Approach the device and place your toes and the balls of your feet onto the footplate. Straighten your legs and lean forward so your torso is parallel to the floor. Rest your forearms on the front support adjust your pelvis against the padded surface of the machine so that it remains stationary.
1. Drop your heels as far below your toes as possible. This movement is termed dorsiflexion.
2. Rise up as high as you can on your toes until your calves are fully flexed. This motion is called plantarflexion.
3. Drop to the starting position and perform the next repetition.
Notes: This exercise works the triceps surae. If you flex your knee, it also emphasizes the soleus.
If you do not have a donkey calf-raise machine, you can place a toe block close to a flat exercise bench. Place your toes on the block, lean over with your torso parallel to the floor. Next rest your forearms on the bench. For resistance, you can use a strap with a weight lowered behind your buttocks that is attached to a weight belt or, you may have a training partner sit astride your hips like riding a horse.