Calves are one of the most stubborn muscles for most people to develop. No matter how hard you work them, they just seem to lag behind the rest. This actually makes sense when you think about it. You use your calves all day when you are just walking around, taking thousands of steps per day, so they are already acclimated to a certain amount of effort and strain on a daily basis. In order to make them grow significantly, you really need to hit them hard in a way they are not used to.

There aren’t a ton of options for training your calves at most gyms, so you need to make sure that when you do train this muscle group you are doing the best job possible. I like both the standing and seated calf raises, and I try to include both of them in my workout because they each target a different area. The standing version targets the larger muscle, which is supposed to be diamond shaped if your calves are well defined. The seated version will have more of an impact on the smaller muscle underneath.

In both versions of the exercise, you will want to make sure your calves get a good stretch at the bottom. This will help to tear down the muscle fibers and is necessary for growth. Hold this position for about 2 seconds. In addition, since your calves are already used to carrying your body weight, you need to use heavier weights to break the mold. If you are seated, simply stack on enough weight so you can perform about 6-8 difficult reps; if you are standing, the best option is a machine with pads that go over your shoulder where you can select the weight with a pin. If your gym doesn’t have this machine, you can stand on a slightly raised platform and hold a dumbell in one hand, keeping your balance by holding onto the back of a bench seat with your other hand.

In addition to a good stretch and heavy weights, calves also respond well to explosive movements, since they are used to the more casual efforts of walking. Your upward push should be powerful, while your downward stretch should be slower and controlled. For optimal results, work your calves about 3 times per week. As with your abs, they don’t need quite as much rest as your other muscles, and respond better to more work.