Legs · Bodyweight
Standing Soleus and Achilles Stretch
How to do the standing soleus and achilles stretch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
Legs
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Timed hold
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Mobility
How to do it
Stand in a staggered stance with both feet facing forward. Keep the back heel flat, bend both knees, and sink your weight straight down until you feel a stretch lower in the calf and around the Achilles tendon of the back leg. Hold, then switch sides.
- 1Feel the stretch lower in the calf and down into the Achilles area of the back leg
- 2Keep the back heel rooted and let the knees bend so the load shifts away from the upper calf
- 3Move straight down rather than lunging far forward to keep the stretch precise
Common mistakes
- Do not let the back heel lift or the back foot turn out
- Avoid bouncing into the bottom of the stretch
- Do not drive so deep that you feel pinching at the front of the ankle or knee
Muscles worked
The standing soleus and achilles stretch mainly works the calves.
- CalvesPrimary
Kovo programs the standing soleus and achilles 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 calves & shins exercises
- How to do the ankle cars
- How to do the ankle circles
- How to do the ankle rocks
- How to do the resistance band ankle mobilization
- How to do the calf press
- How to do the calf raises with hold
Last reviewed April 2026.