Here’s how I set up my seated calf raises. Set up a bench in front of a smith machine, put a pussy pad on the smith bar, low some weight up, put some plates down (so I can set the bar to a point where it will latch when I’m at the top of a rep) and then one of those calf things that the girls use in the crunch area on top, then go at it.
You can use a lot more weight than a free-weight barbell, and you it’s easier to get off your legs because all you have to do is latch the bar to the smith at the top of the calf raise.
I also do donkey calf raises and standing calf raises on the smith machine. For the standing, you just put some weight on the smith machine, put something under feet and go at it, but for donkey calf raises, here’s what I do.
I set up some plates under the bar and put the calf raise contraption I talked about earlier on top of those. This allows me to get as deep of a stretch as possible. Then I set up a bench in front of me so that I can bend over and support myself with my arms.
Then I just put the pussy pad on the bar, bend over with my ass situated properly under the bar, push up on the bar and use one arm to unlatch it. Then I’m good to go and just have at it.
One thing to mention, though, about my version of the donkey calf raises. Just like with the standing and seated variations, you can use a lot of weight, and all of that weight on your lower back is going to leave you in some discomfort. Just make sure that you’re not on your tailbone and a little bit further up than that.
To minimize this, I actually put the pussy pad on, then take a full-sized towel and wrap that around the pad. It helps a lot. I also wrap the towel around the pad for the seated smith machine calf raises, too.
I hope this helps.