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The no more baby calves routine.

I am assuming that by working the calves day 1 and then day 4 and then having three days off would inhibit more growth in the calves. Most people obsess about biceps or chest and hit them more than one time weekly and you see them blow up.

I'm thinking similiar results will follow. This is from www.gymjournal.com I put all the numbers and the workouts in but the site helps organize all of the information it's very good site that was reccommended by Stu. If you think this will help build up the calves let me know. If not tell me why and I'll see about adjusting it.

Also the four sets consist of one warm up set thats why reps arent listed.
This is exactly what routine I'll be on maybe a few tweaks here and there but this is about it. My goal is bigger stronger calves in six to eight weeks without neglecting other parts of the body.



The real deal:

Monday
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LG, Lunge 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CF, Seated Calf Raise 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CF, Standing Calf Raise, Machine 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
SH, Overhead Press, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
SH, Front-Lat Raise, Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
SH, Side-Lat Raise, Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
SH, Rear-Lat Raise, Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
SH, Upright Row 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8


Tuesday
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CH, Cable Crossover, High Pulley 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CH, Flat Press, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CH, Incline Press, Dumbbells 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CH, Decline Press, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
TC, Triceps Extension, Standing, Rope 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
TC, Skull Crushers 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
TC, Dips 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Crunch, Floor 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Crunch, Machine 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Leg Raise 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Leg Raises, Hanging 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8


Wednesday
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UB, Pull-Up 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
UB, Lat Pulldown 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
UB, Bent-Over Row, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
TR, Shrugs, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
BC, Hammer Curls, Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
BC, Concentration Curls, Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
BC, Preacher Barbell Curl 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
BC, 3-Part Curls (21s), Dumbbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8


Thursday
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LB, Barbell Deadlifts 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
LG, Squat, Barbell 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
LG, Lunge 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CF, Seated Calf Raise 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
CF, Standing Calf Raise, Machine 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Crunch, Floor 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Crunch, Machine 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Abdominal Leg Raise 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8
AB, Leg Raises, Hanging 4 sets 12/65%, 12, 10, 8


Friday
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off day

Saturday
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off day

Sunday
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off day

That’s a lot of work. How long are you in the gym with that routine?

You should really put Monday’s Shoulder day after Thursday’s Leg Day. The way it is written, you’re going to fry your shoulders Monday and then try to hit chest which also relies heavily on your shoulders. It’s best to move shoulders as far away from Chest and Back day as possible.

As for the calves, they are very tough and can take the extra work, so I say give it a shot. I’d drop two of the Ab exercises on Chest Day, and add two calf exercises instead. Then on Shoulder day (which follows Leg day) you can put two Ab exercises there (instead of calves) since you worked calves on leg day. That way, you work calves every other workout.

Since you have a Push day and a Pull day, you may want to consider backing off on the Tri and Bi isolation exercises. You’ve got 3 Tri and 4 Bi exercises. Typically on a Push Day only 1-2 Tri isolations are needed, and on Pull Day, only 1-2 Bi isolations are needed. Having 3 and 4 is overkill. Just pick 2 one week, go heavy and strict, and get the most out of each. Next week, pick a different 2. For biceps, 21s are particularly brutal, and most people advocate only using them once or twice a month.

The only time you see routines advocating 3-4 Tri & Bi exercises is a “Gunz Day”. The compound work you’re doing on Push and Pull will hit your Tris and Bis, so all you really need do is finish them off at the end of each routine with 1-2 isolation moves.

Finally, IMHO, 1-2 Ab exercises is enough. Abs are more a product of diet than anything else. If your form isn’t correct, then Leg Raises are only working your Hip Flexors and not your abs. A true Ab exercise is a Hip Raise instead of a Leg Raise

Personally, I’d stick with something like Twisting Crunches on the Floor (blast the obliques) and then Machine Crunches if you wanted to hit your Abs with more than one exercise.

Well thanks for the insight the workouts arent that long when I actually do them at the pace that is necessary. Maybe an hour and a half. Also they aren't "guns" workouts it's what I feel for me is sufficient.

