Grow Stubborn Calves With High-Volume Training

[01dragonslayer]

by Andreas Abelsson
Key Points:

• The calves are often stubborn and refuse to grow, with some people claiming that the size of your calves is determined solely by genetics.
• A new study compared a different number of weekly sets of calf training: low (6 sets), moderate (9 sets), and high (12 sets).
• The study found that performing 12 sets of calf exercises per week might be optimal for increasing muscle size within a six-week period.

***

Many lifters struggle to get their calves to grow, sometimes to the point where they give up on them and accept the theory that you either have them or you don’t.
That theory is not entirely without merit.
Earlier studies show that the boost in muscle protein synthesis (the process where your body creates new muscle tissue) after a workout is 200% greater in, for example, the quadriceps muscles in the front of your thigh than your calves.1
This dilemma is not limited to beginners, either. It’s not unusual to see pro bodybuilders on stage sporting significantly underdeveloped calves compared to the rest of their physiques.
Someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for having phenomenal calves, wasn’t born with them. During his early career, they were his big weakness. However, after losing to Chet Yorton, a bodybuilder whose phenomenal calves made Arnold’s weak ones even more apparent, he took advice from the legendary Reg Park. He started treating his calves like any other stubborn muscle group: with lots and lots of heavy training.
Arnold started training his calves six days a week, doing donkey calf raises, standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and leg press calf raises for 10–20 reps and up to 60 weekly sets. A year later, he had added two inches to his calves, improving them so much that rumors that he got calf implants started to float around.
Maybe you won’t get Arnold-level calves, but if you are willing to put in the work and prioritize them with high-volume training, they will reward you with significant muscle hypertrophy.
That’s the reasoning behind a new study on calf muscle growth: will more weekly sets of calf raises translate into more significant calf growth?

New Calf-Training Study: 6 vs. 9 vs. 12 Weekly Sets for Muscle Growth​

In a new study, 61 young (18–35) untrained women were recruited for six weeks of calf training.2 The researchers wanted to see if increasing the number of weekly sets would lead to bigger calf muscles.

Before the actual study, the participants spent one week familiarizing themselves with calf training. They did three sessions of two sets of 15 reps with light weights. Because they were untrained, the researchers didn’t want the women’s first week of training to be affected by crippling muscle soreness.
Then, they divided the women into three groups, each performing a different number of weekly sets: 6, 9, and 12, respectively, spread out over three sessions.
The exercise of choice was the straight-leg calf raise, performed in a horizontal leg press machine. The women did sets of 15–20 repetitions to muscular failure until they couldn’t complete one more rep despite trying.
Whenever they managed 20 full range of motion reps, the researchers increased the weight by 2–5% for the next set to ensure they stayed within the target rep range.

The Results: More Sets = More Muscle​

Before and after the six-week study, the researchers measured the participants’ muscle thickness using ultrasound.
The most striking result of this study was that participants who trained with the highest volume (12 sets per week) experienced the most significant increase in calf muscle size. This was observed in the lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, as well as the triceps surae as a whole (the triceps surae is your gastrocnemius and soleus combined – yes, you have a triceps in your lower leg as well).
However, intermediate training volumes (9 sets per week) showed similar results to the highest volume, suggesting a diminishing return at higher volumes beyond nine sets per week. The difference between 9 and 12 sets was so slight as to be negligible.
In the end, the researchers concluded that 12 weekly sets might be an optimal dose of calf training for muscle growth. However, because the differences between 9 and 12 sets were so minor that they could be attributed to chance, you might achieve significant muscle growth without necessarily maximizing your training volume, which can be beneficial if you have limited time to work out.

Practical Takeaways​

This new study found that a higher volume of calf raises (12 sets per week) leads to greater muscle thickness gains in untrained young women compared to lower volumes (6 sets per week).
While nine sets per week also resulted in muscle growth, it was not significantly different from doing 12 sets, suggesting a potential upper limit to the benefits of increasing your calf training volume.
A key word here is “untrained”. If untrained people need ~10 sets to maximize muscle growth in the calves, it’s realistic to assume that experienced trainees might need significantly more to keep the gains coming.
I suggest you start with 10–12 weekly sets, but make those sets count. Give your calves priority by placing them first in your workouts when you can give them the intensity they require. If you don’t see significant muscle growth in a month or two, don’t be afraid to increase the training dosage to 20 sets or more spread out over the week.

