How to do the Donkey Calf Raise
Step by step
- Place the balls of your feet on a raised surface and hinge forward at the hips onto a support.
- Let your heels drop below the platform for a full stretch.
- Drive up through your toes to raise your heels as high as possible.
- Pause at the top, then lower slowly back into the stretch.
The thing people get wrong
The forward hip hinge is what makes this a donkey raise - keep your knees fairly straight and move only at the ankles.
Coaching cue
Keep your weight on the balls of your feet and let your heels sink fully before each rep.
Stay safe
Use a solid, non-slip platform; your heels hang off the edge, so a shifting surface rolls your ankle.
Make it easier or harder
- Harder: Do one leg at a time.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Calves
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.