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How to get monstrous calves

How to get monstrous calves

I’ve Been Hiding These 2 Calf Exercises for a Reason

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Hans
Jul 27, 2025
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The Forgotten Key to Huge, Athletic Calves

Most guys obsess over abs, but let’s be honest—you’re not walking around shirtless 24/7.
People see your calves way more often than your abs. You can wear jeans, shorts, or joggers, and if your calves are well-developed, they pop every time you take a step.

Yet calves are one of the most neglected muscle groups in the gym. Most guys hammer shoulders, chest, and arms but treat calves as an afterthought. Or they pound away at standing or seated calf raises, which might add a little size but do nothing for the way your body actually moves.

And that’s a problem, because as we get older, we don’t just lose muscle—we lose functionality.
Most guys think squats and calf raises will save them, but those exercises build show muscles, not go muscles.

If you’ve ever sprinted and felt like you’re jogging in place… or jumped and felt heavy and slow… that’s not just age or extra bodyweight. That’s dysfunction. Squats and seated calf raises don’t fix it—they can even make it worse by teaching your body to move in ways that don’t transfer to real sports.

I know because I used to be that guy.
My all-out sprint looked like a jog.
If I dropped off a chair, I had to sink into a full squat just to absorb the force.
I was strong in the gym but felt slow, clunky, and "disconnected" in my own body.

Then I switched to the two exercises I’m about to share.

Now? I can:

  • Jump to a 36-inch vertical without ever training for vertical jump.

  • Sprint flat-out without worrying about pulling a hamstring.

  • Hit massive precision strides on rocks at the beach like I’ve been training parkour for years.

  • Move with that solid, "springy" feeling in my body all the time.

And it shows—people notice.
The other day at the supplement store, a guy working the whey protein aisle stopped me just to say my calves looked “blown up.”
A courier I helped carry something upstairs couldn’t stop staring at them (my wife had to tell me later because I didn’t even notice, LMAO).

Someone even asked me on Instagram if my extra muscle was making me slower. (The answer? Nope—I’ve never been this fast or explosive.)

The best part?
I haven’t done a traditional calf raise in over a decade. These two exercises build functionality first—and size just happens as a side effect. My calves aren’t just lumps of meat anymore; they’re detailed, striated, and veiny because the whole lower body is working the way it’s supposed to.

These aren’t just calf exercises. They’re lower-body rewiring.
They’ll make you look like an athlete and move like one—even if you’ve never played a sport in your life.

Why You Haven’t Heard Me Talk About These Before

I’ve been safeguarding these two exercises for a reason.
They’re that good.

Up until now, I’ve only shared them inside my DHT PowerAura challenge because honestly… I didn’t want everyone doing them. They’re that effective, and most people wouldn’t even believe how much they can change the way you move until they feel it themselves.

If you’re ready to build explosive, athletic calves that turn heads and make you feel like a coiled spring, here’s how I do it.

P.S. I didn’t come up with these myself; my movement magician (not sure what his proper title is though), Alex Shmuylovich, showed them to me to fix my horrible positioning and lack of functionality. I share these with his permission.

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