Training Your Calves for Muscle Growth​

Now, let’s talk calf training! How do the calves function, what makes them unique, what are some key pointers to keep in mind to optimize your calf training, and what does a good calf workout for building muscle look like?

Calf Muscle Anatomy and Function​

Your calf is not just a single muscle, but a team of two main muscles located on the back of your lower leg: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Together, they are known as the triceps surae.

• The gastrocnemius is the more superficial and larger of the two calf muscles. It has two heads (medial and lateral), which gives it that heart-shaped look. The gastrocnemius gives you the power to push off the ground when you run or jump. It is also essential for flexing the knee and pointing the toes.
• The soleus is a flatter, more minor muscle located underneath the gastrocnemius. Unlike the gastrocnemius, the soleus is more involved in endurance and stability activities. It maintains your posture and standing by helping you resist gravity when your leg is straight. The soleus is also known as the “second heart” because it helps pump blood back to the heart. When it contracts, it squeezes the veins in your legs, helping push the blood upward against the force of gravity.

The gastrocnemius and soleus are involved in all movements requiring ankle extension, like walking, running, and jumping. When these muscles contract, they pull your heel up to allow the foot to push off the ground. In addition, they help stabilize the ankle and assist in knee flexion.

And they make you look good in shorts.

Differences from Other Muscles​

The calves are different from most other muscles in the body.

• For one, they have lower levels of activation, meaning it’s hard to activate all muscle fibers when you train them compared to, say, the biceps.
• Secondly, lower-body muscles recover faster from a strength training session than other muscles and are less susceptible to muscle damage. They can handle a higher training volume and still recover in time for the next session.

Sources: 3 4 5
After all, you “strength train” them all day just by walking. They are used to cruel and unusual punishment, and it seems logical that they wouldn’t respond to a couple of half-hearted sets of calf raises tacked on at the end of your leg workout.
Training volume – how many weekly sets you do for a muscle – is a major factor for muscle growth. Almost all studies show a dose-dependent effect: the more sets you do, the more your muscles grow. Up to a point.


You want at least 10 quality sets (meaning you take them reasonably close to muscular failure) per muscle per week to optimize muscle hypertrophy. As you gain training experience, you might benefit from even more sets, with some research suggesting benefits of up to 20.6
For example, you might only be able to recover from two 10-set chest workouts per week, but the calves, being the resilient little guys they are, might recover and benefit from twice that amount of training.
If your pecs require 10 sets to grow at all and 20 sets for optimal hypertrophy, perhaps your calves need 20 sets to even budge the measuring tape. If that is to, it would, at least partly, explain why so many people’s calves refuse to grow. You’re just not training them enough.

StrengthLog’s Calf Workout​

This workout targets both your gastrocnemius and soleus optimally with a wide range of repetitions to hit every muscle fiber in your calves.
Do it 1–2 times weekly if you’re a beginner and 2–3 times weekly if you’re an intermediate to advanced trainee.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Standing Calf Raise	3	8
Seated Calf Raise	3	15
Heel Raise	2	30
Eccentric Heel Drop	3	10 reps/side

This calf workout is available for free in our workout tracker app.
StrengthLog is 100 % free, but our premium version offers additional benefits.
Want to give premium a shot? We offer all new users a free 14-day trial of premium, which you can activate in the app.
Download StrengthLog for free with the buttons below:

Calf-Training Tips​

Training volume isn’t everything. Incorporate these tips and tricks into your training routine to increase your chances of turning those calves into cows.

