There seems to be some discrepancy when I asked a few trainers if Squats and deadlifts work out your calf muscles. Some say they do , some say they don’t. Does anyone know of any research on this question that can help me get the answer?
Thank you.
They work small muscles in your ankles(stability wise, not dynamically) more than your calves. Unless you have extremely weak calf muscles they are not getting worked.
Depends on the weight involved.
In one of Dave Tate’s interviews he was asked a similar question and remarked that REALLY heavy squatting hammers your calves, mostly from walking the weight into position and ATG form.
But that said, I can’t say that I’ve ever ‘felt it in my calves’, so I’d suppose it’s subjective.
I don’t feel squats in my abs either but they are getting works. You aren’t focussed on using your calves to lift the weight, but I personally do believe you are working them, I to have heard it a few times.
[quote]G34RH34D wrote:
Depends on the weight involved.
In one of Dave Tate’s interviews he was asked a similar question and remarked that REALLY heavy squatting hammers your calves, mostly from walking the weight into position and ATG form.
But that said, I can’t say that I’ve ever ‘felt it in my calves’, so I’d suppose it’s subjective. [/quote]
Right, ever seen a really fat guy with skinny calves? Ok, I have, but the vast majority of them have quite impressive calf development. It’s basically from their ankles having to support all that weight while walking around all day. I recall Prof X stated in a thread that his calves didn’t really grow until he got up above 250 (once again suggesting that having to carry all that weight around had a significant effect on his calf size).
Walking a really heavy weight out of the rack would have a similar, though more acute effect. Other exercises like farmers carries and super yolk would likely have a similar effect.
That being said, unless you’re squatting some crazy heavy weight ala Dave Tate, then I doubt that just doing squats and deads is going to provide enough stimulus to your calves to make them hyooge. Now, maybe if you’re Mike Matarazzo they might be enough, but for someone with average calf genetics, you’re probably going to have to include isolation work for calves if you ever want them to reach their potential.