Does bending over stretch the calves more than standing upright?

No. The gastrocnemius crosses the knee and the ankle but not the hip, and in a study of passive ankle stretches in nine adults, bending the hip to 90 degrees left gastrocnemius tension unchanged at any given ankle angle while reducing how far the ankle could bend upward. The calf is worked long in this exercise because the knees stay straight and the heels drop below the step.

Is this exercise better than standing calf raises?

Not for the calves themselves, since both keep the knees straight and move the ankle through the same range, so both exercises are effective and can be used together. The donkey position helps once you add weight, because the load sits over the hips instead of on the shoulders and the spine is not compressed.

How do I add weight without a donkey calf machine?

Wear a dip belt with a plate or dumbbell hanging from it, or have a training partner sit on your hips, which is how the exercise was traditionally loaded. Before either, doing the reps one leg at a time is the simplest way to make body weight harder.

How many reps should I do?

With body weight only, most people need 15 to 30 controlled reps to bring a set close to failure. Once 30 come easily, switch to single-leg reps or add a dip belt rather than doing ever longer sets.

Why do I feel a stretch in the back of my thighs?

Hinging forward with straight knees puts the hamstrings on stretch, so tight hamstrings are often felt before the calves. If they stop you reaching the position, rest your hands on a taller support so you bend over less, rather than bending your knees.

Donkey Calf Raise

What Is the Donkey Calf Raise?

Donkey Calf Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the calves, specifically the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. It is a beginner-level movement that can be performed with just body weight, as shown here, or with additional resistance for progression.

The exercise takes its name from the bent-over position: the hands rest on a bench, the hips hinge until the torso is close to parallel with the floor, and the balls of the feet stand on a step so the heels can drop below the toes. Traditionally, donkey calf raises were performed with a training partner sitting on the hips for added resistance, but most gyms now offer specialized machines for this movement. The lean is often credited with a deeper calf stretch, but the gastrocnemius crosses the knee and the ankle, not the hip, so bending over does not lengthen it any further than standing tall does.

What does matter is that the knees stay straight, which keeps the gastrocnemius long through every rep, just as in a standing calf raise. In a 12-week study of untrained adults, calf raises on a standing machine with the knee straight grew both gastrocnemius heads far more than seated calf raises with the knee bent to 90 degrees, while the soleus grew about the same in both. The practical advantage of the donkey position shows up once weight is added: the load sits over the hips rather than on the shoulders, so the spine is not compressed the way it is under a heavy standing calf raise.

The bodyweight version builds calf size, strength and endurance with nothing more than a bench and a step, which makes it a good fit for home training, higher-rep calf work and anyone whose back or shoulders object to a loaded standing calf raise. If the stretch at the bottom is hard to control, start with the Bodyweight Calf Raise on flat ground. Stronger lifters outgrow body weight quickly and move on to single-leg reps, a dip belt or the Machine Donkey Calf Raise.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Gastrocnemius (Lateral Head): Primary
Gastrocnemius (Medial Head): Primary
Soleus: High
Peroneus Longus: Medium

Instructions

Place a low step or sturdy platform just behind the end of a flat bench.
Stand on the step with the balls of your feet on its edge, feet about hip-width apart and toes pointing forward, heels hanging off.
Hinge forward at the hips and rest your hands on the bench with your arms straight, until your torso is close to parallel with the floor.
Keep your knees straight, your back flat and your head in line with your spine.
Lower your heels slowly below the step until you feel a strong stretch in your calves, and pause for a moment.
Push through the balls of your feet and raise your heels as high as possible.
Hold the contraction at the top for a second before slowly lowering back down.
Repeat for the desired number of reps, keeping your hips and knees still throughout.

Common Mistakes

Bouncing at the bottom
Rebounding out of the stretch lets the Achilles tendon's spring do part of the work, so pause briefly with the heels down before rising.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the heels drop below the step or before they reach full height leaves part of the calf's range untrained.
Bending the knees
Letting the knees bend shortens the gastrocnemius and turns the movement toward a seated calf raise, so keep the legs straight throughout.
Rounding or sagging the back
Letting the lower back round or drop in the hinge strains the spine, so keep a flat back and let the hands on the bench share the load.
Rolling onto the outer foot
Letting the ankles roll out toward the little toes at the top shifts the work away from the big toe, so press evenly through the balls of both feet.

Injuries

Donkey Calf Raise is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only body weight, the hands on the bench take part of it, and the feet stay on a low step, so there is little to go wrong beyond overuse.

The Achilles tendon takes the most stress, especially in the deep stretch at the bottom. Bouncing out of that position, adding many reps or sets at once, or jumping straight to single-leg reps can leave the tendon sore. Lower slowly, pause briefly at the bottom and add volume gradually. The lower back is the other strain point: if the spine rounds or sags in the hinge, the back ends up holding the position instead of the hips. Keep the back flat and set up with the hands on a support tall enough that you can hinge without the knees bending, since tight hamstrings are what usually pull the back out of position.

To make it easier, do the Bodyweight Calf Raise on flat ground or shorten how far the heels drop. To make it harder, pause longer in the stretch, work one leg at a time, add a dip belt or move to the Machine Donkey Calf Raise. Single-leg reps load the Achilles tendon much more than two-leg reps, so add them only once two-leg sets feel easy.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the calf or the Achilles tendon, or a sudden pop or snap at the back of the ankle. Soreness at the back of the heel that is still there the next morning is a sign to cut volume until it settles.

Overview

Primary Focus: Calves
Equipment: Bench, body weight, and step platform
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does bending over stretch the calves more than standing upright?: No. The gastrocnemius crosses the knee and the ankle but not the hip, and in a study of passive ankle stretches in nine adults, bending the hip to 90 degrees left gastrocnemius tension unchanged at any given ankle angle while reducing how far the ankle could bend upward. The calf is worked long in this exercise because the knees stay straight and the heels drop below the step.
Q: Is this exercise better than standing calf raises?: Not for the calves themselves, since both keep the knees straight and move the ankle through the same range, so both exercises are effective and can be used together. The donkey position helps once you add weight, because the load sits over the hips instead of on the shoulders and the spine is not compressed.
Q: How do I add weight without a donkey calf machine?: Wear a dip belt with a plate or dumbbell hanging from it, or have a training partner sit on your hips, which is how the exercise was traditionally loaded. Before either, doing the reps one leg at a time is the simplest way to make body weight harder.
Q: How many reps should I do?: With body weight only, most people need 15 to 30 controlled reps to bring a set close to failure. Once 30 come easily, switch to single-leg reps or add a dip belt rather than doing ever longer sets.
Q: Why do I feel a stretch in the back of my thighs?: Hinging forward with straight knees puts the hamstrings on stretch, so tight hamstrings are often felt before the calves. If they stop you reaching the position, rest your hands on a taller support so you bend over less, rather than bending your knees.