So today, Calve, B, Lbi, Ab is on tap to workout to exhaustion.  For the calves, here's something that stresses them well beyond the usual calf raises routines:

   It seems like it should be easy to fully stimulate the calve muscle fibers to exhaustion, but the difficulty with those is (1.) in developing a variety of stress angles and (2.) going all the way with maximum intensity.  

   Try this technique on the floor.  Lay on your back and stretch out your limbs like you are on ‘the rack’.  Doesn’t that back stretch feel good?   Now, reach for ‘infinity’ with both feet, pointing your big toes out as far as you can.  

   If you can feel your calve muscles flexing hard, that is good.  That’s what you want.  Hold that pose and even flex them harder.  Don’t let go of the flex, rather, contract the muscles firmer, i.e., increase the intensity.  

   The angle of ‘attack’, or stress, can be varied by first slowly turning your foot outward, stressing the calve, and then turning it inward, changing the position of the calve while maintaining the pressure on it.  Press the floor with the side of each foot and to add more and different resistance.   Feel the flex happening, throughout the movement and hold it intensely.  

   This may cause some discomfort at some point, because those muscle fibers are not used to being stressed like that in every day usage and even in your past workouts.  

   Remember to do this very, very slowly, stopping the movement (hold the pose) at several points while maintaining, and/or even increasing, the intense flex.   

   You may even feel like your calve is ‘cramping up’.  That discomfort is not unusual, but if you need to, just release the flex and relax for a few seconds, and then flex it some more at a slightly different angle or position of attack.  

   Isolated muscle exhaustion is the goal here.  You’ll know when you’ve reached that level.  Then, it’s time to move on to another muscle group.  Happy flexing!