Legs · Bodyweight
Seated Hamstring and Calf Stretch
How to do the seated hamstring and calf stretch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Timed hold
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Mobility
How to do it
Sit with one leg extended and loop a strap, towel, or band around the ball of that foot. Keep your chest lifted, lean forward slightly from the hips, and pull the toes back until you feel a stretch through the hamstring and calf. Hold, then repeat on the other side.
- 1Feel the stretch run through the back of your thigh and into your calf as you pull the toes back
- 2Keep your spine long and hinge from the hips so the work stays in the back of the leg
- 3Use only enough strap tension to deepen the stretch without yanking the foot
Common mistakes
- Do not round your lower back or collapse your shoulders forward
- Avoid forcing the knee completely locked or the ankle into pain
- Do not pull so hard on the strap that the stretch turns sharp or crampy
Muscles worked
The seated hamstring and calf stretch mainly works the hamstrings, with the calves assisting.
- HamstringsPrimary
- CalvesSupport
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the seated hamstring and calf stretch for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hamstrings exercises
- How to do the deficit rdl
- How to do the leg curl
- How to do the dumbbell rdl
- How to do the glute ham raise
- How to do the jefferson curl
- How to do the leg swings
Last reviewed April 2026.