You work your calves with every step you take — walking and running. These muscles are the unsung heroes that work in almost every standing leg exercise you do, from squats to lunges to side skaters. When they are tight, you feel it! If you wear heels regularly, the tightness can be even worse. If your calves become chronically tight, it can mess with your gait, and that can lead to overuse injuries in your feet, ankles, and knees. So do yourself a favor: start stretching your calves. Here are eight ways to lengthen and loosen your calves.
This is a classic calf stretch that you can do just about anywhere.
This essential yoga pose lengthens the back of the legs, with special focus on the calves.
This is an active stretch for the calves and works well as a warmup.
This is one of the easiest stretches to do as soon as you finish a run. If you have weak Achilles tendons, do the variation using a wall instead of a ledge.
This is a simple way to stretch your calves while sitting.
It's important to keep the soleus — the deep calf muscle — loose to prevent problems with the sole of your foot, like plantar fasciitis.
This stretches the lower part of the soleus and feels great on the sole of your foot too.
You can also massage tight calves with a foam roller; it's intense but effective.