Arnold Schwarzenegger made donkey calves famous as he meticulously followed the exercise in his prime to build his calf muscles. This routine helps one attain more gastroc and soleus which in turn helps in boosting performances. As Schwarzenegger made the exercise popular, it became an instant trend with many other bodybuilders still following it to this day. Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler is one of them.

Jay Cutler had previously talked about how he likes to focus on his calves alongside his chest, which he used to do every 5-6 days. While doing this, Cutler focused on several calf exercises, including sitting machine calf raises, 2 sets with 12 reps each. He used to do Smith Machine calf raises, but the bodybuilder mentioned how much he liked donkey calf raises. Let us look at what Cutler has to say about the exercise now.

Jay Cutler used to follow the traditional donkey calf raise method

In a YouTube short video, Cutler mentioned how he wished to have a donkey calf machine in the gym. He stated, “The only thing I wish they had in the gym is a donkey calf machine.” Then the former Mr. Olympia started recalling how Arnold Schwarzenegger was a major proponent of this calf routine. He recollected, “I mean Schwarzenegger used to put people on his back.”

Jay Cutler then went ahead to explain to his audience how he used to follow the tradition of putting people on the back while doing the donkey calf raises. He stated, “I used to find people that I could put on my back in the gym. I used to put two people on my back, in between a squat rep.” The bodybuilder further hinted at how he still thinks the donkey calf raises are the best exercise for calf muscles. “And I would have two people on my back, and I would do the donkey calves like this, I feel that is still the best exercise to build your calves.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger was once asked about his choice of calf routine and donkey raises were one of the things he stressed upon.

Arnold Schwarzenegger warned people about a funny leg exercise

In one of his newsletters, Arnold Pump Club, Arnold Schwarzenegger replied to one of his fan’s questions that read, “Hey Arnold, what’s your favorite exercise for calf development? Love Ya!” The bodybuilder pointed out that the exercise he was going to name was very effective, but might appear to be funny for those watching.

Schwarzenegger stated that donkey raises definitely look funny, “If you look up donkey raises, you are going to have a laugh.” Then he proceeded to make it known that whenever one is doing this exercise, they would have their training partners possibly laughing at them while grabbing much attention in the gym, “If you have training partners, I promise you’ll make a scene in the gym if you try it.” Despite all of this, Schwarzenegger believed this exercise to be one of the greatest when it comes to calf muscles.

Would you think of incorporating donkey calf raises into your workout routine? Let us know in the comments below.