How Arnold Schwarzenegger Trained His Small Calves into Monstrous Cows

Natural Bodybuilding | Muscle Building

Before Arnold became a reputed governor of California, before he became a familiar face in several action box office hits, and even before he won seven Mr. Olympia titles, he was a bodybuilder with great upper body,virtually nonexistent calves by natural bodybuilding. So, hey, if you’re now suffering the embarrassment of having chicken legs, you can still turn them into tree trunks like what The Oak did! Although Arnold probably has mutant genes, it has taken more than his lucky biological composition to turn his biggest weakness into huge diamond-shaped pillars. How exactly did he do this?

First International Competition:

When Arnold first arrived in the US, he didn’t have any calves. Granted, calf development is never a bodybuilder’s top priority, from Arnold’s time up to now. It wasn’t a big deal either in European bodybuilding competitions back in the 1960s. So, Arnold neglected calf training and focused on getting a bigger, more chiseled upper body.

But the Mr. Universe, Arnold’s first international competition, was also his first major defeat. Arnold then learned that his calves are as equally important as the rest of his body. Chet Yorton, who was cut all over and whom the judges favored over Arnold, taught him that natural bodybuilding shouldn’t favor one body part over the other.

His first international defeat and the realization that bodybuilding should be holistic fueled up his need for an intense calf workout. And so Arnold began his grueling training to build the most impressive pair of diamond-shaped calves ever seen.

Facing the Problem Head On:

“The first thing I did was to cut off the bottoms of my training pants. Now my calves were exposed for me and everyone else to see. If they were underdeveloped — and they were — there was no hiding the fact. And the only way I could change the situation was to train my calves so hard and so intensely that the back of my legs would come to resemble huge boulders.
At first, this was embarrassing. The other bodybuilders in the gym could see my weakness and they constantly made comments. But the plan eventually paid off. No longer able to ignore my calves, I was determined to build them into one of my best body parts. Physiologically, it was a brutal way to accomplish this, but it worked, and that is what I really cared about. Within one year my calves grew tremendously, and the comments I got in the gym were complimentary rather than critical.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

This just showed that Arnold was very determined to transform his calves, to the point of cutting off all his training pants. The embarrassment he was suffering every day gave him a lot of motivation and a sense of urgency to fire up his calf training and muscle building.

The Training:

Arnold then asked Reg Park, a former Mr. Universe champion and Arnold’s earliest childhood inspiration, for guidance in his calf training. Reg’s advice: overload the training and go hard and heavy. Arnold saw how Reg could pile 1,000 pounds on the calf machine and keep working out until he could no longer move the monstrous load.

Soon, Arnold was also using 1,000 pounds on his calf training and he could already carry three huge guys on his back on his donkey calf raises. He trained six times a week and his calves grew so fast! There were even rumors that he had calf implants because of this sudden transformation.

20” Diamonds:

When he won the 1973 Mr. Olympia, Arnold’s calves were measured at an awesome 20” in diameter. True to his words, Arnold’s calves were considered one of the best pairs of diamonds around. His great dedication and gruesome volume training turned his peg legs into huge pillars of fame and success.