I’m a woman and I have big calves. I think it’s a genetic thing, plus I think they got more muscle definition from horseback riding. I’m rather self-concious about them, though.
Well, you’ll be all set if those male capris pants stay in fashion.
I wonder what those calf implants look like at 70?
I read somewhere years ago that calves have something like 3x the muscle fiber of thighs, translating to the potential for building extremely large calves. The downside is that despite all of the muscle fiber, they’re extremely difficult to build, as this thread can attest.
I don’t have a cite, but I remember reading somewhere that calf machines are effectively useless for building muscle. They were speaking from the perspective that normal walking applies something like 2 tons per day direct weight, while working 3 sets on a machine pales in comparison.
Does anyone know of a similar cite?
I have pretty nice calf muscles (per wifey), but mine are from a lifetime of soccer and tennis. I truly think that nice calf muscles and legs in general are gotten from loads of physical activity (I also think that sports with lots of lateral movement are better for legs, but I can’t back this up either).
-Cem
I’ve heard many people say that calves are the hardest place to add mass, and this seems to be true among the guys I work with (and work out with).
I, however, have been genetically blessed with big, well-defined calves. It’s sort of a cruel mismatch, because while my thighs and calves are pretty bulky, God has made me pay for it by giving me the chest of a 12-year-old boy. The arms aren’t bad, but nothing remarkable, either.
I’m a pretty enthusiastic cyclist, but I don’t credit the bike for building calf muscles…they’ve really always been there. It’s just added a little the the “chiseling.”
The calf machine I was refering to uses this approach. The bar one stands on is raised off the ground, allowing the user to lower his heels below the level of the toes in order to give a fuller range of movement.
While I appreciate a well shaped female leg, I have no predilection for calves. But someone somewhere will find anything sexy.
Calf exercises when weightlifting (barbell raise, seated calf raise, leg press) tend to work both the soleus and the gastrocnemii. A better way to do them is to alternate the foot ankle to work both gastrocnemii more. People who work out often don’t get bigger calves since these i)require specific exercises, you need something that works out the calf and “the usual routines” usually don’t, and ii) calves are built for walking, are relatively elastic, and (IMO) to get results you need to do these exercises slowly, that is, holding the muscle in contraction for several seconds. (Chad Waterbury, a respected coach, suggests five second contractions at www.t-nation.com).
For those that want to see large calves on a woman, I recommend checking out Maggie Gyllenhaal (sp?). In Secretary for particular. Her calves are huge and more comic than attractive.
Probably because good calves are hard to get and genetics plays a major role. I think people tend to be attracted to things that are rare and difficult to obtain generally. Same with six-pack abs.
As a male, I like good calves on women, too, but they seem to have them more frequently than men.
In my 18 years of working out fairly regularly, I’ve noticed that I almost never see anyone working on their calves or forearms, and I attribute that fact to the limited return for ridiculous amounts of effort involved. You’ve only got so much time at the gym and you can’t spend a half hour doing wrist curls and another half hour doing standing and sitting calf raises. You wouldn’t have time to do anything else, at least not if you’re like most people.
If there were a law passed tomorrow requiring men to perfom sets of calf raises and of biceps curls in a one-to-one ratio, every man in America would have huge calves. People believe that having big calves requires good genes, so they don’t train them and they don’t get big calves.
Like Cemetery Savior mentioned, the calves get more than enough high-volume low intensity work on a day-to-day basis, and so the slow-twitch fibers are generally pretty well-developed. The implication is obvious: if you want big calves, train to hit the fast-twitch fibers (which have a greater potential for hypertrophy anyway). This means big weights, and the easiest way to do that is by squatting or deadlifting.
Now, can somebody refer us to some that are more attractive than comic?
hh 
LMAO
Probably like a breast job at 70. In other words, you don’t want to know. :eek:
I’ve always had naturally muscly calves. In fact, I always thought it was my best feature. Woohoo!
Wait a minute, some people actually WANT big calves?
Wow, mine are solid, not much fat on them and I curse them all the time.
I just can’t fit into those really great boots 
OK, ultrafilter, you’re on. Starting Monday I’ll do it and we’ll see what happens in a few months.
I used to have really wimpy calves, and I thought they were unattractive. My legs didn’t look like nice curvey girl legs. My quads were overdeveloped, but my calves were nothin’. I attribute it mostly to poor posture.
I improved my posture, took up running, and did some resistance training (including the seated calf raise, where you extend your legs on the leg press, and the point your toes) and now I cut a much finer figure in a pair of shorts, IMHO, and I’m lookin’ forward to summer.
I regret to inform you Podkayne, but your post is nothing without pics. Multiple angle shots and inclusion of the quads are a must. There is nothing better than the brutal honesty of an anonymous poster to comment on your developing calves.
Maybe she doesn’t want you looking at her legs. Maybe she would want some hot, sexy, rich guy looking at her legs. Maybe like Dr_Paprika, after all he is a doctor. 
Who’s calves are sexier?
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/681/sa4000100eg.jpg
Is that at the MOSI exhibit?