Supple calf muscles help you avoid injury as you jump, run or even just walk. Regular stretching, especially after workouts, can improve calf flexibility and help reduce after-workout soreness. Stretching your calves becomes particularly important if you wear high-heeled shoes frequently, which can cause your calf muscles to shorten and tighten, and the tendons to thicken and stiffen.
Anatomy
Your calves contain two major muscles: The large, readily obvious gastrocnemius and the less-obvious soleus, hidden between the gastrocnemius and your leg bones. The gastrocnemius both points your toes and bends your leg at the knees, so in order to stretch it you must dorsiflex your foot, bringing your toes up toward your shin, and straighten your knee. If you bend your knee, you take the gastrocnemius out of the equation and stretch your soleus, which acts only on your ankle joint and not the knee.
Standing Lunge
You don't need any special equipment to perform a standing lunge, one of the simplest calf stretches. Stand facing a wall. Place both hands on the wall for balance, if necessary, then step one leg back. Keep your back leg straight, heel flat on the floor, as you bend your front knee and lower your hips slightly. You should feel a stretch in the calf of your straight leg. Bend your back knee slightly and you'll feel the stretch shift from your gastrocnemius to your soleus.
Toe Raises
For another standing calf stretch, place one foot close to the wall. Your heel should rest on the floor, and your toes should rest on the wall. Keep that leg straight and lean forward gently until you feel a stretch in your calf. Bend that knee slightly, but keep the toe propped up, and you'll feel the stretch switch from your gastrocnemius to your soleus.
Specialized equipment is available to assist this stretch. Look for slant boards, angled boards or boxes with an angled side that allow you to perform this stretch without the wall. You'll also find calf rollers, a foot platform with a rounded bottom. You place your foot in the platform and shift your heel back and down; the roller automatically brings your toes up to stretch your calf.
Sitting Stretch
You can also stretch your calves while sitting. Extend one leg straight along the edge of the bed or weight bench, and allow your other leg to bend and rest on the floor beside the bed or bench. Grasp the toes of the straight leg and gently dorsiflex your foot back toward you until you feel a stretch in your calf. As with the other stretches, if you bend your knee you'll feel the stretch shift from your gastrocnemius to your soleus muscle. If you're not flexible enough in the hamstrings and lower back to grasp your toes, you can drape a towel or strap around the ball of your foot and use this to pull back gently.
