Every morning, inside the stretching block. Six minutes. These keep the calf and thigh muscles from pulling too hard on the heel and knee — form notes for every move are on the prevention page.
Quick cues:
- calf — knee straight — back leg straight, heel down, felt high in the calf
- calf — knee bent — same position, back knee bent, felt low near the achilles
- couch — back foot up behind you, hips forward, felt across the front of the hip
- short-foot — barefoot, dome the arch, toes stay flat. 10 slow holds per foot
On recovery days this is optional — if your legs feel heavy from the week, it won’t hurt. Doing nothing on a recovery day is also doing it right.
progression. when a stretch stops giving you anything, hold it a few seconds longer rather than forcing depth. once these are a daily habit, add the strength moves from prevention. younger or stiff: go only to mild tension, never pain.
background: what stretching actually does