The reason why I'm doing chest right after shoulders day is so my delts are weaker and my chest actually has to do more work. I consider my chest a weak point so I'm trying to work that more without actually working it more if you know what I mean.

I wanted two days of rest on the calves from monday to thursday so that when I blast them on thursday they are fairly fresh. Then with the three days off right after then can pretty much recover.

Also with abs the workouts that I do are correct form. I learned while in the military although the military isn't always right some of what they teach is.

Also abs are like any other muscle and need proper recovery as well and when I hit my abs I do not use weights cause I only want them in shape not bulging. Also HIIT is included with these workouts but only for about 15 minutes afterward on a non leg day.

Diet as well is def important and something I'm 100% in control of. Like I said any insight is welcome and I appreciate it chris.

What I meant by Gunz Day is that, most often, the only time you see 3-4 Exercises for Tris & Bis is an Arm Day where you work only Tris and Bis only, typically supersetting the antagonist muscle.

I never like calling an Ab exercise a Leg Raise. It’s misleading IMO. As long as you know that to work your Abs you must curl your pelvis toward your chest and not simply flex your legs at the hip, then you’re good to go.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Rec ... Raise.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Rec ... Raise.html



That’s not exactly how the pre-exhaustion principle works. When you pre-exhaust a muscle, you are supposed to tire out the larger muscle that will be used in a compound exercise. Thus, the larger muscle fails first and receives higher intensity than the smaller synergist muscles.

Surely you aren’t saying your Anterior Delts are stronger than your Pecs? I’d bet you bench far more than you Shoulder Press?

In most bench presses, the Tris or Delts fail first thus decreasing the intensity applied to the Pecs. The pre-exhaustion principle holds that you should do an isolation exercise on the largest muscle used in a compound movement so that it fails before the smaller synergists. For example, do Dumbbell Flyes first followed by Barbell Bench-press. The flyes isolate the Pecs and tire them so that when you move to the bench-press, your Tris and Delts are fresh and your Pecs will be struggling on the compound movement and should fail first.

If you pre-exhaust your delts first, an obviously weaker muscle when compared to the Pecs, you will only be making your Chest Exercises, and possibly your Chest development, worse.

I was looking at an old copy of Muscle and Fitness tonight, and they have a “Jurassic Mass” program that “guarantees” massive gains. It’s pretty intense, and akin to what you’re trying to do.

Monday: Chest & Abs
Chest x 5 exercises
Abs x 3

Tuesday: Quads & Calves
Quads x 4
Calves x 2

Wednesday: Delts & Hams
Shoulders x 4
Upper Traps (Shrug) x 1
Hams x 2

Thursday: Back & Abs
Back x 5
Abs x 2

Friday: Arms & Calves
Tris x 3
Bis x 4
Calves x 2

Saturday & Sunday: Rest

It hits calves twice a week. Notice that they do Chest before Shoulders, and they wait a day after Chest before hitting the Shoulders.

I was a little surprised seeing 4 Bi exercises and only 3 Tri exercises, especially since Arms followed Back day (but where else can you put Arm day).

This program uses 3 warm-up sets on the first exercise, then 2 on the next, then 1 (no warm-up for the 4th or 5th exercise). Each exercise has 3 heavy working sets, and some couple a drop set with the last set. So on Leg Extension, the 4th Quad exercise, you do 10, 10, 10/10. On the last set it is 10/10. That is 10 reps at the regular weight to failure, then drop the weight immediately for 10 more.

They say to follow the routine for 6 weeks, and you have to eat big.

The sample daily meal has you eating 7 times in a day.

Calories = 4,256
Carbs: 475g
Protein: 333g
Fat: 65g

60% Carbs, 33%Protein, 7%Fat.

Cardio in this program is optional. They use an elliptical trainer on one day and a stationary bike on another. It’s HIIT style with a Warm-up/High/Medium/High/Medium/Cool-Down interval scheme lasting 28 minutes (that time includes warm-up and cool down).