variables everyone is trying to generalize
but in reality “volume requirement” can significantly vary from individual to individual.
When it comes to calves I’d rather rely on my own experience and observation than available
scientific evidence alone. Obviously you don’t have to take my word for it but after delivering
results to so many clients I can confidently stand behind my claims.
Personally I got the best results in the calves department when I would do 21-28 working sets
per week distributed across 5-7 weekly sessions. I don’t even believe “volume range” matters as
much as the frequency in this case.
Yeah it sounds like a lot but I wouldn’t even mention this number if the same thing didn’t work for
a bunch of my clients. In reality this number isn’t all that high when you consider that this is only
3-4 sets per training day and trust me that’s all you need to maximize MPS response if you
really put your mind into those sets and make those calves beg for mercy.
If you never trained calves before chances are you won’t need that much but I’d still advise you
rely on high frequency to maximize growth response. Most people will be able to achieve the
necessary intensity with only 2-3 sets per day and maybe 15-20 sets in total on a weekly basis.
Obviously trial&error is the only way to find out exactly what’s “the ideal” volume range for you
but you should keep in mind that sometimes you’ll have to switch things up to because as
already mentioned calves are masters of adaptation.
Yeah there are definitely cases where training calves only 2 or 3 times per week will be enough
(talking mostly about those lucky pr*cks with above average MSC responsiveness) and in that
case going with more volume and exercises per individual session makes sense.
17
KRYPTONIAN CALVES TRAINING PROTOCOL
If you read any of my other ebooks, particularly from the “muscle guide” series then you know
that before I jump to “specialization protocol” details I like to tap into a bit more conventional
approach and discuss how to adjust training variables to optimize the stimulus for the specific
muscle group as a part of a balanced training program.
This time I won’t do that and the reason is simple!
If you want to maximize calves growth response you’ll have to think outside of the box and “get
fancy” right from the start. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or an advanced lifter you’ll
benefit the most from “a bit more aggressive” approach and the truth is that calves training
simply won’t interfere with the general performance or recovery.
All the methods and specialization routines which follow can and should be performed as a part
of the regular training program.
There’s no reason to decrease volume, intensity or frequency for other muscle groups (unless
you have some other specific reason for it) while emphasizing calves because they’re covering
a small cross-sectional area and calves training has a non-existent impact on the Central
Nervous System. Your calves are already working pretty much all the time so they’re well
equipped to handle a lot of volume and I guarantee you they’ll adapt to it fairly fast.
In order to really force those stubborn twigs into growth you should utilize the combination of
straight sets with emphasis on good ol’ progressive overload, fancy intensity methods and
occasional supersets to tap into maximal number of muscle fibers and maximize localized
metabolic stress.
Yes! You should absolutely apply progressive overload to your calves training when and where
you can. Progressive overload is a primary tool for gradual increase in total training volume and
it should be applied to virtually all muscle groups.
Without increase in volume over time your muscle won’t have the reason to adapt and this
includes calves too. I know nobody cares how much you can lift with your calves but it’s means
to an end. Get those calves stronger and you’ll increase your long term overloading potential
which is directly linked to growth stimulus.
18
Progression model
Also it’s important that you aim for a progressive overload on a weekly basis if possible.
You should use a regular “double progression model” where you’re adding weight the
subsequent week when you hit the upper number of the rep range on all working sets. If you
don’t manage to hit the upper number of the rep range on all sets then you should use the same
weight next week and aim to increase number of reps (with the purpose of reaching upper
number of the rep range on all sets)
Ex.
Standing calf raises 3 sets of 12-15
Week 1: 20kg for 15, 14, 13 (obviously these sets supposed to be pushed to failure)
Week 2: 20kg for 15, 15, 14
Week 3: 20kg for 15, 15, 15 (you’ve hit upper number of the rep range on all sets which means
you’re adding weight next week)
Week 4: 22.5kg 14, 13, 12
…
Pretty straightforward and basic progression model which works really well through non-linear
volume increase.
Aim to add 2.5kg (or even less if you got fractional plates)
I’m feeling generous so I’ll give you 3 different “calf emphasis” protocols. Based on the
description it’s up to you to decide which one makes the most sense in your current training
program, fits your schedule and which one can you stick with in the long term.
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3x per week calves routine
Although I’m still leaning toward higher frequency for calves, a 3x per week routine can be just
as efficient if structured properly. The trick is in utilizing a bit higher volume per individual
session to really target those calves from all angles and increase the recovery demand so you
actually benefit from those rest days in between.
Calves training schedule example:
MONDAY: Calves day 1
TUESDAY: Off
WEDNESDAY: Calves day 2
THURSDAY: Off
FRIDAY: Calves day 3
SATURDAY: Off
SUNDAY: Off
Just a reminder that this routine should be performed on top of a regular training program which
covers the whole body. Yes calves won’t affect your general recovery but you should also keep
in mind that muscle growth is a systematic process and the body will allow only for a certain
amount of structural asymmetry. Calves are covering a very small cross-sectional area and as
such training them alone won’t trigger a significant anabolic response. Your calves growth will
also depend on your whole body progress so keep that in mind.
