Plate-Loaded Donkey Calf Raise

A donkey calf raise on a plate-loaded machine, with a pad across the hips and the torso hinged forward so the calves are stretched at the bottom of every repetition.

How to do it

1. Load the plate horns and step onto the platform with the balls of your feet on the edge and your heels hanging free.
2. Bend forward at the hips and settle the pad across your hips, then rest your forearms on the support in front of you.
3. Keep your knees straight and your back flat, with your torso close to parallel to the floor.
4. Push through the balls of your feet and raise your heels as high as you can, pausing briefly at the top.
5. Lower your heels below the platform until you feel a strong calf stretch, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• The forward hinge is the exercise. Standing up straight turns this into an ordinary standing calf raise and gives away the extra stretch you came for.
• Keep the knees straight throughout. Bending them shifts the work from the gastrocnemius to the soleus, which is the seated calf raise, not this one.
• Let the heels drop all the way below the platform edge. The bottom of the range is where this machine earns its place, and cutting it short wastes the setup.

Muscles

Primary: Calves (gastrocnemius)

Secondary: Calves (soleus)