Cool Down Stretches for Calves

If shorts and skirts are a staple of your summer wardrobe, you might spend countless hours in the gym performing calf exercises to reach the chiseled look you desire. When you're done with your workout, don't be in a hurry to shower and change just yet; spending a few minutes stretching these muscles will keep them healthy and ready for your next workout.

  1. Static Stretching

    • Stretching before and after each workout is important, but you should never use the same type of stretches during each stretching session. Static stretches are suitable for your post-workout cool-down period, notes "Shape" magazine. This style of stretch serves to promote flexibility and relax your muscles by lengthening them and then holding them in that position. By stretching your calves thoroughly, you can target the muscle group's two major muscles, the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

    Standing Stretches

    • A simple calf stretch to include in your cool-down period is the wall stretch, which you perform standing in front of a wall. Step forward with one foot, bend your front leg and keep your back leg straight. Hold your arms parallel to the floor and place your palms against the wall. While leaning toward the wall, press your back heel into the ground until you feel a stretch in your back calf. Hold the stretch, which targets the gastrocnemius muscle, for 30 seconds and then switch legs. As an alternate standing stretch that targets your soleus, bend your back knee while pressing down with your back heel.

    Seated Stretches

    • If you have access to a stretching band, seated stretches can help you target the gastrocnemius and soleus. Sit on the floor with your back straight, one leg folded and the other outstretched. Wrap the band under the ball of the outstretched foot and pull the band until you feel a stretch in your calf or, more specifically, your gastrocnemius muscle. To target the soleus, sit in the same manner but bend the outstretched leg slightly, keeping your heel planted. Pull the ball of your foot with the stretching band. Hold both stretches for 30 seconds.

    Considerations

    • Always hold static stretches for 30 seconds. If you hold them for a shorter period, you don't provide enough time for the muscle fibers to fully lengthen and relax, while holding the stretch for significantly longer than 30 seconds puts you at risk of straining the muscle. Aim for four to six repetitions of each static stretch. With calf stretches, alternate between legs until you've stretched each leg four to six times.