The gastrocnemius stretch, commonly known as the calf muscle stretch, is so important for loosing up the calf muscle. Tight calf muscles are the leading cause of achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. Speed workouts and hill workouts are leading causes of tight calves. One of the best gastrocnemius stretch is to lean against a wall with your affected leg in back of your other leg. Here is a picture of this stretch:
When stretching, make sure that you don’t put too much pressure on your calf because this can not only hurt the calf muscle, but the achilles tendon as well. You should only feel a light pull. Additionally, the gastrocnemius stretch should be held more than a few seconds to ensure that that muscle fibers are actually being lengthened. I recommended holding the stretch for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds, then hold for an additional 30 seconds.
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