Walker, Brad. Ultimate Guide to Stretching & Flexibility. 3rd ed. 2011. Print.
The upper calf muscles are located on the posterior (rear) of the lower leg
just underneath the knee joint. They originate at the bottom of the femur,
just above the knee joint, and extend down into the Achilles tendon. The
primary actions of the upper calf muscles are to plantar flex the ankle joint
and flex the knee.
The calf muscles and Achilles tendon are commonly over-stretched by
applying too much force to the targeted muscle groups. Please take extra
care when performing the following stretches and always follow The Rules
for Safe Stretching in chapter 5.
Sports that benefit from these upper calf stretches include: Basketball and
Netball; Boxing; Cycling; Hiking, Backpacking, Mountaineering and
Orienteering; Ice hockey and Field hockey; Ice Skating, Roller Skating and
Inline Skating; Martial Arts; racquet sports like Tennis, Badminton and
Squash; Running, Track and Cross Country; running sports like Football,
Soccer, Gridiron and Rugby; Snow Skiing and Water Skiing; Surfing;
Swimming; Walking and Race Walking.
The major muscles being stretched.
Gastrocnemius
Plantaris
J01 – Standing Toe-up Calf Stretch: Stand upright and place the ball of your foot
on a step or raised object. Keep your leg straight and lean towards your toes.
J02 – Standing Toe Raised Calf Stretch: Stand with one knee bent and the other leg
straight out in front. Point your toes upwards and lean forward. Keep your
back straight and rest your hands on your bent knee.
J03 – Single Heel-drop Calf Stretch: Stand on a raised object or step. Put the ball
of one foot on the edge of the step and keep your leg straight. Let your heel
drop towards the ground.
J04 – Double Heel-drop Calf Stretch: Stand on a raised object or step. Put the balls
of both feet on the edge of the step and keep your legs straight. Let your
heels drop towards the ground.
J05 – Standing Heel-back Calf Stretch: Stand upright and take one big step
backwards. Keep your back leg straight, your toes pointing forward and
push your heel to the ground.
J06 – Leaning Heel-back Calf Stretch: Reach towards a wall and place one foot as
far from the wall as is comfortable. Make sure that both toes are pointing
forward and your heel is on the ground. Keep your back leg straight and
lean towards the wall.
J07 – Crouching Heel-back Calf Stretch: Stand upright and place one foot in front
of the other. Bend your front leg and keep your back leg straight. Push your
heel to the ground and lean forward. Place your hands on the ground in
front of you.
J08 – Sitting Toe-pull Calf Stretch: Sit with one leg straight out in front and your
toes pointing upwards. Reach forward and pull your toes back towards your
body.