Improve Your Performance With These Essential Calf Stretches For Runners

Lower leg strength, endurance, and pliability are of maximum importance to runners at all levels of performance. The calf muscles in particular, the ones on the back of the lower leg (soleus and gastrocnemius), can be subjected to forces up to 12.5 times a person’s body weight while running, which is equivalent to 2500 lb for a 200 lb person.

Constantly being able to absorb and release that kind of energy is a recipe for tightness and dysfunction in these tissues, which is why learning how to properly mobilize and stretch the calf muscles in runners is one of the best methods of injury prevention in the sport. And exactly what we’re going to show you how to do today.

Whether you’re a beginner, amateur, or professional, you’re about to see how calf stretches for runners can drastically alter your experience on the road or trails, and keep your mileage building steadily throughout the season.

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What are the Calf Muscles?

The muscles on the back of your lower leg are commonly referred to as the “calf muscles”. There are two main muscles here, the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastrocnemius is more superficial, and its two heads are responsible for the two bulges you can see on the posterior lower leg of many runners. The soleus is a deeper muscle that sits underneath the gastrocnemius.

Both of these muscles plantar flex the foot (i.e. point the toes down) and are responsible for helping to propel the body forward while running. There are significant differences in their muscle fiber composition, with the soleus being largely slow twitch (70% on average), and the gastrocnemius being approximately 50% slow twitch and 50% fast twitch.

They both sustain and produce tremendous amounts of force (the soleus more so than the gastrocnemius) and are the primary drivers of increased stride length until a person reaches speeds above 25 km/h. This is contrary to the assumption that larger muscle groups like the hip extensors/flexors are primarily driving a person forward.

Why Should Runners Stretch Their Calf Muscles?

We’ve established that the muscles in your lower leg are going to be taking in and producing heaps of force every time you go out for a run. For soft tissue to function optimally it needs to be able to contract, relax, and receive blood flow in good positions. If your calf muscles are stiff, the chances that they will get injured and/or underperform while running is greatly increased.

You can improve the range of motion that these muscles are able to achieve, and you can do it at any time. Studies on runners have shown that pre-exercise stretching had no noticeable negative effect on running economy, and hence is safe to perform before, after, even midway through a run.

By incorporating calf stretches into your warm up, you’re also giving yourself the time to not just physically but mentally prepare for the work you’re about to put yourself through. Running can be an arduous undertaking to say the least, and taking the time to feel your muscles and organize yourself psychologically might make the difference in your performance, especially on race day.

One of the final most important reasons why runners should keep their calves flexible is the possibility of having problems farther up or down their leg. A stiff and unhealthy tissue will often cause problems above and below the site of the actual problem, creating issues in other parts of the body. This could include dysfunction at the ankle, knee, hip, and even back.

Calf Stretches for Runners

Below are some great beginner stretches for you to try that will help loosen up your calf muscles. You’ll notice there are versions where your leg is straight, and others where it is bent. This modification helps isolate the stretch to either the gastrocnemius or the soleus. A straight leg targets the gastrocnemius, and a bent leg targets the soleus (bending the knee disengages the gastrocnemius because its fibers run across the knee joint).

 High Lunge Calf Stretch

Standing in a high lunge position (pictured above), focus on pushing your back heel towards the ground to help lengthen the calf muscles. You’ll also feel a nice stretch in the front of the hip. The farther apart your feet are the more stretch you will feel in this position. Hold for 30-60 seconds on each leg.

Bent Leg Calf Mobilization/Stretch

From the starting position (left), lean forward on the knee closest to the wall, flexing at the knee and ankle. Find a distance where the knee can just touch the wall or is slightly away from it when bending as far as possible. You can use this either as a stretch held statically, or a mobilization, moving in and out of the stretched position. Give them both a try for 30-60 seconds on each leg.

Calf Stretch w/Yoga Block

This is a deep and intense stretch for the calf muscles resulting from the increased ankle angle by placing your toes up onto a foam block. Just holding the above pictured position may be enough of a stretch, but for the slightly more flexible, you can also fold forward at the hips to increase the intensity. Hold for 30-60 seconds on each leg.

Downward Dog

This classic yoga position provides a tremendous lengthening sensation to the entire backs of our legs, including the calves. Focus on getting your heels down towards the ground. When we hinge at the hips, as in this position, we have the added benefit of lengthening the hamstrings in concert with the calves for a balanced relationship between the two. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

Want to Become a Better Runner?

These stretches were borrowed from our extensive catalog of stretching and mobility routines on Dynamic Runner. We have created a fully-interactive online platform for runners just like you who want to feel good, run strong, and stay injury-free. Learn more about our programming and sign up for a 7-day free trial by visiting us HERE!

Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist