I'll be straight up with you...calves are one of the TOUGHEST muscle groups to develop, especially if you have terrible genetics for them. They can take a beating and still not grow an inch.
And to make matters worse, one of the best exercises for calves is the Donkey Calf Raise...and it is EXTREMELY rare to find a good Donkey Calf Raise machine, even in a fairly well-equipped gym...and FORGET having one in a home gym. There just isn't the space or budget for a standalone machine.
The
Solution: Lengthwise Barbell Donkey Calf Raises
This exercise setup mimics the Donkey Calf Raise machine PERFECTLY...in fact, I think it's even BETTER than any Donkey Calf Raise machine I've ever used because of the freedom of movement (and the stabilization requirement) it offers.
With a simple power rack, barbell and calf block, you will make the Donkey machine obsolete.
Set the safety rail on one side of the rack to about upper ab/lower chest height. Set the other safety rail a few notches lower so that you have a downward angle on the bar. Load both ends of the bar fairly equally (be careful when loading the lower end so the plates don't slide off).
Set a calf block by the bottom end, inside the rack. I also recommend using a barbell pad or towel for padding. This is especially important as you start using heavier weights.
Grip the high end of the bar with an alternating grip then get your feet set on the calf block.
Get into position with the bar running lengthwise down your back. The pad should be on your lower back/hips. Your knees should be slightly bent at the top of the movement.
Let your heels come down into the bottom position of the Donkey Calf Raise. The stretch position is the "money" position of this exercise and the reason it's so effective for developing the calves. Hold this stretch for a few seconds at the bottom of every single rep to maximize the effect you get from it.
Then come up, raising your heels as high as you can, getting a hard contraction on the calves.
This setup has the advantage of allowing much greater freedom of movement than a regular Donkey Calf Raise machine, so your body can find it's own path for the exercise. This also dramatically increases the stabilization requirements being placed on the calves during the movement, which is something that's competely missing from the machine version.
This setup also allows you load the exercise as much as you need to...it is a barbell, after all!
The Bottom Line:
The Donkey Calf Raise is a KEY exercise for developing great calves...and this
is a GREAT setup for the exercise that has a number of advantages over machines that are even designed specifically for it!
So if you train in a home gym or a commercial gym, and you have a power rack, try this exercise setup. I promise, you will LOVE having a way to train calves like this.
