Donkey Calf RaisesMuscles Worked
Donkey calf raises work your calves, especially the gastrocnemius, because bending at the hips with straight knees stretches it hard at the bottom of each rep. This old-school bodybuilding move is done on a donkey machine, with the pad on your hips and your torso leaning forward.
PrimaryCalves
- Equipment
- Other
- Level
- Intermediate
- Type
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
How to do it
- Step into the donkey calf machine, bend forward at the hips and set the pad across your lower back and hips.
- Hold the handles, stand with the front of each foot on the edge of the block and your heels hanging free, and straighten your knees without locking them.
- Lower your heels slowly until you feel a deep stretch through your calves.
- Press through the balls of your feet to rise as high as you can, and squeeze your calves at the top.
- Return slowly into the stretch and repeat, keeping your knees and hips still.
Form tips
- Keep your back flat and let your arms rest on the handles; the forward lean should come from your hips.
- Pause in the stretch for a moment on each rep, since that bent-over stretch is what sets this variation apart.
Why it made the list
No. 10 of 11
Best Calf Exercises
Classic bodybuilding calf exercise. Stretched position provides great gastrocnemius activation.
More calf exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Donkey Calf Raises sets in KasMaker and watch your calves fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
