Calf stretching

Gastrocnemius Stretch (With the knee extended/straight)

• Lean into a solid surface such as a wall and place the leg to be stretched behind the other leg.
• Make sure that the foot behind you is pointing straight ahead towards the wall. Tighten up the thigh muscles of the leg that is being stretched so that the knee will be as straight as possible.
• Now gradually lean into the wall by slowly bending your elbows, with the heel of the foot always touching the ground.
• Just before the heel lifts from the ground, stop and hold the stretch for 30 seconds, keeping the knee straight during the whole stretch.

Soleus Stretch (With the knee flexed/bent)

• While keeping the back foot pointed straight ahead toward the wall and keeping the heel on the ground, the knee of the back leg must be flexed.
• During the soleus stretch, it helps to try to move your hips further away from the wall and to bend your knee toward the ground, while still keeping your heel on the ground.
• Just before the heel lifts from the ground, stop and hold the stretch for 30 seconds, trying to allow the muscles of the lower calf to relax during the stretch.
• Again, no bouncing motions should occur during the stretch.

More information

• One set of stretching exercises for the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles includes a 30 second stretch of each muscle for both legs.
• Exercise Prescription for Gastrocnemius / Soleus Stretching: five sessions of five sets per day