Standing Calf Stretch

How to do it

Stand facing a wall, about an arm's length away. Place both hands on the wall at shoulder height. Step the right foot back about a leg's length. Both feet point straight forward. The front knee bends slightly. Press the right heel toward the floor and lean toward the wall, letting the chest move forward over the front foot. Hold, then switch sides.

Why it's good for runners

The gastrocnemius — the upper, two-headed calf muscle — gets short and stiff in runners, and short calves are an Achilles tendon problem waiting to happen. Standing Calf Stretch with the back leg straight directly targets the gastrocnemius. It's the most efficient calf stretch in the catalog because you can do it against any wall, in any clothes, in two minutes.

Common mistakes

Don't let the back foot turn outward to fake the heel reaching the floor — keep both feet pointing forward, even if the back heel hovers slightly off the ground. And don't push the chest into the wall by collapsing the lower back; the lean comes from the whole body falling forward, not from arching the spine.