I'll tell you straight up...my calves stink.

For me, they're the toughest muscle to develop. And I know for a fact that I'm not alone in that. Because if you're reading this, likely YOUR calves are your most stubborn bodypart, too!

That's why I came up with THIS superset combination...it will literally FORCE your calves to respond and grow.

You'll perform a targeted superset of an exercise that gives you maximum STRETCH (the Donkey Calf Raise) with an exercise that gives you maximum CONTRACTION (the Standing Calf Raise) of the calf muscles.

This combination will absolutely TORCH your calves from top to bottom...don't expect to walk normally for awhile after you do it.


How to Do It

The first exercise is the Donkey Calf Raise done with supra-maximal weight, holding ONLY the stretch position.

We're going to load the exercise with a TREMENDOUS amount of weight...something that you couldn't do for a full-range rep. To do this, you will need a either Donkey Calf Raise machine with a substantial amount of available weight OR you can use the power rack setup that I'll show you right now.

Personally, I much prefer the power rack setup...it allows for much greater loading and freedom of movement. You're guided but never fully locked into a set pattern. As well, the calves are still called upon to stabilize the exercise while you're doing it, which is something you don't get with a machine.

It also means you don't have to recruit anybody to sit on your back.

If you don't have a rack or a machine, you can also make do with a dip belt hanging from your waist. This works fairly well for full-range movements with lighter weight, but as you get into heavier loads (like you'll need for this), it can start to get very awkward to get into position and do the exercise.

To do this, you'll need

• the power rack,
• a good bar
• a calf block. I'm using a piece called the Calf Roller - I absolutely LOVE this thing for calf training...it's also good for a variety of other exercises, too.
• a barbell pad (or rolled-up towel, if you have no other option). I'm using a Hampton extra-thick barbell pad...great item for "support" type exercises using a barbell...not for squats, though..I never recommend using a pad for squats because it's too easy for the bar to roll.
• and a bunch of weight plates.

Set one safety rail of the rack about lower chest height. The other rail should be a little bit lower. The exact height will depend on how high your calf block is. Be VERY sure your calf block is SOLID and won't shift before trying this one.

Put the barbell pad on the bar, towards the lower end of the bar. The calf block should be set down at that end, too.

Before you start loading the weight on, test the setup to make sure you get a good stretch at the bottom (see below for exercise technique). Now start loading the weight on.

The first time you do this one DO NOT go as heavy as I'm going here. You have to condition your Achilles tendon for supporting heavier loads before progressing to this level. Start by loading one plate on the high side and two plates on the lower side, then try the exercise in FULL range of motion to get an idea of how it's done.



Be VERY careful when loading plates onto the bottom end...the bar is tilted and the plates can slide. Never put a plate on "unattended"...put it on then put the collar on immediately.

The reason I don't recommend having the bar horizontal is that bending forward too much could potentially overstretch the sciatic nerve (which runs all the way down your back, glutes, hamstrings and calves and around the heel without appreciably adding to the stretch on the calf muscles.

I do recommend loading the bar ends fairly evenly...you can have one fewer plate on the high end than the bottom end and it'll still be fine. If you're curious, I have 7 plates on the high end and 8 plates on the bottom end.

Now you're ready for action...

Grasp near the high end of the bar with both hands - alternating "baseball bat" type of grip. This is the fulcrum/pivot point of the barbell "machine" we just built.

Get your back under the bar and get your feet onto the calf block.



The bar should be running directly down your back, however it WON'T be putting pressure on your spine. The bar will be resting on the solid bone of your sacrum, which is why you NEED to have some sort of padding to cushion the area.



Now straighten your knees, lifting the bottom end of the bar off the rail.



Your calves are now fully loaded in the MAXIMUM stretch position.

One BIG key here...

DO NOT just settle for passive stretch. You should actively PUSH up as though trying to perform the exercise. If you're using a submaximal weight (as you should be the first time you try it), push enough to activate the calf muscles but not so much that you actually do a rep.

This won't be an issue when you get in to supra-maximal weight..when you're READY. It'll still work really well even with sub-max weights so don't be too quick to overload this stretch position, especially if you've not done a lot of stretch-focused work for the calves.

Use your common sense and don't be a hero.

We want to hold that max stretch position for 5 to 10 seconds, under load and with calves actively resisting.

After 5 to 10 seconds, set the bar back down and rest briefly. Then go AGAIN. Perform 4 to 6 "reps" of this stretch hold then get out from under the bar.


Now we move to the SECOND part of the superset...contraction-focused Standing Calf Raises.

This is a very simple one...all you need is a Standing Calf Raise machine (or you can use dumbbell standing calf raises if you don't have one of those).

We only need light to moderate weight for this one because we want to focus on the maximum peak contraction of the calves at the top...and going too heavy will prevent you from hitting that high peak.

At this point, your calves will be full of blood and almost every muscle fiber in your calves will be in "emergency activation" mode because of the heavy stretch loading you just did.



Do a calf raise...come to the top and HOLD...squeezing your calf muscles as HARD as you can for 5 seconds. At this point, it should feel like someone is holding a branding iron inside your calves.



Come back down to the bottom (no pause) then immediately come back up into the peak contracted position and hold.

We don't worry about the bottom stretch on this second exercise...we've got the stretch covered with what you just did before. This part is all about the contraction. To be honest, you can even start with your feet flat on the floor for these and just focus on the top half of the exercise and you'll be just fine.

Repeat this until you pretty much can't do anymore reps because the pain and/or Lactic Acid shuts you down.

Now step out from the exercise...rest about a minute...then do it AGAIN. Repeat this for 3 to 5 total sets, depending on how much you can stand.

As crazy as this combination is, to me, this is the most fun I've had training my calves in years. The pump is ridiculous...you'll get one even if you've NEVER felt one in your calves before in your life.

You can repeat this training technique 2 to 3 times a week...the calves are tough muscles and can take the punishment. And as you get stronger in your Achilles tendons, you can safely push the weight to substantial levels, as you've seen by my demo.

I would say "enjoy" but it's not likely that you will... ;).

To see this combination in action (which I HIGHLY recommend you do to get an idea of how the stretch hold and contraction hold goes), I've got it posted on my Facebook page here.

If you've got a FB account, you can watch it there right now.

I've also got it posted to my YouTube channel as well, but they're having issues with slow processing so I'm not sure exactly WHEN it'll be up and ready to watch!.





And if you're interested in even MORE insane calf and leg training like this, you should check out my book "The Best Leg Exercises You've Never Heard Of"...154 exercises covering calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes.



Just fyi, I've got 5 sample exercises from it posted on the page here for you test out...(if you can even walk after you try the calf combo above ;).

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"