It's rare to see a gym that has a Donkey Calf Raise machine...and I've NEVER seen a home gym that does.
They just take up too much space for an exercise that most people don't really want to do anyways!
The Donkey Calf Raise, however, is an excellent stretch-focused exercise for the calves and is absolutely worth doing.
One excellent workaround for a Donkey Calf Raise is using a Smith machine...the major problem being the bar placement on your back.
You can get around this fairly well using a barbell pad...but I found a MUCH better way.
Put a BUMPER PLATE on your back instead.
A solid bumper plate distributes the load over a much wider area, making it comparable to an actual Donkey Calf Raise machine in terms of how it feels on the back.
This allows you to focus on working the calves and not on how the bar is digging into your back.
How to Set Up Donkey Calf Raises in the Smith Machine Using a Bumper Plate
First, you'll need a Smith machine, a calf block, a flat bench and a bumper plate (I recommend a 25 lb plate...it's thick enough but also light enough to easily get into position).
If possible, use a bumper plate that has a grippy surface to it so it stays on your back (some bumpers are smooth...it'll still work, you'll just need to be more careful as you get into position).
Set the Smith machine bar on the stoppers...don't use the hooks. Set them below where they'll be for the exercise and make sure the hooks are pushed all the way back away from the pegs, so they don't catch and the bar doesn't spin more.
Set a flat bench just in front of the Smith machine and set a calf block under the bar. You'll want to play around with the exact setup before you start really loading the exercise to make sure you have it all in place.
Grab the plate, lean forward and set it on your lower back.
Bend your knees and set your feet on the calf block, just how you would for the exercise. Make sure you're dipping down enough to get the plate under the bar.
Straighten out your knees, lifting up the bar. The bar will be resting on the surface of the plate. This is the beauty of the bumper plate...it fully evens out the load and feels just fine on the hips and back.
Set your hands or fists on the surface of the flat bench. If you have room, you can also very easily adjust the bench to an incline and hold onto it higher up instead of straight down like I'm doing. I have space limitations in my basement.
Now you're ready to perform the exercise. Hold for 3-4 seconds at the bottom to dissipate all the elastic tension in the Achilles tendons (this is critical...without this pause, the tendons are going to do a lot of the work), then push up using your calves.
Come up about 2/3 of the way to a full contraction.
Research has shown that for optimal calf growth, you DON'T need to come up to a full contraction. That actually forces you to use less weight, which then reduces the resistance in the stretch position, which decreases the effect of the stretch on muscle growth.
So basically, use more weight, come up only part way, and hold that stretch at the bottom for a few seconds on every rep.
When you're done, lower the bar back down to the stoppers, reach back and take the plate off your back and you're done.
This method makes the exercise work just as well as any Donkey Calf Raise machine I've ever used in a regular gym.
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