• Mix heavy and light training. The soleus comprises primarily slow-twitch fibers, while the gastrocnemius comprises a 50/50 split of fast- and slow-twitch. Even though studies have not confirmed this, slow-twitch fibers might respond better to high-rep (20–30) training. Conversely, fast-twitch may thrive on low- to medium (6–12) reps. So, include both lower reps with higher weights and high-rep sets where you go for the pump and burn in your calf training.
• Focus on the lowering phase of your calf raises. Take 3–4 seconds to lower your heels back down, and then hold the stretch for another 1–4 seconds. The fewer reps you do, the longer you can hold the stretch. For example, if you’re doing 20-rep sets, hold it for one second. If you’re doing heavy sets of six reps, go for a full 4-second stretch.
• Emphasize the lower part of the movement. The bottom half of a calf press might be the most important part of the exercise for stimulating growth. It allows you to use heavier weights than you can handle doing full reps, and the stretched, loaded position is very conducive to hypertrophy.
• Do calf raises with both straight and bent legs, but prioritize straight. Straight legs are superior for gastrocnemius growth, while bent legs are only slightly better for the soleus. If you can only choose one calf exercise, make it a straight-legged variant, like the standing calf raise.
• Use different foot positions. If you flex your calf, you’ll see that the gastrocnemius has two heads: the medial (inside) and the lateral (outside). Pointing your feet inward activates the inside head more while turning your feet outward activates the outside head more. Therefore, it’s a good idea to include calf training with your feet turned inward and outward and pointing straight ahead in your workouts to fully reach all areas of the muscle.
• Train your calves frequently. If you want them to grow, you can’t skip calf days. Hit them at least ¨2-3 times a week to really encourage growth.

Sources: 7 8 9

Final Words​

Let’s recap:
Your calves can take a lot of punishment. A few weekly sets won’t cut if you want them to grow.
A new study found that the more sets, the merrier when it comes to calf training. Twelve weekly sets lead to significantly greater calf hypertrophy in untrained women compared to six sets.
If twelve weekly sets optimize calf growth in strength training newbies, it’s plausible that experienced trainees need even more sets. Perhaps 20 weekly sets. Thirty? The ceiling where doing more sets per week doesn’t boost calf growth is not currently known.

However, it’s safe to say that if you want bigger calves and feel that your current training isn’t doing it for them, try increasing the number of sets you do. Significantly.
And make sure you don’t just bounce up and down with no stretch or contraction. Slow down and feel the stretch at the bottom of the movement. Squeeze at the top, and don’t be afraid of high-volume training for your calves.by Andreas Abelsson
Key Points:

• The calves are often stubborn and refuse to grow, with some people claiming that the size of your calves is determined solely by genetics.
• A new study compared a different number of weekly sets of calf training: low (6 sets), moderate (9 sets), and high (12 sets).
• The study found that performing 12 sets of calf exercises per week might be optimal for increasing muscle size within a six-week period.

***​

Many lifters struggle to get their calves to grow, sometimes to the point where they give up on them and accept the theory that you either have them or you don’t.
That theory is not entirely without merit.
Earlier studies show that the boost in muscle protein synthesis (the process where your body creates new muscle tissue) after a workout is 200% greater in, for example, the quadriceps muscles in the front of your thigh than your calves.1
This dilemma is not limited to beginners, either. It’s not unusual to see pro bodybuilders on stage sporting significantly underdeveloped calves compared to the rest of their physiques.
Someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, known for having phenomenal calves, wasn’t born with them. During his early career, they were his big weakness. However, after losing to Chet Yorton, a bodybuilder whose phenomenal calves made Arnold’s weak ones even more apparent, he took advice from the legendary Reg Park. He started treating his calves like any other stubborn muscle group: with lots and lots of heavy training.
Arnold started training his calves six days a week, doing donkey calf raises, standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and leg press calf raises for 10–20 reps and up to 60 weekly sets. A year later, he had added two inches to his calves, improving them so much that rumors that he got calf implants started to float around.
Maybe you won’t get Arnold-level calves, but if you are willing to put in the work and prioritize them with high-volume training, they will reward you with significant muscle hypertrophy.
That’s the reasoning behind a new study on calf muscle growth: will more weekly sets of calf raises translate into more significant calf growth?

