Donkey Calf Raise

Stand with your toes on the edge of a raised platform. Keep your heels hanging off the edge. Bend your knees slightly for balance. Lift your heels as high as you can while keeping your toes on the platform. Slowly lower your heels back down and repeat.

How to perform the Donkey Calf Raise

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Donkey Calf Raise using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your calves.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your calves rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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