Bringing Up My Tri's and Calves?

Hi! New poster so will give some stats. 5’7" 175lbs (around 8% bf). Been lifting for about 7 years but only really properly since last summer (thats when i realised i wasn’t going to grow by eating chicken salads).

Any way i know i need to add size all over, which i full intend on doing but my Triceps and calves are starting to lag. Its now getting to the point where my weak Tri’s are causing my Chest training to suffer. So here is an example of a routine i’m thinking of giving a go.

Chest, Triceps, Calves

Pec Dec (2 sets 10-12 to pre-exhaust)
Incline DB Press (1wup 2-3 work)
Hammer Wide or Flat Press (2 wk)
Flat DB Fly (2wk)
Close Grip BP (1wp 2-3 wk)
Skull Crushers (2 wk)
Rope press down (2 wk)
Standing Calve raise (FST-7)

Back, Traps, Rear Delts

Reverse Grip Pull down (2wp 2 wk)
Bent Over Row (1wp 2 wk)
Pull up (2wk to failure)
Hammer Row Machine/Cable Row (2 wk)
Rear Delt Fly (2wk)
Shrugs (1 wp 2-3wk)
Hyperextension (1wp 2-3 wk)

DAY OFF

Delts, Triceps, Biceps

Shoulder warm up (100 reps)
Lateral Raise (1wp 3wk)
DB Shoulder Press (3wk)
Front Raise (3wk)
Tricep Push Down (1wp 3wk)
Dips (1wp 2wk)
Over Head DB Ext (2-3 wk)
Ez Bar curl (1 wp 2 wk)
Iso Curl Machine (2 wk)
Hammer Curl/Reverse Curl (2wk)

Legs

Squats (3 wp 3 wk)
Leg Press (1wp 3 wk)
Leg Ext (2wk)
Leg Curl (1wp 3wk)
Stiff Leg DL (1wp 2 wk)
Standing Calve (1wp 3wk)
Seated Calve (3wk)

TWO DAYS OFF then repeat.

I normally do straight sets on my working sets and all to failure (with the odd forced rep or rest pause). Fodder intake is 3200-3500 cals a day. Protein is about 250g, fat about 80-90g and Carbs to fill the rest. Cardio 1-3 times a week depending on how fast i’m getting fat.

Is there any reason why this wouldn’t work? Sure everything is getting rested and worked fully. Only thing i think is that it might be a bit high volume as i tend to respond better to low volume, heavy sets.

or if you want, follow a powerlifting split (5/3/1, Jaugernaut, etc) if you prefer heavy sets.

And eat better foods. If you get fat from 3500 calories and that work out, you are lying about your food intake or your work outs are not intense enough.

How does it compare to current volume? Especially with regards to tricep and calves

I eat clean 90% of the time but tend to have two or three cheat meals a week when bulking. I didn’t mean i got mega fat just if i noticed i was getting soft a bit too fast i would up the cardio rather than reduce what i eat.

I have no idea what 5/3/1 or Jaugernaut are? That split you posted looks good but i struggle to make time for 4 times a week and wouldn’t be able to do five every week.

Right now i’m still in the last two weeks of shedding the gut so i’m doing a bit more volume as i don’t really have the energy to do heavy stuff past the first few sets. Before i would work:

Chest, Biceps
Legs, Calves
Off
Delts, Triceps
Back, Traps
Off
Off

Tricep work would be:

Close Grip BP 1wup 2 wk (6-8 reps)
Over Head Rope (high pully) 2 wk (8-10)
Press Down 2 wk (8-10)
Reverse Grip Press Down 1 wk (12-15)

Calves would be:

Standing Calve Raise 1-2wp 3 work (10-12 rest pause last set)
Seated Calve 2wk (8-10)

Would also sometimes work Calves before my Quads and Hams.

[quote]ESX wrote:
I eat clean 90% of the time but tend to have two or three cheat meals a week when bulking. I didn’t mean i got mega fat just if i noticed i was getting soft a bit too fast i would up the cardio rather than reduce what i eat.

I have no idea what 5/3/1 or Jaugernaut are? That split you posted looks good but i struggle to make time for 4 times a week and wouldn’t be able to do five every week.[/quote]

Read the whole thread. There is more then one split.

you struggle going to the gym, but as soon as you feel a little flab, you do cardio three times a week? Doesn’t make sense to me, sorry.

You are not alone, you just need to eat more and add some intensity.

You don’t need to bring up your tri’s and calves, you need to bring everything up. I wish there was an easier way, but there is not.

Stop thinking anorexic vampire look and start thinking bodybuilding look.

Also, Lee Labrada was 5’6", 185lbs in his prime. Are you saying you look almost like him?

"Stop thinking anorexic vampire look and start thinking bodybuilding look. "

Haha! Yeah that would probably help!

Cardio can be done when walking the dog in the wee hours before i go to work. Thats how i find the time. I think, you think that i’m paranoid about putting on a bit of fat incase my abs fade. I don’t care about that as i’d rather be bigger and not have abs than an anorexic vampire with them. I add cardio if my weight is going up too fast. Much too fast for even half to be anything that resembles muscle.

