Kai Greene is one of the most highly rated bodybuilders of the modern era. The long dreads have earned him the nickname ‘The Predator’ and his freakish physique has lead to prestigious IFBB pro status. One thing that always stood out on the competition stage was Greene’s massive Hulk-like calves. Let’s broaden down and look at how he built them!
About Kai Greene
Kai Greene is an IFBB professional bodybuilder. According to the colossal star, he considers himself a multi-professional. On his online profiles, he labels himself as a professional bodybuilder, personal trainer, artist, and actor.
Kai didn’t have the easiest of starts to life due to a problematic home setting. From the age of six, he would move around different foster homes for the next ten years. This was the typical life for young black teens.
During these hard and trying times, the future star found solace in bodybuilding. Knowing he had a passion to become a visual artist, he used his body as an advantage.
With the situation present at the time he was introduced to the idea of the building by a teacher. His vigour growth and development caught the eye of the teacher. The rest is history and a start was born.
He soon established himself as one of the most highly rated bodybuilders. Kai Greene has appeared on the Mr Olympia stage and has also been crowned a multi-time champion at the Arnold Classic.
The Calves
One of Kai’s most distinct feature is his well-formed massive calves. They are massive and wrapped together to form a ‘Godzilla like an alien monster’. All this did not happen by chance but he had to struggle. He has confessed that it has taken him over 20 years to achieve all this.
The ‘giant’ has recognized that hard work and dedication come to hand to hand if you want to achieve this physique. It requires a combination of different elements to achieve this alien-like look. Symmetry is a must.
He makes sure that every muscle in the body is trained feels the heat of lifting loads. If you the kind of bro who has the tendency to give excuses for skipping certain workouts sessions, then you are not welcomed here.
Being Kai
Kai’s method for targeting every single tricky muscle is alternating heels. So, instead of settling for the same position every time he’ll switch things up mid-set. For example, on a set of 12 calf raises, he might blast 6 with heels facing in, followed by 6 heel-out variations. Kai is a big believer in keeping the mind in the muscle.
When crushing his calves he goes deep into the tissue with his consciousness or mind-to-muscle connection. He constantly checks in to see if he can feel the fibres working and where he’s hitting the hardest.
Kai Greene Workout Routine
Who wouldn’t want to grow calves half as impressive as Kai’s? That’s why you’re here, of course!
Our team of expert trainers have constructed this workout routine to ensure you practice just like Kai. They carefully studied footage of ‘The Predator’ training to witness exactly how he gets those calves. Then, they took vital information and made a well-planned routine.
Remember to switch your foot positioning halfway through every single set. There are absolutely no excuses, keep on pushing! Some scientists have suggested that altering positioning does, in fact, it causes greater muscle activation in different parts of the calves.
So down your favourite flavour of pre-workout, set up a killer pump inducing playlist, and let’s do this!
1a. Donkey Calf Raise – 3 x 26
2a. Standing Calf Raise – 4 x 16
2b. Seated Calf Raise – 4 x 16
3a. Jump Simulation Calf Raise – 4 x 20
3b. Tibialis Anterior Raise – 4 x 20
Calf Muscles 101
The main role of the calf muscles is to contract and cause plantar flexion of the foot. You can probably here this motion as an ankle extension. Think of a calf raise, and the ankle joint opening, then you’ll get to understand what we are trying to articulate here.
Muscles that make up our calves:
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
Below we will scrutinize them broadly
Gastrocnemius
It’s a superficial muscle of course. Our gastroc is formed of two heads, which give it a diamond-like shape. It is situated on the posterior of our lower leg, starting slightly above the knee and stretching down to our heel. It’s considered to be a biarticular muscle, as it crosses two joints.
Its primary involvement takes place when we run, jump, or perform any other explosively “fast” leg movements. This is because when contracted, the Gastrocnemius causes foot plantar flexion and knee flexion, propelling us in a certain direction.
Type II muscle fibers dominate the Gastrocnemius (hence why it provides explosivity). Therefore, for some bodybuilders, the muscle responds very well to hypertrophy style resistance training.
Soleus
Origin: Tibia/Fibula
The soleus inserts into the heel bone and plays a pivotal part in plantar flexion. This is evident during aerobic walking due to its majority of slow twitch muscle fibers.
Without soleus, we’d all be screwed. That’s because it is the constant tug of this misunderstood muscle that stops us from falling forwards when standing. It also pumps blood back to our heart when we stand stationary too!
According to doctors, the human soleus is comprised of predominantly type I – slow twitch fibers. It typically varies between 60-100% depending on the dude.
This is why it plays a larger role in walking than the Gastrocnemius. Because slow twitch fibers are less susceptible to fatigue, they’re better suited to support aerobic activity.
Training: Rearing Calves Into Rodeo Ready Steers
The main workout used to target the posterior lower leg muscles is the calf raise. To make sure you hit both muscles your workout should contain both standing and seated variations. This is because when standing the gastrocnemius has free reign to dominate the movement. Due to the muscle crossing both the knee and ankle joint, it is allowed to work from its complete full length.
However, in a seated calf raise, the knee joint is flexed. Consequently, this means that the gastrocnemius is situated in a shorted position, and can’t contract as much.
Parting shot
Finally, Kai is a huge advocate of keeping the mind and workout close. Follow this workout plan and you are sure to be if not like Kai a massive monster. Stop wandering and daydreaming, hit the gym and keep you mind conscience.