How to Stretch your Calf Muscle(s)

The calf is actually made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Your gastroc is a larger muscle that crosses both the knee joint as well as the ankle while the soleus is a smaller muscle that lies underneath the gastroc and only influenced the ankle. When attempting to stretch your calf it is quite easy to only address the gastroc and ignore the soleus but as part of a proper stretching program both muscles need to be isolated to maintain flexibility.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A wall or something to lean up against

1. 

   Most people are familiar with how to stretch the gastroc muscle. Stagger one foot in front of the other, keeping the back knee straight and back heel on the ground. Bend the front knee slightly and lean forward until you feel a strong but comfortable stretch in your lower leg (calf).

2. 

   The soleus muscle is the part of the calf that flies under the radar most of the time. In order to isolate the smaller soleus muscle you must first place the gastroc muscle on slack. In order to do this, assume the exact same position you were in to stretch your gastroc except this time, allow your back knee to bend slightly while still maintaining that back heel on the ground. If performed correctly, you should still feel a stretch in your calf but usually it will be felt lower down, closer to the ankle.

3. I find the best time to statically stretch my muscles is after a workout when my muscles are warm and pliable. Hold each stretch 3 times for 30 seconds each, or you can alternate, performing a gastroc stretch for 30 seconds followed by a soleus stretch for 30 seconds...rinse and repeat until you have performed them 3 times on each calf.

Tips & Warnings

• These stretches are especially good if you are a runner, both the gastroc and especially the soleus are placed under a lot of stress when running longer distances so maintaining good flexibility can aide your recovery and increase your performance!
• You should always consult your physician prior to beginning any new exercise program.