A Bodybuilder Trained His Calves Every Day for 30 Days to See if They Would Grow
It is a truth universally acknowledged that you shouldn't skip leg day, but how much attention are you paying specifically to your calves? In the latest video on his YouTube channel, bodybuilder and fitness influencer Jesse James West spends an entire month dedicating his training to the oft-overlooked muscle group, aiming to grow his calves as much as possible in 30 days through a combination of bodyweight exercises and light/heavy resistance training.
"I would say the worst thing about this challenge is that for the next 30 days I have to wear shorts and reveal my tiny calves to everyone," he says.
West keeps the volume relatively low at the beginning of the challenge so as not to over-train the muscles and make them too sore to be able to continue with the daily workouts, starting out with exercises like leg press, calf press, reverse calf raises, and jump rope. Even with his moderate approach, however, the fatigue soon builds up after the first few days.
"My calves are so sore," he says, "and the combination of calves every day and then cardio every day is adding up, so I'm hoping we don't have any issues, we don't get any shin splints."
Something else West notices as the challenge progresses is that his calf-first strategy to working out is affecting some of his other training. "I think doing calves so much is making me really tight, which is then translating to kind of an improper squat, because I'm not getting as deep with my ankles not being as mobile," he says. "With prioritizing a muscle, you're going to kind of hinder something else, so it's one of those things where you need to pick and choose your battles, basically."
At the end of the 30 days, West has gained a quarter of an inch in his calves, and he is pleased with the visible progress he has made, and with what he has learned in the process.
"The biggest thing you need to focus on when training calves is doing a full range of motion," he says. "If you're not training full range of motion, you're not getting the full benefit out of everything."
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