Q: You have standing calf raises and [bent-at-waist] donkey calf raises as top exercises in Old Man Young Muscle 2]. I feel the donkeys better. Does it matter which one I use as ideal, and should I always do them one-leg at a time?
A: Doing your calf raises one leg at a time is supposed to diffuse the bilateral deficit—you’re able to activate more of the target muscle with one-limb exercises; however….
Some trainees have a balance problem and/or feel unstable doing calf raises one leg at a time. That’s why in OMYM2 and the accompanying Mass Exercise Guide, I suggest doing both, usually at different workouts…
As for which is better, standing or donkeys, they are similar. The minor difference is that you get more stretch with the donkeys and better top-end contraction with standing.
But either is excellent. Most trainees are more comfortable with standing, so it’s classified as ideal, while donkeys fall into the stretch category.
Lately, I’ve been doing two-legged standing calf raises with a waist belt connected to a low cable for three sets…
Then at my next leg workouts, I do one-leg donkeys for two sets and one-leg standing for one set.
Obviously, the second scenario takes a little longer, but the change to gain is worth it. The good thing is that the one-leg exercises require only bodyweight.
If you want to do donkeys with both legs, you’ll have to recruit your spouse or yardman to sit on your hips. The right yardman may even give you a discount on mowing just for the ride.
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