This is applied to every specialization protocol in this guide!
CALVES day 1 (heavy day)
A1. Standing calf raises (calf machine)
3 sets of 8-12
B1. Seated calf raises (smith machine can be used or dumbbell on top of knees)
3 sets of 12-15
C1. Tibialis raises (cable or resistance band around toes)
3 sets of 12-15
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CALVES day 2 (high volume day)
A1. Single leg standing calf raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with bw (or 20RM weight)/(60 reps on each leg)
B1. Tibialis raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with 20RM weight/resistance
CALVES day 3 (intensity method day)
A1. Standing calf raise (iso tension method)
10 reps > 10 seconds hold at the top x3 rounds without rest
+ stretch at the bottom to failure
B1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15-20
/triple drop set after the last working set
5x per week calves routine
Calves training schedule example:
MONDAY: Calves day 1
TUESDAY: Calves day 2
WEDNESDAY: Calves day 3
THURSDAY: Calves day 4
FRIDAY: Calves day 5
SATURDAY: Off
SUNDAY: Off
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CALVES day 1
A1. Standing calf raises (calf machine)
3 sets of 8-12
/partial reps to failure after the last working set
CALVES day 2
A1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 12-15
/partial reps to failure after the last working set
CALVES day 3
SUPERSET:
A1. Leg press calf raises
3 sets of 12-15
A2. Tibialis raises (cables)
3 sets to failure (15-20RM weight/resistance)
CALVES day 4
A1. Single leg standing calf raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with bw (or 20RM weight)/(60 reps on each leg)
B1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15-20
/triple drop set after the last working set
CALVES day 5
A1. Standing calf raise (iso tension method)
10 reps > 10 seconds hold at the top x3 rounds without rest
+ stretch at the bottom to failure
B1. Tibialis raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with 20RM weight/resistance
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6x per week calves routine
Calves training schedule example:
MONDAY: Calves day 1
TUESDAY: Calves day 2
WEDNESDAY: Calves day 3
THURSDAY: Calves day 4
FRIDAY: Calves day 5
SATURDAY: Calves day 6
SUNDAY: Off
CALVES day 1
SUPERSET:
A1. Standing calf raises (calf machine)
3 sets of 8-12
/partial reps to failure after the last working set
A2. Tibialis raises (cables)
3 sets to failure (15-20RM weight/resistance)
CALVES day 2
A1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 12-15
/partial reps to failure after the last working set
CALVES day 3
SUPERSET:
A1. Leg press calf raises
3 sets of 12-15
A2. Tibialis raises (cables)
3 sets to failure (15-20RM weight/resistance)
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CALVES day 4
A1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15-20
/triple drop set after the last working set
CALVES day 5
A1. Standing calf raise (iso tension method)
10 reps > 10 seconds hold at the top x3 rounds without rest
+ stretch at the bottom to failure
B1. Tibialis raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with 20RM weight/resistance
CALVES day 6
A1. Donkey calf raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with 20RM weight/resistance
B1. Seated calf raises (iso tension method)
10 reps > 10 seconds hold at the top x3 rounds without rest
+ stretch at the bottom to failure
How long should I run these routines?
One thing you should also understand that these aren’t necessarily conventional “specialization
protocols”. In theory these routines can be run indefinitely but I strongly advise that you take a
full week off from direct calves training either every time you notice signs of overreaching (drop
in performance, chronic localized fatigue) or at least every 6-8 weeks.
Based on your individual requirement and response you can run one of these routines all the
time but you can also switch between them if you believe your calves could benefit from
occasional change in frequency and volume.
I actually do recommend that you occasionally switch between those routines simply to ensure
you’re providing a slightly different type of stimulus to your calves.
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Rest periods guidelines
I advise using a fixed “rest period range” based on the intensity level but you can still rely on
partial autoregulation of course inside that time range.
REST PERIODS CHART:
●
●
●
●
●
3-8 reps/3-5 minutes rest
8-12 reps/90-120 seconds rest
12-20 reps/60-90 seconds rest
20+ reps/45-60 seconds rest
Only rest between superset and triset exercises is the time you need to change the
exercise/setup but you should rest 45-60 seconds between rounds of superset/triset.
Intensity techniques and working set methods guidelines
Triple drop set is a pretty common and conventional intensity technique. Immediately after your
last working set you drop the weight by 10-15% and do the set to failure. Repeat that 2 more
times!
ex.
B1. Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15-20
/triple drop set after the last working set
Working set 1: 20kg - 20 reps
Working set 2: 20kg - 20 reps
Working set 3: 20kg - 19 reps
/immediately after the last working set you drop the weight and go into your first drop set
Drop set 1: set to failure with 16kg
Drop set 2: set to failure with 12kg
Drop set 3: set to failure with 8kg
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Partial reps to failure are something I mostly use for calves and that’s because of the simple
fact that calves can produce most force at the bottom half of the movement which is usually
where you end up after you can’t go through full range of motion anymore due to
exhaustion/fatigue. Biomechanically it makes perfect sense.
ex.
