Many people stretch there calves, but few isolate their soleus from their gastrocnemius.
This video shows my favourite way to stretch gastrocnemius and soleus. Many people stretch gastrocnemius in a variety of ways, its the two big bulky muscle bellies on the back of your leg below your knee, this method is my preference because it adds a lot of control and it’s very versatile.
You can do this calf stretch against a door jamb, tree, street sign post, park bench etc and you don’t have to sit down, which is a bonus when it rains. Since we have green trees, fairly abundant water, and snow covered mountains to ski on in Vancouver, its safe to say it rains a fair bit in our wonderful city.
Perhaps the best part about this stretch is that it is the same setup for soleus too, and this is the forgotten/neglected calf muscle. Stretching soleus feels very different than stretching any other muscle in your body and the setup needs to be clear, so its understandable why people miss out on it.
While I think positions like pigeon pose or lowering your heel down from a step are useful, I find this is a better method to effectively and efficiently isolate the two muscles and get the best results.
What are the best results? Since soleus is almost always tight in problems with the feet, ankles, and lower leg in general, stretching it can have great results with issues in these areas. If you walk you use it, so it makes sense it can have a big impact.
Play with the calf stretch at home and share it around. If you need further help, get in touch and we’ll setup an appointment.