Can You Grow Calves, or Is It Genetics?

Can You Grow Calves, or Is It Genetics?

Calf growth is a touchy topic for many dedicated gymgoers. The calves are stubborn muscle groups that can be hard to grow, especially for some people. Some people even joke that when they work their calves, their biceps (or another muscle group) get bigger.

So, what is it with calf growth? Is it genetics? Lack of training? What’s the reason behind the near-impossible feat of achieving massive, ultra-toned calves? Truth is, genetics do play a role, but there are other factors that contribute.

Factors That Affect Calf Growth

The rate at which your calves grow is heavily influenced by a handful of factors, including genetic predispositions, training regimens, body weight, and nutrition. Each factor will help determine the size, strength, and overall development of your calves.

Genetics

To the chagrin of many, genetics are one of the primary determinants of calf growth. You largely inherit the size, shape, and fiber composition of your calf muscles from your parents. So, if your family tree isn’t teeming with ultra-blessed calf muscles, you might have to work harder to achieve noticeable gains compared to someone from a blessed calf muscle line.

The distribution of muscle fibers, both fast-twitch and slow-twitch, will determine how your calves respond to different types of exercise. While you can’t change your genetics, you can adjust accordingly based on your genetic predisposition.

Training Regimen

Without training and movement, you’ll be lucky to see any calf muscle growth. A well-structured training regimen is a core component in achieving bigger calves, as these muscles are often stubborn to develop. You use them constantly as you walk, stand, and complete other daily tasks, so they’re often resistant to growth.

So, in your training regimen, you need to shake things up. Vary the intensity, volume, and type of exercise to challenge your calves in different ways. For example, you might use heavy weights with a lower rep count to increase muscle size. Or, you might use lighter weights with higher rep counts to improve endurance and definition.

Consistency and progressive overload are key to breaking through your calf growth plateau, so make your workouts count.

Body Weight

Your body weight is another essential contributing factor. You may notice that heavier individuals often have remarkable calf muscles, especially compared to slighter individuals. This is primarily due to the added stress on heavier individuals’ calf muscles during activities like walking, running, or climbing stairs, which leads to hypertrophy over time.

In contrast, those with lower body weight might need to work harder to achieve such results. This might include adding resistance through weight training to achieve similar levels of muscle development.

Beyond weight, your body composition will also help determine progress. Higher levels of body fat, especially subcutaneous body fat (under the skin), can conceal your muscle definition, making your gains look less impressive. However, being too lean can limit the energy reserves necessary for muscle growth, so it’s important to find a balance.

Nutrition

As you probably guessed, nutrition is another critical factor in muscle development, including the calves. If you want to see results, you’ll need to up your nutrition game, ensuring each nutrient is dialed in for optimal results. You’ll need plenty of protein for muscle repair and growth, ample carbohydrates for energy to power through your intense workouts, and healthy fats to balance hormone production, which is essential for muscle growth.

Make sure your diet also includes a variety of micronutrients, too, because deficiencies in those areas can impair muscle function and recovery. If you have a crazy busy schedule and no time to cook during the week, meal prep may be a helpful way to stay on track with your nutrition goals.

Plus, remember to drink plenty of water, as this will help support muscle performance and prevent cramping.

Exercises That Can Help Build Your Calves

Building your calves isn’t impossible, but without the right routine, it can be tricky. You’ll need to incorporate exercises that target the different muscles of the calf. This way, you can achieve even growth that gives you well-rounded progress (instead of uneven growth in one muscle over the others).

Various exercises can help you do this. For example, full-range calf raises, which incorporate a plate to allow you to dip lower into the movement, target the gastrocnemius. This is the largest muscle in the calf and greatly contributes to calf gains.

Pigeon calf raises are another good one. These calf raises require you to turn your toes inward at about a 45-degree angle. The different angle of your feet allows you to focus on the inside portion of the gastrocnemius.

Duck calf raises, too, can help achieve that well-rounded appearance. Unlike pigeon calf raises, which focus on the inside of the calf, these ones focus on the outside of the calf, specifically the soleus and gastrocnemius. With these raises, you’ll point your toes outward, sort of like a duck stands (hence the name).

Or, you could even do a band-assisted calf flex. These are much like calf raises, but instead of standing, you’ll sit on the floor with your feet in front of you and a band around the balls of your feet. By flexing your feet toward and away from you, you can work through your calves, stretching and contracting with each movement. Remember to keep your knees soft, but don’t let them bend up and away from the floor.

How to Train Calves Daily

Your calf-growing efforts don’t necessarily need to be restricted to the gym. You can crank out a few reps that will help you work toward your overall goal outside the gym, too. You can work toward your calf goals just about anywhere—at the office, at home, or on a walk through the park.

Use your bodyweight for these exercises (unless you have dumbbells on hand). Here are a few simple exercises you can do:

• Standing calf raises
• Standing pigeon calf raises
• Standing duck calf raises
• Jump rope (with or without a rope)
• Squat with heel raise
• Squat jumps
• Lunge pulses with a raised front heel

Of course, it’s important to remember that your calves need rest, too. Just like any other muscle group, they’ll tire and require time for recovery. When you exercise, your muscles break down and rebuild stronger. If you overdo it and stress those muscles too much, you may do more harm than good.

So, while it’s okay to add calf exercises to more than one day of the week, it’s not a good idea to target them every day. Remember—they need rest, too, especially if you want to see progress!

So, Will Genetics Overshadow Calf Growth?

While your genetics can affect your ability to grow massive calves, they’re not a complete blockage preventing you from making progress. With a carefully planned workout regimen and on-par nutrition, you can begin working towards your calf gain goals. Remember, patience is key—major muscle growth (especially calf transformations) doesn’t happen overnight.

Stay consistent in your nutrition and exercise plan, and, with time, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor in the form of calf gains, of course. If you’ve tried everything and still haven’t seen progress, consider contacting a personal trainer. They can help develop a nutrition and exercise plan that prioritizes each of your fitness goals, including your calf gain goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Actually Get Bigger Calves?

While some people may never achieve the massive calf muscles that some people seem genetically blessed with, it is possible to grow your calves. With a careful training regimen, dialed-in nutrition plan, and dedication, you, too, can hone in on calf growth.

Are Calves the Hardest Muscle to Grow?

The calves are notoriously one of the hardest muscle groups to grow, alongside the hamstrings, traps, and deltoids. They can be tough to train and grow, especially if your genetics aren’t working in your favor and your workout or nutrition plan isn’t up to par. However, it is possible to achieve growth in this muscle group.

Why Won’t My Calves Grow?

The reason behind the lack of calf growth can be a couple of different things (sometimes more than one). For example, maybe you’re not using the full range of motion, so you’re not challenging your calves as much as you could be. Or, maybe your nutrition game isn’t as good as it should be to promote muscle growth (you’ll need plenty of protein). If you’ve tried your best to no avail, it might be time to talk to a personal trainer.

What Are the Best Exercises for Calf Growth?

The best exercises for calf growth are the ones that focus on the individual muscles of the calf. Targeting each muscle helps with well-rounded calf growth, so don’t neglect any one of the muscles in the calf group.