Valentin Bosioc
8.) Not placing your foot properly
A lot of people think that you can hit different parts of the calves depending on whether you point your feet inward, straight ahead or outwards. People who turn their feet at extreme angles are actually reducing the effectiveness of the exercise and also putting a lot of stress on the joints and tissues in the knees and ankles.
9.) Not isolate and contract the muscles
Just like chest, back, legs and arms your calves benefit from getting a full contraction as well as a slow and controlled negative. Way too many guys use momentum or bounce the weight during calf raises which means they miss out on half the benefit of the exercise.
READ ALSO: Get Rid Of Muscle Cramps Fast!
In order to get the full benefit of the calf raise you need to emphasis the contraction at the top of the exercise. Really focus on flexing hard at the top of each rep and it will make all the difference in your workout. Now once you’ve contracted properly at the top of the rep it doesn’t mean you can drop the weight down to the beginning. Lower the weight slowly and under control and do this for each rep. Each part of the rep should be under control.
Taking your time throughout each rep will increase the amount of time your calves are under tension, even if you’re using the same weights and reps you normally do.
10.) Skipping stretching
This commonly made mistake can be applied to any muscle in your body but is quite noticeable when you don’t stretch your calves. If you suffer from flat feet or high arches you might already notice the dreadful effects of skipping the stretch after a workout.
You might feel pain, but there is another reason to stretch; it stretches out the fascia, a thin connective tissue “cocoon” around each muscle, which can get very tight and compress the muscle. This creates a compacting effect on the muscle so it cannot expand and grow as effectively. Research has shown that chronic tight fascia can actually inhibit muscle growth gains!
HERE IS A LIST OF 34 pictures to see how to stretch your muscles
Just getting the fullest possible range of motion during each rep is not sufficient. You also need to fully stretch your calves between sets and immediately after training them. This increases mobility, enlarges the fascia and boosts the pump, which in turn aids recovery and growth.
CONCLUSION: So there you have it. The top 10 calve training mistakes that most bodybuilders and fitness fanatics fall into. Is it lack of knowledge or discipline that leads us into these training pitfalls? Either way you now at least have the knowledge to go forth and really blast those calves to new heights! Do you have the discipline?
