Calf Stretching Exercises

The calf muscle is an important part of the total machine of your body. The little movements of the muscle contribute to walking, running and various other activities we enjoy. Proper stretching and working of the calf muscle will result in good performance and may help reduce injury. You can properly stretch your calves with a few key exercises.

  1. Hanging Calf Stretch

    • The hanging calf stretch is a good exercise to help elongate the calf muscle and acclimate it to high levels of stress without injury. Find a stair step or some other elevated surface, and hang your heels off the back. You are going to drop the heel and feel the stretch for 10 seconds and then release. You should do this twice to get the optimal benefit of the stretch.

    Step-Lunge Calf Stretch

    • Take a step forward and lunge forward, putting the bulk of your weight on the front leg. This will stretch the top of the calf, and is a low-impact stretch if you are injured. You'll want to hold this stretch for 15 seconds. Do this stretch for both calves. If you experience any pain before starting the stretch, make sure to warm up as best you can.

    Propped Calf Stretch

    • This is also a low-impact stretch. Anyone, injured or not, can complete this stretch. Prop your foot against the wall so that your toes are pointed upward. You can extend your back leg as far as you can or keep it about a foot away from your front leg. The farther back your back leg extends, the deeper and more intensive the stretch will be.