Hey, what's up guys. Welcome back to the channel.
So let's talk about the curse of tiny calve muscles.
This is an epidemic on such a large scale that affects nine out of 10
guys and that 10th guy.
being Ricky.
If you're genetically cursed in the calve department,
there still might be a way to tap into some extra growth by fixing some mistakes
you might be making in your training right now, standing,
sitting on the edge of a platform. It doesn't matter what exercise you're doing.
There are mistakes that are made that we can, correct,
but before we get started, if you enjoy my videos,
you can show a love by tapping that like button.
And if you've missed any of my other dumbest mistakes videos,
you can check out the entire playlist of the series right here.
So mistake number one, skipping the hard contraction at the top of the movement.
So let's take a poll, right?
How many of you are guilty of just blasting three repetitions when doing any
sort of calve raise, we've all done it. And honestly,
at first it doesn't even feel like a mistake because if you blast out like 20
reps in a row, your calves are going to be on fire, which to us signals,
breakdown and growth.
But believe it or not skipping that hard contraction at the top of the movement
is a big, no-no think about this, right?
Do you feel like you're getting a good biceps workout when you curl 20 reps in a
row with zero focus on a hard contraction at the top? No,
because we go heavy and we squeeze at the top. Well,
why are we not applying that same concept to calves?
I guarantee as soon as you focus on a hard contraction at the top of every single
repetition, you'll not only build a stronger mind muscle connection,
but you will actually start to increase your range of motion as well.
So really focused on pushing through the ball of your foot and then even through
your toes on every single repetition mistake number two,
skipping that sweet stretch at the bottom.
So basically this is just an addition to the first mistake when it comes to
taking advantage of full range of motion, but for obvious reasons,
this can be hard to implement if you don't have a platform to stand on.
So you might have to find a different exercise to focus on the stretch,
or just get creative with some small weight plates,
instead of just hitting the barbell calf, raise off the floor,
toss some small plates on the ground.
So you can force a nice stretch at the bottom of the movement,
but then also stay there for a second.
And don't be too eager to get out of the stretch. Guys,
really feel the muscle stretching and then explosively push your body up for the
second repetition while simultaneously focusing on the flex at the top.
This is how all of the repetitions should look. Mistake.
Number three is never training the soleus believe it or not. Guys,
there is a difference between doing the seated version in the standing version
of the calf raise. You see guys,
your calves are actually comprised of two muscle groups.
You have the two head of gastrocnemius and you also have the soleus which helps
make the calf appear fuller or bulkier.
So should be obvious that if you're not able to tag it,
both groups effectively that you're leaving untapped gains on the table,
but which exercise is best for each muscle group? Well,
standing calf raises actually target mainly your gastrocnemius
and seated calve raises will engage much more of your soleus due to your
knees being bent 90 degrees. Now,
obviously the easiest way to do a seated calve raises with the seated calve raise
machine. But if you don't have one,
you can get a bit creative with a barbell and a bench and still simulate the
movement. Mistake number four is going too heavy or even too light.
And I know this can sound confusing, but hear me out guys,
if you're doing a calve raise and you can't even get your heels and inch off the
ground,
then there's no way you're going to be able to hit that hard contraction at the
top of the movement, you might place a bit more emphasis on the stretch,
but we're only getting half of the exercise that way.
And if you're lifting weights that are too light,
you won't be able to take full advantage of the stretch at the bottom because
it's just not heavy enough, even though you can maximize the flex at the top.
So as a rule of thumb,
always try to make sure you're working with a weight that allows you to complete
anywhere from like eight to 15 repetitions.
And you're still able to take full advantage of the top portion and the bottom
portion of the movement.
This will allow you to go heavier on Sundays or for high volume on others,
depending on your programming.
The main point being that you stay in control of all of your repetitions
and mistake number five is not taking your calf training seriously, guys,
if you've listened to all my tips so far and you're thinking, well,
I already do all those things correctly.
Then the problem is most likely you and I don't mean your genetics.
Even if your genetics are terrible,
you should still see some improvement over time.
And if you're not it's because you're training your calves,
maybe like once a week or just not at all,
think about how much full body training has helped.
So many of you make such amazing progress with your physiques,
but the top two muscle groups that always still seem to be left behind even when
full body training is calves and abs.
So what I want you to do right now is pick three days out of the week that
you're going to attack your calves. For example, let's say Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday,
and let's keep the training so incredibly simple that you have no excuse to
avoid it. On each day,
you're going to hit three sets of 10 to 12 reps of a standing barbell calf raise
and three sets of 10 to 12 reps of a seated calf raise,
focusing on a hard flex at the top and a solid stretch at the bottom.
And that's it. And you're going to do this for the next four weeks.
And then after that,
I want you to take a week off from hitting your calves to de-train them and then
just start over again. There are no secrets to muscle growth guys.
It's just that if you are a natural athlete,
growth takes time and dedication and each and every single one of you has the
ability to get it done. So that wraps it up for today's video guys,
very simple tips that are proven to work cause that's all it takes.
And that's all you should be looking for when trying to find fitness content
online, simple, practical tips.
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