Natural Muscle November 2016 Celebrating 21 Years This Month! | Page 48

TRAINING

THREE TIERED ASSAULT FOR
By: Brandan Fokken

GREAT CALF DEVELOPMENT
The Missing Link Keeping You From Quickly Adding Size and Strength

By: Troy Pearsall
Some of the best calves that I have ever seen
in bodybuilding belonged not to Mike Mentzer or
Chris Dickerson, but to Shawn Ray.
Shawn Ray was not was genetically predisposed to great calves, he was predisposed
to hard work. The high calf and long soleius of
Shawn Ray would be called (by quitters) racial-

48

ly disadvantaged calves, but when he stood on
stage next to anyone his calves were never a
weak point.
When I started bodybuilding, black men were
not expected to grow great calves. Robby Robinson would have had the perfect physique had his
calf development not been subpar.

Natural Muscle Magazine

November 2016

Before you can do the routine here are some
rules you must take into consideration first.
1- Make sure the number of triceps sets is equal
to or less than the calves. What this rule
Like the abs, the calves seem to recover from is doing is trying to teach that your calves
workouts quicker than other muscle groups and are as important as any of the more
showey muscles.
thus can be trained more intensively.
2- Rep range stays the same even when
the weight increases. As soon as you can
I started contest training 24 weeks out and my
complete the rep requirement, add weight (about
calves went from 15” to 17”. This was the first time
every two weeks or so). Less in the begaining and
that I ever had such a development burst and I
longer as you get better. If you are using the same
needed to know why.
weight after two months then you have not put
Scientific studies aside, antidotal study
enough efforts in to see results. I suggest cutting
seemed to answer many questions on the levdown rest between sets or increase weight and
el that is inportant to me. I did some studies of
keep workout time the same.
individuals that had great calves and “claimed”
3- Every six weeks change the order of the exerto have been born with bad calves. I paid no atcise, Treat your calf work as a workout by itself. I
tention to race or ethinic origin. Because of my
take up to a thirty minute rest after calves before
sudden size increase, I knew what ever it was,
doing the rest of my workout. I train them on a
worked on everyone equally.
day with forearms and traps.
Keep your hat on because what I’m about to
4- Change the order every seventh week.
say may just shock you ... Donkey Calf Rasies!
I came across
a workout routine
a while back called
Points of Flexation.
It subscribes to the
theory that if you work
a muscle from all angles than the muscle
will grow. Most people in the gym with
poor calf development only do two exercises for
THE ROUTINE
calves; standing calf raises and seated calf rais•Standing Calf Raises 3-5 set of 25 to 40 reps
es. But the individuals that included donkey calf
•Seated calf Raises
3-5 sets of 15-25 reps
raises into their routine had great calf develop•Donkey Calf Raises 3-5 set of 15-20 reps
ment! These guys did donkey calf rasies almost
every night before they went home.
If your gym doesn’t have a donkey raise
-----------------------------------------------About Author
machine, you can do leg press calf raises.
Troy Pearsall With over 25 years of bodybuilding
experience. 15 years as a competitive bodybuilder 15 years as a personal trainer and 10 years as
a trainer of competitive bodybuilders.
When I entered the Mid-Atlantic back in 1992
my calves measured 17”. In preparing for the contest my bodyweight went from 210lbs to 192lbs.

Celebrating 21 Years!