This is Why Your Calves WON’T Grow!

If you want bigger calves then you have to watch this.

The calf muscles are one of the most stubborn muscle groups of the legs to grow. This isn’t really because of the muscle fiber type distribution that is most present in the calves or even about the amount of volume that they incur on a daily basis. This is mostly due to the fact that the calf muscle itself is rarely being subjected to the stresses that are necessary to make them grow.

This is because of the achilles tendon.

This tendinous attachment of the calf is built to handle high load, ballistic stretch movements under the weight of your entire body. For example, when you’re running, your body has to be able to absorb the ground and have good propulsion capabilities to move you through space one foot in front of the other.

If your calf workouts consist of lots of bouncing repetitions then you are only adding to the same stress that the calves are already built for.

In order to create a unique stress that is felt almost 100% by the calf muscle instead you need to slow down your reps – dramatically.

At the top of every calf raise be sure to hold for a count of 4 seconds. From here, lower all the way down to the bottom stretch position and most importantly here, hold for 4 more seconds. It is in this lower stretch hold position that you will remove the ballistic stretch reflex and force the gastroc to do more of the work to lift you out of the hole.

Start slowing down your repetitions greatly, even at the expense of fewer repetitions performed, and I promise you that your calves will start growing and you will never again have to wonder why your calves just won’t grow.

For more tips on how to build muscle and get big calves, be sure to stay tuned to this channel and remember to subscribe so that you never miss another video from a physical therapist with a pro sports background as a PT and strength coach.

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Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).