New Calf-Training Study: 6 vs. 9 vs. 12 Weekly Sets for Muscle Growth​

In a new study, 61 young (18–35) untrained women were recruited for six weeks of calf training.2 The researchers wanted to see if increasing the number of weekly sets would lead to bigger calf muscles.
Before the actual study, the participants spent one week familiarizing themselves with calf training. They did three sessions of two sets of 15 reps with light weights. Because they were untrained, the researchers didn’t want the women’s first week of training to be affected by crippling muscle soreness.
Then, they divided the women into three groups, each performing a different number of weekly sets: 6, 9, and 12, respectively, spread out over three sessions.
The exercise of choice was the straight-leg calf raise, performed in a horizontal leg press machine. The women did sets of 15–20 repetitions to muscular failure until they couldn’t complete one more rep despite trying.
Whenever they managed 20 full range of motion reps, the researchers increased the weight by 2–5% for the next set to ensure they stayed within the target rep range.

The Results: More Sets = More Muscle​

Before and after the six-week study, the researchers measured the participants’ muscle thickness using ultrasound.
The most striking result of this study was that participants who trained with the highest volume (12 sets per week) experienced the most significant increase in calf muscle size. This was observed in the lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, as well as the triceps surae as a whole (the triceps surae is your gastrocnemius and soleus combined – yes, you have a triceps in your lower leg as well).
However, intermediate training volumes (9 sets per week) showed similar results to the highest volume, suggesting a diminishing return at higher volumes beyond nine sets per week. The difference between 9 and 12 sets was so slight as to be negligible.
In the end, the researchers concluded that 12 weekly sets might be an optimal dose of calf training for muscle growth. However, because the differences between 9 and 12 sets were so minor that they could be attributed to chance, you might achieve significant muscle growth without necessarily maximizing your training volume, which can be beneficial if you have limited time to work out.

Practical Takeaways​

This new study found that a higher volume of calf raises (12 sets per week) leads to greater muscle thickness gains in untrained young women compared to lower volumes (6 sets per week).
While nine sets per week also resulted in muscle growth, it was not significantly different from doing 12 sets, suggesting a potential upper limit to the benefits of increasing your calf training volume.
A key word here is “untrained”. If untrained people need ~10 sets to maximize muscle growth in the calves, it’s realistic to assume that experienced trainees might need significantly more to keep the gains coming.
I suggest you start with 10–12 weekly sets, but make those sets count. Give your calves priority by placing them first in your workouts when you can give them the intensity they require. If you don’t see significant muscle growth in a month or two, don’t be afraid to increase the training dosage to 20 sets or more spread out over the week.

Training Your Calves for Muscle Growth​

Now, let’s talk calf training! How do the calves function, what makes them unique, what are some key pointers to keep in mind to optimize your calf training, and what does a good calf workout for building muscle look like?

Calf Muscle Anatomy and Function​

Your calf is not just a single muscle, but a team of two main muscles located on the back of your lower leg: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Together, they are known as the triceps surae.

• The gastrocnemius is the more superficial and larger of the two calf muscles. It has two heads (medial and lateral), which gives it that heart-shaped look. The gastrocnemius gives you the power to push off the ground when you run or jump. It is also essential for flexing the knee and pointing the toes.
• The soleus is a flatter, more minor muscle located underneath the gastrocnemius. Unlike the gastrocnemius, the soleus is more involved in endurance and stability activities. It maintains your posture and standing by helping you resist gravity when your leg is straight. The soleus is also known as the “second heart” because it helps pump blood back to the heart. When it contracts, it squeezes the veins in your legs, helping push the blood upward against the force of gravity.

The gastrocnemius and soleus are involved in all movements requiring ankle extension, like walking, running, and jumping. When these muscles contract, they pull your heel up to allow the foot to push off the ground. In addition, they help stabilize the ankle and assist in knee flexion.
And they make you look good in shorts.

Differences from Other Muscles​

The calves are different from most other muscles in the body.

• For one, they have lower levels of activation, meaning it’s hard to activate all muscle fibers when you train them compared to, say, the biceps.
• Secondly, lower-body muscles recover faster from a strength training session than other muscles and are less susceptible to muscle damage. They can handle a higher training volume and still recover in time for the next session.

Sources: 3 4 5
After all, you “strength train” them all day just by walking. They are used to cruel and unusual punishment, and it seems logical that they wouldn’t respond to a couple of half-hearted sets of calf raises tacked on at the end of your leg workout.
Training volume – how many weekly sets you do for a muscle – is a major factor for muscle growth. Almost all studies show a dose-dependent effect: the more sets you do, the more your muscles grow. Up to a point.

