The seated soleus stretch with a strap works on the deep calf muscle low in the leg (soleus) while you sit on a chair. With your knee bent and your heel on the floor, you loop a strap under the ball of the foot and pull the front of the foot up toward you. The bent knee slackens the bigger calf muscle above it, so the pull settles lower down, toward the Achilles tendon. It suits people who find it hard to keep their balance in a standing calf stretch.

How to do the seated soleus stretch with a strap

Sit toward the front of a sturdy chair with your back tall, both feet flat on the floor and your knees bent to about a right angle, as in the video.
Loop a strap, towel or long exercise band under the ball of the foot you want to stretch, and hold one end in each hand.
Keeping the heel on the floor, draw the ends of the strap up and back so the front of the foot and the toes lift toward you.
Stop when you feel a stretch low in the back of the calf or around the Achilles tendon. Hold it there and breathe slowly.
Ease off and let the foot rest flat, then repeat. Change feet if both calves are in your program.

What you should feel

A steady pull low in the calf and around the Achilles tendon, sometimes reaching the back of the ankle. Pinching at the front of the ankle or sharp pain in the heel are not part of it.

Common mistakes

Letting the heel come up off the floor, which takes the stretch away.
Jerking on the strap or bouncing at the end of the stretch.
Slumping forward and pulling with your back instead of your arms.
Pulling so hard that the stretch turns into heel pain.

How often

Many programs hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat it 2 to 4 times, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the Achilles tendon, the heel or the front of the ankle.
Pins and needles, numbness or burning in the foot. Let go of the strap, and ask your physio before you try again if it keeps coming back.
Your calf or thigh becomes swollen, warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a throbbing or cramping pain that feels different from normal muscle ache. Stop and get medical advice the same day, as this can be a blood clot. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
A sudden pop or snap at the back of your ankle or heel, a feeling that someone kicked you there, or sudden pain there after which you cannot push off or rise onto your toes on that leg. Stop, take the weight off that leg carefully and go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day, even if you can still walk, as this can be a torn Achilles tendon.

From the clinic

In both the video and the voice guide the knee stays bent and the heel stays down while the strap lifts the ball of the foot. That bent knee is what turns a calf stretch into a soleus stretch. Straighten the leg, as in the calf stretch with a strap, and more of the pull moves up into the upper calf (gastrocnemius). Many programs include both.

In the video the foot sits right under the knee. If you feel very little there, slide the foot back a little toward the chair before you pull, heel still down. This is not shown in the video, but it bends the ankle a bit further. For a standing version at a wall, see the soleus stretch.

Go lighter if your pain sits right where the Achilles tendon meets the heel bone. Pulling the foot up squeezes the tendon against the bone there, so keep the stretch gentle and ask your physio whether it suits you. After an Achilles tendon tear, repaired or not, calf stretches are usually held back for the first months, and you should start only when your surgeon or physio says so. After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you.

If you use an exercise band rather than a strap, check it for nicks first and hold the ends firmly, so it cannot spring up toward your face.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Seated soleus stretch with a strap