How to Get Stubborn Calves to Grow

June 5, 2017

Bodybuilding

Stubborn calves are either bored calves — they’ve “been there, done that” and refuse to grow — or they’re lost calves — they’ve been searching for the hidden treasure in murky waters but have yet to find it.

Either way, these calves need some new and novel methods to encourage growth. Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies to choose from, including the following:

Antagonist Supersets — Pair ankle extension with ankle flexion, as outlined in my article Supersets for Super Results.
Contrast Supersets (Slow/Fast Movements) — Combine slow eccentric calf raises with explosive jumps using a barbell, hex bar, dumbbells, or sandbag, or mix slow and fast speeds within the same movement, as discussed in Time To Explode!.
Contrast Supersets (Full ROM/Hops) — Pair paused one-leg calf raises through a full range of motion with short, quick hops, as mentioned in this Q&A post.
Tri-Set Methods — Use different rep brackets and tempos for each calf raise exercise to target high-, medium-, and low-threshold motor units. This method is featured in my book Mass Explosion.
Drop Sets — Apply continuous tension and stress to a wide spectrum of muscle fibers, as outlined in my article Pop ‘Em Out Muscles.
Rest-Pause Methods — Perform one long set of 75-100 reps using a 20RM load, aka “knockout sets,” as described in The Cure for Chicken Calves.
High-Frequency Methods — Perform 100 reps of bodyweight calf raises daily, as I recommend in The Answer for Massive Calves.
High-Volume Methods — Use a high number of sets and reps for various calf raises, similar to the routine used by Chris Dickerson, who arguably had the best set of calves to ever walk onto a bodybuilding stage, as discussed in The Cat’s Lair.
High-Intensity Methods — Load up super heavy weights on calf raises, like Arnold Schwarzenegger did after being humbled by Reg Park. Arnold famously did calf raises with 1,000 pounds for 10 sets of 10 reps (see Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder here).