Skull Crushing Calves---Exercise of the Week!!!!!!!!!!!

[Adam Knowlden]

Aside from possibly, expanded lat syndrome, theres nothing quite as pathetic as the lightbulb syndrome.



This mental disease seems to play on the weaker species of the genus, "gymius ratimus".

This disease begins very subtely, but becomes more profound as summer draws nigh...The symptoms are well known, the gym rat proceeds to work their upper body faithfully day in and day out, while habitually ignoring their thighs and calves.

When summer rolls around and shorts season is in, they sport their tank tops and cut offs only to reveal a 200lb muscular torso atop two toothpicks for legs.

<font color="red"> Why? What has went wrong? </font>

Well to put it bluntly, working legs hurts, and that is a fact. Anyone who is giggling or goofing around between sets during a leg routine, is not working out, they are socializing. A true leg workout leaves only room for pain, not talking or showing off.

The simple truth is most can not handle the mind boggling pain of a calf workout. Proceeding further down in the abyss of self inflicted torture, only a insane person, or body builder, could understand what need is fulfilled in this performance.

The President explains this pecuiliar mindset in a early article on ABC:

[ QUOTE ]
My Gym Nightmare Comes True
by Jacob Wilson

It had finally happened, my worst nightmare had finally become a reality. I began to believe that all the gym idiots and morons were plotting against me! Upper body man was doing his normal 2 hour bench press routine. 130 pound lat man walked around with his puny arms expanded, somehow imagining that he had a pair of wings! Three people talked busily on their cell phones. Hysterical man screamed at the top of his lungs while performing barbell curls with a total of 45 pounds. And to top things off, a fat, hairy, overweight slob, with a huge weight belt and expanded lat syndrome was walking around giving people advice! It was horrible. I felt surrounded, as if there was no place to turn! I grabbed a dumbbell in case I had to do battle with these creatures!

Then it happened. Out of all this turmoil I would find solace! As if a beacon shone from an endless sea of darkness. There, on the other side of the gym, untouched and clear as crystal stood the almighty squat rack! Yes, I had almost forgotten. Like a vampire is repelled by a crucifix so too are gym morons repelled by the squat rack! In it I found relief from the madness as I had done so many times before!


The End


[/ QUOTE ]

For most of us(curses on ye who liveth in sunny states! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]) its winter and summer is far off...its time to redeem thyself! This weeks exercise of the week will help start you on thy journey of brutality young warrior!!!!!

This weeks exercises will include:

Leg Press Calf Raises

supersetted with,

Free Handed Standing Calf Raises

Begin by performing leg press calf raises in the 6-15 rep range to failure on the maching.

Next go immediately to a calf block--

I recommend setting it between a power rack as shown in this illustration:



You will be performing the standing raises with just your body weight to failure. But the key is to use no hands and balance yourself on the calf block. This will thrash your stabalizers!!!

Be sure to go all the way down, feeling an intense stretch across the gastroc, and all the way up the the very peaks of your tippy toe. If you begin to lose balance you can lightly brace yourself on the sides of the power rack. But as soon as you balance again, remove your hands.

Continue to failure with full reps, then continue with partial reps, again going to failure. From here, hold the last rep statically for 30-60 seconds!!! Next, fascia stretch the calfs for 30 seconds.

For more intensity, I will repeatedly adjust my toe positioning to target different heads throughout the set. I especially like to do this during the static phase. When enter the static portion of the set, hold the toes out statically for 20 seconds, in statically for 20 seconds and straight on for 20 seconds!!! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Good luck, and get those legs in shape! Summer is closer than you think!!!!! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]



PS- Yes I know the pic is kind of crude, but hey those calves are monsters!!!! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Steel Warrior]

Hey Oldschool don't you think training calves is fun?

[amerkazmoswantd]

i love the burn i get while training calves, it's almost like the burn you get while training abs or forearms. sounds like a great workout man, thanks.

[Boka]

I like the weird feeling I get just before failure. Very weird... [img]/forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Adam Knowlden]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Oldschool don't you think training calves is fun?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, in a sick way. [img]/forum/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

[Satch]

I love the feeling of all the lactic acid and oxidants pooling at my ankles. Nothing else gets me to work harder because I know that I'm more hardcore than anyone in the gym at that second in time.

[Muu]

Love the diagram! Theres nothing better than almost falling after pushing yourself for that final drop set on my calves to squeeze the last out of them, pushing it so hard my legs can hardly support me when am finished.

[soccerchick]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hey Oldschool don't you think training calves is fun?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, in a sick way. [img]/forum/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

me too [img]/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

which is why reading this is torture to me now. why OS, why? [img]/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Tuf]

Perfect! Calves are one of my priorities on my current bulk. [img]/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Thanks, OldSchool!

[Venom]

Sweet! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]