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Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Calves/Compare

For calf growth

Donkey Calf Raise vs Leg Press Calf Raise

For calf growth, leg press calf raise rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress.

Both are good choices that train the calves the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

S
#4
of 9
Donkey Calf Raise
Machine
S
#1
of 9
Leg Press Calf Raise
Machine
Research score
90
95
Target tension
Excellent
Excellent
Loaded stretch
Excellent
Excellent
Progression
Strong
Excellent
Low cost
Strong
Strong
See the full calves ranking
What these mean
Target tension.
Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.
How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.
How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.
How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose donkey calf raise

  • The leg press calf raise is taken

Good reasons to choose leg press calf raise

  • You want to keep adding weight in small steps
Donkey Calf Raise
Leg Press Calf Raise
You need
Machine
Machine
Skill
Easy to learn
Easy to learn
Type
Isolation
Isolation
Why they rank where they do

Donkey Calf Raise. Straight knees and a deep bottom position stretch the gastrocnemius well. Loading it needs a machine or a partner.

Leg Press Calf Raise. Same stretch advantage, and the setup used in that study.

From the research

  • Kassiano et al., 2023: Calf raises in the stretched (bottom) range grew the medial gastrocnemius more than full or top-range reps (+15.2% vs +6.7% and +3.4%). (42 young women; 8 weeks.)Cited for leg press calf raise in calves

Questions

Which is better for calf growth, donkey calf raise or leg press calf raise?

For calf growth, leg press calf raise rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress. Both are good choices that train the calves the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

Is donkey calf raise or leg press calf raise easier to learn?

About the same: both are easy to learn.

Can you do donkey calf raise or leg press calf raise at home?

Donkey calf raise needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Leg press calf raise needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.

Which is easier on the joints, donkey calf raise or leg press calf raise?

About the same: both rate Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.

More comparisons

  • Donkey Calf Raise vs Smith Machine Calf Raise
  • Donkey Calf Raise vs Single-Leg Calf Raise
  • Leg Press Calf Raise vs Standing Calf Raise
  • Leg Press Calf Raise vs Smith Machine Calf Raise
Donkey Calf RaiseLeg Press Calf RaiseAll calves exercises