Well i’ll have a look at all that link you posted and will give something more basic a try! I’m sure im making this more complicated than it needs to be its just summer coming and my lower legs resemble Justin Biebers wrist and my Mrs has a better side tricep pose than me!!

Ta for the help bud!

I think the split you posted looks good. I’m doing the same myself, except Im focusing on triceps and rear delts atm, and subsequently hitting them both twice a week.

Your on a cut and wondering why your Tris and Calves aren’t growing? Your workout looks fine. I wouldn’t expect anything to grow during a calorie deficit. Just holding on to the muscle is tough enough.

Only been on a cut the last 10 weeks.

To be fair i probably just need a bit more time stuffing my face and lifting, and less time worrying about lagging calves on a 170lb frame.

Thought i would bump this as its been 6 months and my arms have grow 0 inches. Not even 1/8th of an inch!

I did the routine i posted above for about a month and didn’t like it so switched to a 5 day split. I train my Tri’s after Chest, Bi’s after Back on monday and tuesday. Then on friday have an arms day. I give my arms 6-8 sets after chest/back then i’ve been playing about with the volume and intensity on the arms day. From just 6 sets for heavy weight, to 14 sets, drop sets, super sets. Normally give it 4-6 weeks, measure the arms then up the volume when i notice no growth. so started at 6, then 9, then 12 etc. The weight on the bar goes up, body weight goes up (10lbs since march) but no arm size increase!

I’m kind of hoping someone has a magic routine that will put on about 2 inches in a year! But i’d be happy with 1!

EAT MORE–> GROW

MAGIC!

10 lb of weight gain in 6 months. Probably more than that and you’re saying to eat more? Are you fat by any chance? Do you have 14" arms with 4" of fat over the top like a hell of a lot of posters on this forum who take the EAT MORE advice? I eat enough to gain, yet remain lean enough so i don’t have to cut every 6 months.

How big are your arms now?

Are you now 5’7 185 with 8% BF? Or has your BF gone up much? Either way, that is extremely large, how are you measuring your BF?

What is your strength like (for a guide).

Arms are 16". Body fat is about 12% i’d guess @ 182 lbs.

No idea on 1 rep max’s as never tried.

Squat 120kg for 8-10, Leg press 380kg for 10, incline bench 45kg DBs for 6-8 having pre-exhausted chest. Those are top set weights once ramped. Tricep dip body weight + 30kg for 8-10. Bar curl 37.5kg for 6-8. All with good form (except the curls whick i’ll cheat the last couple).

[quote]ESX wrote:
Arms are 16". Body fat is about 12% i’d guess @ 182 lbs.

No idea on 1 rep max’s as never tried.

Squat 120kg for 8-10, Leg press 380kg for 10, incline bench 45kg DBs for 6-8 having pre-exhausted chest. Those are top set weights once ramped. Tricep dip body weight + 30kg for 8-10. Bar curl 37.5kg for 6-8. All with good form (except the curls whick i’ll cheat the last couple).[/quote]

You will just have to keep growing all over, i.e. eating more. No NOT ‘just getting fat.’

Based on your other post if you want “2 inches” on your arms you are going to have to gain a lot of muscle, 5’7 natural lean with 17-18 inch arms is very large. It will take time, i.e. years, not just a few months of doing a secret Russian blitz routine.

As a guide, it is often suggested 1 inch growth equates to a gain of 15lbs of bodyweight. As far as I know Mighty Stu competes with 17 arms at your height and around 18 when he weighs 195-205 (and is still around 12% BF).

So I would imagine you will need to gain a good 20lbs (maybe alot more) to go from your 16 to 17.5-18. Hopefully it goes without saying that you must also get much much stronger with the 20lbs gain, and to look to gain it over a long period (12-18 months imo).

Again, expect it to take a long time and alot of effort/focus on them in particular.

What is your current arm routine? Is the tricep routine the same as you posted above?

Just curious more than anything.

My routine is:

After chest: EZ bar French press and press downs. 7 or 8 sets.
After Back: Hammer curl and machine preacher curls. 6-8 sets.
On arm day i’ll normally do a tricep movement, then bicep and carry on like that.
Press down 4 sets
Reverse curl 4 sets
Dip machine 3-4 sets
Cable row curl 3 sets
Cable over head Ez extension thing 3 sets
EZ curls 2 sets (heavy)

Thats what i was doing but will be changing up to lower volume for a while.

I don’t really expect to add 2" to my arms. But 1" would be nice. I’m gaining everwhere else which is the annoying thing as with my shoulders, chest and back getting bigger, my arms appear smaller!

I’m no expert but maybe not working arms for about a month or so could help. I’ve gained 15 pounds and didn’t do arms the whole time and they grew an inch. I think sometimes certain muscles need a good break. They will still be getting hit enough from chest and back days to be stimulated though.

Your stats are not correct if those are your lifts. Sorry.