A1. Standing calf raises (calf machine)
3 sets of 8-12
/partial reps to failure after the last working set
Working set 1: 100kg - 12 reps
Working set 2: 100kg - 12 reps
Working set 3: 100kg - 11 reps
/immediately after that last working set you do a set of partial reps to failure
The actual number doesn’t really matter as long as the set is brought to complete failure. You
shouldn’t be able to even move your feet from the bottom position at the end. Yeah that kind of
failure.
You should aim to get as much range of motion as possible but after that last working set you
can expect that will be roughly only the bottom half of range of motion and it’ll decrease with
each subsequent rep which is perfectly fine.
Density method is basically a variation of rest pause technique where you simply pick a weight
and do sets to failure with that same weight until you reach the target number in total.
ex.
A1. Donkey calf raises* (density method)
60 reps in total with 20RM weight/resistance
In this example sets might look something like: 20, 16, 11, 7, 6 (60 reps in total)
You should rest 15-30 seconds max between sets. The goal is to do those 60 reps as fast as
possible while maintaining a good form.
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Iso-tension method is a method combining static holds with conventional reps to increase total
time under tension which is primarily a tool to increase levels of localized metabolic stress and
really tap into those muscle fibers.
ex.
A1. Standing calf raise (iso tension method)
10 reps > 10 seconds hold at the top x3 rounds without rest
+ stretch at the bottom to failure
> Do 10 full ROM calf raises
> On the last rep stay at the top of ROM and hold for 10 seconds
> Without rest repeat this 2 more times
If you feel like you need a bit more stimulus then do this drill 2 times (obviously not in a row
though. Take 3-5 minutes rest between).
Customization guidelines
As I already said these aren’t conventional specialization protocols but they work in a very
similar fashion without a specific time restriction so I advise you avoid changing training
variables of those routines as much as possible. Here I’m specifically talking about volume,
intensity and frequency.
If you don’t have access to a certain equipment or you think there are movements where you’ll
be able to achieve better calves contraction then feel free to use an appropriate alternative but
make sure exercise is using the same mechanics and same plane of motion (ex. standing calf
raises (calves machine) vs leg press calf raises. Switching one for another makes sense
because both of those are straight leg variations but you can’t substitute straight leg variation
with seated/knee flexed variation).
While I strongly advise you stick with this exact number of sets, you can go with slightly lower
volume but don’t go with more. I worked with enough people to know that there’s a certain
volume threshold and going beyond it will drastically take away from the quality of the sets. The
whole point of the program is to perform all sets with “all out” intensity and you won’t be able to
achieve that with an excessive number of sets (and most likely the majority of those sets will be
half-assed which is just a waste of time).
I especially advise to stick with the exact intensity technique guidelines because those are
essential for overall intensity of the program.
The point is that you should avoid changing the structure of those routines as much as possible
otherwise they won’t be the same programs anymore and in that case I can’t guarantee you
results I initially promised.
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Get enough calories and protein to support muscle growth
If you want to maximize results in terms of hypertrophy you should aim for a moderate caloric
surplus (300-500 calories above maintenance). Whether you like it or not, a caloric surplus
supports muscle protein synthesis process therefore provides an optimal environment for
muscle growth.
And yes! You should eat the same amount on rest days too because most of the adaptation
(recovery and repair) process occurs in a resting state after all.
This is especially important for calves considering their “stubborn” nature and relatively low
growth response compared to other muscle groups.
Protein is a building block for muscle cells so if you want to build muscle make sure you’re
getting enough protein on a daily basis. I don’t care what you’ve read and what most recent
scientific literature says (I know exactly what it says) but get at least 2g of protein per kg/1g per
lbs.
Yeah, yeah I know scientific literature indicates that we can achieve maximal muscle protein
synthesis with less but considering protein brings other benefits to the table such as increased
expenditure due to high thermic effect and high satiety factor I would still say benefits of high
protein intake outweigh the downsides (which there are none really).
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FINAL WORDS
If you read this whole guide word by word then you should have a pretty good picture on what
was stopping your from maximizing your calves growth potential or has even completely
sabotaged your calves growth.
Now it’s time to gradually fix it! Understanding basic anatomy, mechanical role, fibers distribution
and how all of this affects the training structure only makes sense if you apply it.
Use the explained technique cues to increase stimulus, utilize the routine examples to make
improvements to your own calves training approach and stay consistent with it for a very long
time. With enough time and consistency I can guarantee you results.
Now get to work!
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I really appreciate you investing in this guide and I can’t wait to see your progress in the future!
Feel free to contact me anytime if you have some questions related to this ebook or need advice
on my email: lizofs@gmail.com or you can contact me on one of my social media accounts
anytime.
Danijel Lizačić
@lizokryptonian
@kryptonianarmy
kryptonianarmy.com
“THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY”
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