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SUNDAY MOTIVATION

EXERCISE OF THE DAY

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HOW DO I GROW MY CALVES 🐮

If you ask 10 people who’ve worked out for years which muscle is the hardest to grow, 9 out of 10 will say their calves. 

I wouldn’t recommend actually doing this survey as it can be a sore spot, but it’s true. Whether you’re just starting or are a gym veteran, you’re probably wondering how to get your calves to catch up finally.

I’m here to help.

You'll probably get the same answer if you ask those same lifters when they do calves. “I do them at the end of leg day.” 

It makes sense. They are smaller muscles, and squats and deadlifts require a lot more focus and carry a lot greater risk if you don’t do them when you’re fresh.

But let me ask this question. If your top priority at work was finishing a quick but important report, would you think it’s wise to save it until the end of a very stressful day? Or, would you be more likely to get it done if you tackle it early in the day?

I’d wager that even if you got the report done at the end of the day, you’d be more likely to skip some steps, fudge some information, and do whatever just technically to get it done.

Technically, getting it done may work for a daily TSP report, but your calves aren’t that forgiving.

Instead, it would help if you made your calves a priority. 

TRY THIS:

1. Doing calves earlier in your workout: Try to move your calve work up to your second or third workout. You can do it after squats or leg press to rest your quads and hamstrings and give them the highest chance to grow!

2. Doing calves multiple times per week: Once a week is great, but adding two to three times a week will help you get significant growth-driving volume.

3. Slow down and feel the stretch: Don’t just work to get through the reps. You need to slow down and feel the bottom stretch on every rep to get it done and do it well.

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HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I NEED?

Prottttteein! When you think of building muscle, whether you have a PhD in nutrition or just drive by a Planet Fitness on the way to work, you probably think of protein. It’s one of the three main macronutrients (nutrients the body needs in large amounts) and what lean muscle is made out of.

Protein is the building block of muscles, helps increase strength and muscle mass when combined with lifting weights, and can help keep your muscle you’re losing fat. So, even if you have very limited knowledge of the gym and nutrition, you’re 100% right. You NEED protein when going to the gym.

But the question is, how much?

If you look at old magazines or forums, you might see that the more protein, the better. Some people will argue that you need 2 or even 3 times your body weight in protein to maximize your gains. Yet, if you look at a nutrition label, you’ll see the % needed is way lower. Which is correct?

More is not better.

Muscles are made of protein, but you also need carbs and fat to help fuel your workouts and keep you healthy. Plus, there is a point of diminishing returns for protein where more doesn’t necessarily mean more muscle building.

Conversely, the RDA (the recommended amount of protein that is referenced on nutrition labels) is the minimum requirement for 97.5% of the adult population. It is in no way a recommendation to maximize muscle growth, only to prevent muscle wasting.

Aim for 1.6 - 2.4 g/kg or 0.7 - 1.1 g/lb of body weight.

If you are cutting, choose the higher end of the range, and if you are bulking, you can go towards the lower end.

Make sure you choose quality protein sources to help maximize your muscle growth, and get ready to gain some quality muscle!

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Have a great Sunday everyone. I hope you all have a solid start to the week!

GO BEARS!

BOOM 👊 - Joey Swoll