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%Begin Tip How to Train Your Calves Without a Machine Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip How to Train Your Calves Without a Machine Here&#039 s how to hit your calves in your home gym without having to buy a calf machine by Ben Bruno August 23, 2017February 25, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Calves, Tips, Training I'm usually a fan of using free weights over machines, but calves are an exception. Machines are simpler and work better. But what if you work out in a home gym or in a bare-bones gym that doesn't have any machines?
Zoe Mueller Member
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%Begin Tip How to Train Your Calves Without a Machine Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip How to Train Your Calves Without a Machine Here&#039 s how to hit your calves in your home gym without having to buy a calf machine by Ben Bruno August 23, 2017February 25, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Calves, Tips, Training I'm usually a fan of using free weights over machines, but calves are an exception. Machines are simpler and work better. But what if you work out in a home gym or in a bare-bones gym that doesn't have any machines?
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Brandon Kumar 1 minutes ago
Then it gets tricky. The usual staples in this situation are bodyweight single-leg calf raises or st...
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Then it gets tricky. The usual staples in this situation are bodyweight single-leg calf raises or standing barbell calf raises.
Liam Wilson Member
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Then it gets tricky. The usual staples in this situation are bodyweight single-leg calf raises or standing barbell calf raises.
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While these are both better than nothing, I'm not a big fan of either. Single-leg calf raises done with just bodyweight are too easy for most lifters.
Sebastian Silva Member
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While these are both better than nothing, I'm not a big fan of either. Single-leg calf raises done with just bodyweight are too easy for most lifters.
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Sophie Martin 3 minutes ago
You can hold a heavy dumbbell in one arm, but even then you're really going to be limited as fa...
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You can hold a heavy dumbbell in one arm, but even then you're really going to be limited as far as loading potential is concerned. Barbell calf raises offer much great loading potential, but when you do them freestanding, balance becomes the limiting factor.
Daniel Kumar Member
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You can hold a heavy dumbbell in one arm, but even then you're really going to be limited as far as loading potential is concerned. Barbell calf raises offer much great loading potential, but when you do them freestanding, balance becomes the limiting factor.
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To circumvent that issue and take the balancing aspect out of the equation, try doing them with the barbell pinned flush against the rack so you're scraping the rack on the way up and down: For this to work, you need to hold the bar in a front squat position so you can lean into the rack slightly to keep the bar on the correct path. To increase the range of motion in the stretched position at the bottom of the rep (which is important for growth), stand with your toes on a weight plate or small aerobic step and your heels dangling freely in the air. You can do them single-leg or double-leg, but I much prefer single leg because a) it just feels better and b) the non-working leg can serve as a "spotter" in case you lose your balance.
Scarlett Brown Member
access_time 15 minutes ago
To circumvent that issue and take the balancing aspect out of the equation, try doing them with the barbell pinned flush against the rack so you're scraping the rack on the way up and down: For this to work, you need to hold the bar in a front squat position so you can lean into the rack slightly to keep the bar on the correct path. To increase the range of motion in the stretched position at the bottom of the rep (which is important for growth), stand with your toes on a weight plate or small aerobic step and your heels dangling freely in the air. You can do them single-leg or double-leg, but I much prefer single leg because a) it just feels better and b) the non-working leg can serve as a "spotter" in case you lose your balance.
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Balance shouldn't be an issue since you're using the rack for support, but if you do start to feel shaky just tap the free leg down to rebalance yourself. You can also use the free leg for a little added boost at the end of the set to help squeeze out a few more self-assisted "forced" reps.
Lily Watson Moderator
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Balance shouldn't be an issue since you're using the rack for support, but if you do start to feel shaky just tap the free leg down to rebalance yourself. You can also use the free leg for a little added boost at the end of the set to help squeeze out a few more self-assisted "forced" reps.
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Audrey Mueller 10 minutes ago
This is harder than it looks, and when you take into account the friction of the bar against the rac...
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Sebastian Silva 2 minutes ago
If you find yourself looking to bring up your calves but train in a machine-free gym, these may be j...
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This is harder than it looks, and when you take into account the friction of the bar against the rack, you probably won't need a lot of weight to really feel it. To hit the calves in a slightly different way, you can also set up more like a rack pull with a big forward lean, which turns the exercise into something like a donkey calf raise. These feel quite a bit different from the front squat version, so switch it up and try it both ways.
Henry Schmidt Member
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This is harder than it looks, and when you take into account the friction of the bar against the rack, you probably won't need a lot of weight to really feel it. To hit the calves in a slightly different way, you can also set up more like a rack pull with a big forward lean, which turns the exercise into something like a donkey calf raise. These feel quite a bit different from the front squat version, so switch it up and try it both ways.
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Mia Anderson 11 minutes ago
If you find yourself looking to bring up your calves but train in a machine-free gym, these may be j...
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Zoe Mueller 4 minutes ago
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If you find yourself looking to bring up your calves but train in a machine-free gym, these may be just what the doctor ordered. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don&#039 t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip How to Squat For a Better Butt The squat isn't the best exercise for glutes, unless you tweak it to focus on glute activation.
Ella Rodriguez Member
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If you find yourself looking to bring up your calves but train in a machine-free gym, these may be just what the doctor ordered. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don&#039 t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip How to Squat For a Better Butt The squat isn't the best exercise for glutes, unless you tweak it to focus on glute activation.
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Hannah Kim 2 minutes ago
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Tips, Training John Meadows October 12 Training Built for Bad Strength Circuits Strength circuits provide the perfect balance of heavy loads, rep volume, and work density to produce the very best gains in strength, size, and leanness. Get the plan here. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Christian Thibaudeau November 20 Training Tip Save Your Knees With Target Squats This simple trick gives you a tiny assist at the bottom of the squat and spares your beat-up knees.
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Sofia Garcia 22 minutes ago
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