A focused stretch to undo tight, stubborn calves.
Drive the heel down with a straight leg, ease in slowly rather than forcing it.
From a plank or downward-dog shape, stacking one foot behind the other ankle and driving the bottom heel toward the floor puts a focused stretch through that calf, and working one side at a time lets your bodyweight bias a single leg properly. Keeping the bottom knee straight is what aims the stretch at the big upper calf muscle. It earns its slot after runs, jump work, or any calf training that leaves them knotted.
The top foot adds weight and takes that leg out of the equation, so the bottom calf gets the whole stretch on its own. Working one side at a time also shows you which calf is tighter.
Straight, for this version. A straight knee targets the upper calf, while a bent knee shifts the stretch lower toward the soleus and Achilles, which is a separate drill worth doing too.
Around 30 seconds to a minute per side, easing the heel down gradually as the calf lets go. Bouncing or forcing the heel down just makes the muscle guard harder.