You want at least 10 quality sets (meaning you take them reasonably close to muscular failure) per muscle per week to optimize muscle hypertrophy. As you gain training experience, you might benefit from even more sets, with some research suggesting benefits of up to 20.6
For example, you might only be able to recover from two 10-set chest workouts per week, but the calves, being the resilient little guys they are, might recover and benefit from twice that amount of training.
If your pecs require 10 sets to grow at all and 20 sets for optimal hypertrophy, perhaps your calves need 20 sets to even budge the measuring tape. If that is to, it would, at least partly, explain why so many people’s calves refuse to grow. You’re just not training them enough.

StrengthLog’s Calf Workout​

This workout targets both your gastrocnemius and soleus optimally with a wide range of repetitions to hit every muscle fiber in your calves.
Do it 1–2 times weekly if you’re a beginner and 2–3 times weekly if you’re an intermediate to advanced trainee.

Exercise​	Sets​	Reps​
Standing Calf Raise	3	8
Seated Calf Raise	3	15
Heel Raise	2	30
Eccentric Heel Drop	3	10 reps/side

This calf workout is available for free in our workout tracker app.
StrengthLog is 100 % free, but our premium version offers additional benefits.
Want to give premium a shot? We offer all new users a free 14-day trial of premium, which you can activate in the app.
Download StrengthLog for free with the buttons below:

Calf-Training Tips​

Training volume isn’t everything. Incorporate these tips and tricks into your training routine to increase your chances of turning those calves into cows.

• Mix heavy and light training. The soleus comprises primarily slow-twitch fibers, while the gastrocnemius comprises a 50/50 split of fast- and slow-twitch. Even though studies have not confirmed this, slow-twitch fibers might respond better to high-rep (20–30) training. Conversely, fast-twitch may thrive on low- to medium (6–12) reps. So, include both lower reps with higher weights and high-rep sets where you go for the pump and burn in your calf training.
• Focus on the lowering phase of your calf raises. Take 3–4 seconds to lower your heels back down, and then hold the stretch for another 1–4 seconds. The fewer reps you do, the longer you can hold the stretch. For example, if you’re doing 20-rep sets, hold it for one second. If you’re doing heavy sets of six reps, go for a full 4-second stretch.
• Emphasize the lower part of the movement. The bottom half of a calf press might be the most important part of the exercise for stimulating growth. It allows you to use heavier weights than you can handle doing full reps, and the stretched, loaded position is very conducive to hypertrophy.
• Do calf raises with both straight and bent legs, but prioritize straight. Straight legs are superior for gastrocnemius growth, while bent legs are only slightly better for the soleus. If you can only choose one calf exercise, make it a straight-legged variant, like the standing calf raise.
• Use different foot positions. If you flex your calf, you’ll see that the gastrocnemius has two heads: the medial (inside) and the lateral (outside). Pointing your feet inward activates the inside head more while turning your feet outward activates the outside head more. Therefore, it’s a good idea to include calf training with your feet turned inward and outward and pointing straight ahead in your workouts to fully reach all areas of the muscle.
• Train your calves frequently. If you want them to grow, you can’t skip calf days. Hit them at least ¨2-3 times a week to really encourage growth.

Sources: 7 8 9

Final Words​

Let’s recap:
Your calves can take a lot of punishment. A few weekly sets won’t cut if you want them to grow.
A new study found that the more sets, the merrier when it comes to calf training. Twelve weekly sets lead to significantly greater calf hypertrophy in untrained women compared to six sets.
If twelve weekly sets optimize calf growth in strength training newbies, it’s plausible that experienced trainees need even more sets. Perhaps 20 weekly sets. Thirty? The ceiling where doing more sets per week doesn’t boost calf growth is not currently known.
However, it’s safe to say that if you want bigger calves and feel that your current training isn’t doing it for them, try increasing the number of sets you do. Significantly.
And make sure you don’t just bounce up and down with no stretch or contraction. Slow down and feel the stretch at the bottom of the movement. Squeeze at the top, and don’t be afraid of high-volume training for your calves.