You always hear that if you’re not born with calves, good luck getting them, but that wasn’t the case for Dorian Yates. In a recent Instagram post shared on Nov. 11, 2025, “The Shadow” broke down how he built his calves up by six inches during his career.
In the 1990s, Dorian Yates was an outlier in the Men’s Open. He didn’t sport the streamlined aesthetics that other talents like Flex Wheeler had. Instead, Yates relied on freakish muscle density and granite conditioning to overpower his opponents onstage.
It was a winning recipe; he left the sport on top with six Mr. Olympia titles (1992-1997). However, he dealt with challenges along the way. In addition to battling injuries, Yates needed to grow his calves to present a proportionate physique. He managed to bring them up strategically, admitting to only training them once every six days.
Dorian Yates Explains How He Grew ‘Stubborn’ Calves By Six Inches With Two Exercises
In the video, Yates explained that lifters should train calves like any other muscle: hard with intensity.
“Train calves like any other muscle, hard with intensity.
They’re often left as an afterthought but you should be training them as hard as you’re training your chest, back and so on.”
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He shared that it only took two exercises and two working sets every six days to grow the calves by six inches.
“I managed to grow my calves by 6 inches from 16.5inches to 22.5inch by training with just two exercises and total 2 working sets to failure once every 6 days. A massive 6 inch increase… proof that you don’t need to do more.”
Yates clapped back at the idea that calves must be trained daily, highlighting his less-is-more mentality.
“One thing I’ve heard over the years is that “you need to train calves everyday because they are stubborn and you walk on them all the time.” Well, why is duplicating this with high reps going to change them?” Dorian Yates shared.
Yates hasn’t been the only bodybuilding legend to unearth his calf training strategy. Former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler also explained how he built 20-inch calves during the prime years of his tenure. He favored the standing calf raise most for helping with progress.
Having carried the sport on his back for six years, Yates hasn’t forgotten what methods worked and what fell short. He believes training the calves every six days with intensity is more than enough stimulus to force growth.
RELATED: Dorian Yates Not a Fan of ‘Reps in Reserve’: “It’s Called a Wanker’s Workout”
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