*** The 2013 Gym Rats Thread ***

BigPecsPeter said:
Lolz.

Yup, no need for calf isolation in order to have strong compound lifts.

The problem is those people who deride it because "well, it's a waste of time since u only needz calves 4 running n stuffz". As if the only thing that matters to the fitness world is having big oly bar lifts. They forget that the majority of guys in the gym are there to develop decent balanced physiques, and couldn't care less that they'll never take 200 below parallel.
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Of course, if aesthetics are your goal, then calves are high on the list of things that people want to look good.
 
Steedie said:
I do a lot of my seated calf work on the leg press. But I do find that I'm able to hit the calves a bit better if my legs aren't completely straight, a slight bend in the knee helps me feel it 100% in my calves, while as when I have a straight leg, I feel it in my feet more
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Straight leg = gastrocnemius.
Bent leg = soleus.

Calves shoot the blood back up your legs like two smaller hearts :)
 
Freefaller said:
Forearms really...
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EkRHcv6.gif
 
On the subject of calves, when doing standing calf raises at home is it best to use a block or flat ground ok?

I was using a homemade block out of bits of 4x2 but it got lost when moving, so just been doing flat ground recently.
 
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Ooo calves. We haven't got a machine at my gym other than the seated calf raise so it's a case of:
Leg press - feels okay
Seated machine - I seem to cramp on these quicker than anything else
Using the hack squat - turning so you're facing the machine, toes on part of the frame rather than the foot plate, haven't tried yet
Smith machine - do not like due to trying to use plates to stand on to make a deficit and finding the fixed position of the bar feels sucky
Squat rack - if it's free, unracking and moving about to stand on plates for the deficit can be fiddly, plus like the Smith the weight is on the shoulders)

Indecisive... I'm currently just using the leg press since you can put the most weight on it (e.g. using the Smith the weight sits uncomfortably on my shoulders). Need to try the hack squat variation at some point.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
It was pretty obvious but still takes a huge amount of effort to get that strong in the first place.
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A lot of training. But achieved in little time. A natural woman would rarely ever achieve that. And the olympic weight lifters, whatever people might claim, are on all sorts of crap at various points throughout the training phase
 
I'm looking to get into the gym soon but it is very confusing knowing where to start and what to do when you literally first start out, I know obviously that just by starting I will see an improvement cuz i'm going from nothing to working my muscles, but I want to work things properly and do it right. Is there any recommended "you cant go wrong" starting guides or anything like that? i'm not looking to be a body builder or anything like that, the primary things i've done throughout my life are Football, Sprinting and Tennis and all three of those have very similar physiques, they're strong and clearly defined but clearly never gonna be body builders, and given those are the activities i'm most likely to participate in aiming for that kind of build is what i'd like, any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated, as my experience in a gym specifically isnt too high, thank you :)

Edit: I just read the ultimate beginners guide, that is very helpful for sure, and I will follow it, but if anyone has any other tips or suggestions it'd be greatly appreciated, cycling to work maybe for example? things like that? :) thank you
 
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