Stand on a step with your heel hanging down from the step. NOTE- if you are doing this on stairs make sure you have something to hold on to and use the bottom step for safety reasons! Now relax and allow your heel to drop keeping your leg straight, thereby stretching the calf, supporting your weight using the other leg a little if necessary, and hold this for 10 seconds. Repeat a further 2 times. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

Stand facing a wall and to stretch the right side, place your left foot forward and the right stretched behind you. Reach across to the left and behind you with your right foot pointed (this loosens your calf muscles) but the toes bent back on the floor. To stretch, transfer your weight to the right side and lean your pelvis forward so that your toes extend, and point your foot. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds repeat 3 times. To increase the stretch, move your back foot further away from the wall and lean further forwards so that your toes extend further. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

In a standing position hang down forwards, relax and allow gravity to stretch you- it doesn’t matter if you cannot touch your toes. Stretch for 10 seconds, then breathe in, and as you breathe out allow gravity to stretch you a little further. Repeat this procedure to give you a third stretch. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

In a seated position place your foot on a chair or footstool. Make sure you are sitting up as straight as possible. Stretch by pushing gently down on your knee straightening your leg. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. Increase the stretch by raising the chair you have your foot on and/or leaning forward. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

In a standing position, supporting yourself if necessary, grasp the ankle of the side to be stretched and pull it up directly behind you, trying to keep the knee directly below your hip. Stretch by pulling your foot towards your buttock and/or pushing your hip forward. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. If this is too great a stretch, loop a towel around your ankle or even just grab the bottom of a trouser leg. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

Laying on your front, grasp the ankle of the side to be stretched and pull it up directly behind you. To stretch pull your foot towards your buttock. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. If this is too great a stretch, loop a towel around your ankle or even just grab the bottom of a trouser leg. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise. 

Try to do this stretch in a situation where you can support yourself on both sides- this is to reduce weight bearing through the muscle that is being stretched. To stretch the left side, kneel on your left knee (placed on a towel for protection) and extend your right leg in front of you. Stretch by flexing the right knee and pushing the left hip forward, making sure that your body stays upright (if you lean forward it will reduce the stretch). Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. Vice versa for the other side. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

In a standing position, to stretch the right side, take a half step forward with your left leg, keeping both feet pointing directly forwards. To stretch, move your hips forward and keep your upper body upright. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise. 

To stretch the left side, stand side-on to a wall with your left side nearest the wall. Then step forward with your right leg keeping your body upright- this gets your right leg ‘out of the way’ of your left. Then move your left leg across to the right underneath you and your right foot towards the wall to balance. To stretch lean your hips towards the wall and lean your torso away from the wall. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times.

To increase the stretch, reach the left leg further to the right. Vice versa to stretch the other side. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

Outer Thigh

To stretch the left side, lie on a bed or sofa on your right side with your right hip and knee flexed. Lie at an angle to the edge so that your leg can hang off the side on the bed behind you. Stretch by breathing in and relaxing and allowing your leg to sag downwards on the out breath, letting gravity to do the work, not muscular effort. To increase the stretch, wear a heavy shoe/boot. Vice versa for the other side. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

From a standing position adopt a sideways lunge position, with the left leg bent to stretch the right and vice versa. When holding this position, support your weight so as not to tire the bent leg and so that the muscle being stretched can relax completely. Ensure that you do not rotate your body to face the leading leg, just rotate the hip of the bent leg. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.

Inner Thigh (Adductors)

Adopt the ‘splits’ position, keeping your legs straight and supporting your weight as much as possible on a bed or sofa so that you are not weight bearing through the muscles that are being stretched. To increase the stretch, very gently allow your feet to move apart supporting your weight as much as possible to allow your adductors to relax. Hold this for approximately 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. To avoid injury, keep the stretch at a mild to moderate level of intensity and be very careful to support your body weight. When coming out of the stretch, lift yourself out of end range before using your leg muscles. If you experience pain at any time, stop the exercise.