Sit in a
seated calf raise machine with only the balls of your feet on the platform (heels in the air) and your knees above your ankles.
The one leg seated dumbbell calf raise is another good exercise for those who don't have access to a
seated calf raise machine or want to even out strength in their calves.
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.
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.
If you find your grip giving out when doing barbell or dumbbell shrugs, try using the hack squat machine or the
standing calf raise machine.
The best exercise for this is the
seated calf raise machine, but most calf exercises done with the knees bent will shift most of the stress from the upper to the lower calves.
3a Standing
calf raise machine Using a standing calf raise machine, place the balls of your feet on the edge of the step and position your shoulders against the shoulder pads.
While many trainees who train at home think that unless you have
a calf raise machine, you can not have a good calves workout, as you will see, this calves routine can be done with minimum equipment.
Using
the calf raise machine in this fashion allows you to use a neutral grip and potentially start pressing again.
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.
The donkey calf raise can be performed on a donkey
calf raise machine, or with a fellow lifter sitting on your lower back.
This exercise setup is every bit as good as any donkey
calf raise machine I've ever used... better, in fact, because your body isn't locked into the movement.
You can perform this calf exercise by using a donkey
calf raise machine that only some gyms provide.
Calf raises are performed either as a bodyweight exercise (standing calf raises) or as a gym exercise using
a calf raise machine (seated calf raise).