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©2013 UpToDate ® Print Email Flexibility exercise: Calf Because many people have tight calf muscles, it's important to stretch them. Stand facing a wall slightly farther than arm's length from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart. Put your palms flat against the wall at shoulder height and shoulder-width apart. Step forward with right leg and bend right knee. Keeping both feet flat on the floor, bend left knee slightly until you feel a stretch in your left calf muscle. It shouldn't feel uncomfortable. If you don't feel a stretch, bend your right knee until you do. Hold position for 10 to 30 seconds, and then return to starting position. Repeat with left leg. Continue alternating legs for at least three to five times on each leg. Reproduced from: Go4Life. National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Available at: file://go4life.niapublications.org (Accessed December 2, 2011).