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2007/10/02, 07:15 AM
Now that i've progressed from the un-weighted calf raises, I'm a bit confused. I should do seated calf raises and mashine standing calf raises. My gym doesn't have those mashines like that. I could do the seated one with some free weights and a foot stool, but a mashine would be easier. The standing version isn't possbible with a barbell without loosing your ballance, at least not for me.
My gym has a calf raising mashine (or maybe two). One is on a bench leaning up the wall with a huge bar and some really heavy weights on. Some lifters use it for some kind of squats or something, but by placing your feet differently, you could work calves as well. Too much weights, for a beginner, way too much weight.
The other mashine is the one I've been using for both calf-routines. The lowest weight is 10 kg, and that is... managable... sort of. In it, you sit on a small seat with a low back and your arms down your side to hold on to a couple of handles. The seat is at an incline, and you place your feet on a bar and lean forward with your upper body as you raise up on your toes to work the calves, and then lower yourself down to stretch. Just like calf raises should be done.
Do you need to do both seated and standing calf raises, do they work different muscles? I might be able to make it more like sitting, by bending my knees, but then I have to move the seat closer to the bottom, and I'm not sure how far I have left, because I'm pretty short.
Any advice?
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2007/10/02, 08:00 AM
I would avoid isolating the calfs and instead do a lift that targets the calfs but includes alot more of the body aswell. I'm pretty sure that the deadlift can be tweaked to bring more focus into the calfs.
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2007/10/02, 08:18 AM
A simple calf raise using weight is to put one hand against a wall, hold a dumbbell in the other hand, cross your opposite foot behind the other and do calf raises. when finished with that leg switch arms with the weight, do the same with your legs and do the same thing. YOu can only do as much weight as you can 'hold', but it is effective especially if you are just starting out with weight. This can be done at home also.
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Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer
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2007/10/02, 09:48 AM
Tinnuk, I'm just following the plan set out by FT. I think it's better to stick as closely as possible to what they say when you're just starting out (I'm on my third week Progressive gain plan after doing two weeks on the Home workout plan). I have no dead weight routines yet.
BB1, I think I understand what you're describing, and I know I can do that at home.
So... it doesn't matter what kind of calf raising exercise you do then?
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Getting there... one kg at a time...
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2007/10/03, 08:05 AM
Not really, a calf raise is a calf raise. You hit from different angles, but if you are not training for some contest or something where every little fiber has to be hit in some manner, then you are fine.
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Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer
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2007/10/04, 04:53 AM
Thanks BB1 for explaining that.
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Getting there... one kg at a time...
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