Single-Leg Donkey Calf Raise
What Is the Single-Leg Donkey Calf Raise?
Single-Leg Donkey Calf Raise is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the lower legs, especially the gastrocnemius, and also engages the soleus and the small muscles that balance the ankle. It is an intermediate-level movement that needs nothing more than a bench to lean on: you hinge forward with your hands on the bench, lift one foot off the floor, and rise onto the ball of the standing foot using your own body weight as the load.
The point of the exercise is to put a full body's worth of weight through one calf without a machine. Working one leg at a time roughly doubles the load each calf handles compared with a two-leg Donkey Calf Raise, and it exposes a side-to-side difference that a two-leg raise lets the stronger calf hide. That makes it a practical calf builder for home and hotel workouts, a way to keep calves trained when the Machine Donkey Calf Raise is not available, and useful accessory work for runners and field-sport athletes whose sports load one foot at a time.
The working knee stays nearly straight, which keeps the gastrocnemius in a lengthened position where it does most of the lifting. Bending the knee shifts more of the work to the soleus, which is why a Bodyweight Single-Leg Bent-Knee Calf Raise feels different. The forward lean and the bench give you a stable lever to balance against, so you can focus on the ankle rather than on staying upright. Done from the floor, as here, the heel starts flat and cannot sink below the toes; standing the ball of the foot on a low step or plate adds that bottom range once the floor version is easy.
The movement suits most lifters who can already do slow, full two-leg calf raises for 15 to 20 reps. If a single leg cannot rise all the way for several clean reps, build up with the Bodyweight Calf Raise or the two-leg Donkey Calf Raise first. Calves respond well to slow, full reps with a deliberate squeeze at the top, so a strong mind-muscle connection with the working calf, rather than a bounce off the floor, is what makes this exercise productive.
Muscles Worked
- Gastrocnemius (Lateral Head)
- Primary
- Gastrocnemius (Medial Head)
- Primary
- Soleus
- High
- Peroneus Longus
- Medium
- Biceps Femoris
- Minimal
- Deltoid
- Minimal
- Tibialis Anterior
- Minimal
Instructions
- Stand facing the end of a flat bench and place both hands on its edge, about shoulder-width apart, with your arms straight.
- Step your feet back and hinge at the hips until your torso leans well forward, keeping your back flat.
- Shift your weight onto one foot, set it under your hips, and bend the other knee to lift that foot off the floor behind you.
- Keep the standing knee straight but not locked, with the heel flat on the floor.
- Push through the ball of the foot, keeping pressure over the big toe, and rise as high as you can.
- Pause briefly at the top and squeeze the calf.
- Lower your heel slowly back to the floor without bouncing.
- Keep your hands light on the bench and the lifted leg still for every rep.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch sides.
Common Mistakes
Bouncing off the floor
Dropping the heel and rebounding lets the Achilles tendon do the work, so lower slowly and pause briefly before each rise.
Rolling onto the little toes
Letting the ankle roll outward shifts the weight to the outer toes and destabilizes the ankle, so drive up through the base of the big toe.
Stopping short of the top
Rising only partway skips the hardest, fully shortened position, so push until you are as high on the ball of the foot as you can go.
Bending the standing knee
Letting the knee sag and straighten turns the rep into a small knee push and takes load off the gastrocnemius, so keep the knee softly straight throughout.
Pushing through the hands
Pressing down hard on the bench takes weight off the calf, so keep the hands light and use them only for balance.
Swinging the free leg
Kicking the lifted leg adds momentum to each rep, so keep it still behind you.
Injuries
Single-Leg Donkey Calf Raise is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only your body weight, the range is short because the heel stops at the floor, and your hands on the bench take care of balance. The places that complain are the Achilles tendon, the bottom of the foot, and the calf itself, usually after too many reps too soon or a sudden jump in training volume. Some people also feel the hamstrings of the standing leg in the forward lean, which is a stretch rather than a strain.
Putting all your weight through one leg loads the Achilles tendon more than two-leg work. A lab study of healthy young men estimated that Achilles tendon load was lowest during seated heel raises and highest during single-leg heel raises, with two-leg raises in between. If you are returning from an Achilles or foot problem, work through the Machine Seated Calf Raise and the two-leg Donkey Calf Raise before this one.
Keep the weight over the base of the big toe so the ankle does not roll outward, move slowly in both directions, and never bounce off the floor. To make it easier, rest a little more weight on your hands or let the lifted foot touch down lightly. To make it harder, slow the lowering, pause at the top, stand the ball of the foot on a low step for extra range, or add a weight vest or backpack.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the Achilles tendon or heel, pain in the arch that lingers after the set, or a cramp that does not ease when you rest. Morning stiffness in the Achilles the day after training is a sign to cut the volume back and get it checked if it persists.
- Primary Focus
- Calves
- Equipment
- Bench and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Does bending over stretch the calf more than standing upright?
Not directly. The gastrocnemius crosses the knee and ankle but not the hip, so the forward lean mainly gives you a stable position to balance from, while the straight knee and the ankle's range decide how hard the calf works.
- Q: Why keep the working knee straight?
A straight knee keeps the gastrocnemius lengthened so it does most of the lifting. In a 12-week study of untrained adults training one leg on a standing calf-raise machine and the other on a seated one, the gastrocnemius grew by about 9% to 12% with the knee straight and under 2% with it bent, while soleus growth was similar.
- Q: Should I stand on a step?
Once the floor version is easy, yes. Standing the ball of the foot on a low step or plate lets the heel sink below the toes, which adds range and makes each rep harder, so start with a small height and lower under control.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
Most people do 3 or 4 sets of 12 to 20 slow reps per leg, taking each set close to failure. When you can do more than 25 clean reps, add range with a step, slow the lowering, or add a weight vest or backpack.
- Q: Is it better than the two-leg donkey calf raise?
It is harder per leg without any added weight and shows if one side is weaker. The two-leg Donkey Calf Raise is easier to load heavily, so many lifters use both.