Thread: Skinny legs, what can I do?

im 6ft, so ive naturally no calfs, my hams and quads are coming on ok, but ive lost sight of my calfs and im really guna beat them up and get them growing.
Any advice to get them looking real well and to help them grow?




cheers

calf raises, lunges , hacks .

Train, get stronger, and be patient.

I'm 6'1, it takes a long time to fill out long legs, I've had knee injuries, which have been set backs, but its still 10 years plus and they are just OK.

if its just calves...then i guess you join the club of many....apply the same effort to calves as all your other fav bodyparts....if its your quads...all i can say is "shut up and squat" (was on ronnies t-shirt)...but you say your upper legs are ok....loads of calf exercises

:standing calf raises,
seated calf raises
leg press calf extensions
donkey calf raises
etc etc

try the overload principle,try going through the stack all the way to the bottom,2 reps each,then all the way back up.....i assure you wont walk afterwards!!!!!

loads of ways to attack em...just stick with em...they'll grow or respond to something bro....keep training hard!!!!

as above

oh and join the club.

Calves respond better to reps, 75's are a popualr training method heres how to do them.

Using a standing or seated calf press, choose a weight that you can do 25 times to failure using a full stretch to full extension form, squeezing the muscle at the top of the movement.

Perform the reps aiming for 25. As your calves become acidic, they will become very painful and burn! eventually the acid interferes with the muscle ability to contract and you will have to stop. Keep going until you reach a total of 75 reps. IN theory possible in three sets, in practise...

Do a standing calf exercise for the Gastrocnemius which is the bigger calf muscle, toes in and out for each head or central to equally hit both.

Do seated calf exercises to hit the Soleus, which is under the Gastroc and can be seen from the side of the calf as a line, looks very nice in a profile shot.

Calves are work horses, they absorb many times your body weight in the course of running or jumping, and are used to prolonged and repeat working, so train them that way as their fibres are developed for that sort of activity. Rep them out and work through the burn.

Two cautions, first stretch out your calf and achilles tendon, a rupture here is 3 months rehab minimum!

Secondly, take it slow, sore calves are an annoying niggle, mega damaged calves are a downright depressing inconveniance as you use them all the time. Work up to your weights, give the calves a few weeks to adapt to the work or you will have the post calf workout walk for your friends to laugh at for the better part of a week

Nice little calf exercise you can do anywhere, just stand on one leg, tuck the other behind it and press up your body weight, squeeze hard at the top and return. If you can find a step even better, swap legs half way. Instantly I have a 100kg calf press with no equipment required very little chance of overtraining, so you can do this as soon as soreness wears off from last session.

hth
SD

dont forget that you are unlikely to add much size to your calves without increasing your total weight. same as with biceps. unless you have a freaky ability to grow that muscle group, it will only grow if you get bigger. i have heard people say that 14 lbs growth can give you and inch on your arms and calves. may not be accurate but it does give you an indication.

Originally Posted by bigdeadweight

dont forget that you are unlikely to add much size to your calves without increasing your total weight. same as with biceps. unless you have a freaky ability to grow that muscle group, it will only grow if you get bigger. i have heard people say that 14 lbs growth can give you and inch on your arms and calves. may not be accurate but it does give you an indication.

Good advice there bud, basically work on your compound stuff first and get some size on, if you havent already, then worry about calves.

I remember a rule of thumb that if your bis are under 14"? then you shouldn't work them directly but work compound back movements instead? any advance/retreat on 14"?

SD

train your calfs every workout, dont worry you want over train them there one of the muscle groups that thrive of lots and lots of frequent training.