These four calf stretches (plus one strength move!)
promise to relieve Charley horses, help ailing runners, and relax and firm up your lower legs.
Read: You need ‘em in your routine, stat.
Photo: Getty Images/PeopleImages.
It’s a particularly heavy workload for your hamstrings and calves.
Some medications, including diuretics and cimetidine (a heartburn reliever), may also be the culprit.
And if you’re a runner?
Face a wall with your hands resting on the wall for support.
Extend one leg backward, keeping both feet flat on the ground and the rear knee straight.
Lean towards the wall by bending your front knee until you feel tension in the extended leg.
Hold for 10 to 15 seconds and repeat with alternate leg.
Flex your toes towards your body until you feel tension in your calf muscles and hold.
along the back of left leg.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Switch legs, repeating twice on each side.
Hold for 30 seconds.
Then slowly bend your knee slightly, until you feel the stretch move lower on the calf.
Switch legs, repeating twice on each side.
Stand on one leg on the edge of a stair or curb.
Your forefoot should be on the step with your heel hanging off the back.
Want more work?These yoga poses will also seriously sculpt your calves.
