The soleus stretch on a step stretches the lower calf and Achilles tendon on both legs at once. You stand on a step with your heels over the back edge, hold a chair in front of you, then bend your knees and let your heels sink below the step. Bending the knees is what moves the stretch down from the upper calf into the soleus.

How to do the soleus stretch on a step

Put a low, stable step on the floor with a sturdy chair on the far side of it, the chair back facing you. The bottom stair with a rail to hold also works.
Step up one foot at a time and hold the back of the chair with both hands.
Shuffle your feet back until the balls of your feet are on the step and both heels hang over the back edge.
Bend both knees partway and let your heels sink slowly, a little below the level of the step, until you feel a stretch low in the calves.
Hold and breathe normally. Then take some weight into your hands, bring your heels back up to the level of the step and rest. Step down one foot at a time when you finish.

What you should feel

A stretch low in both calves and around the tendons at the back of the heels. Your thighs work a little to hold the bent knees. It should feel like a stretch, not a sharp pain at the heel.

Common mistakes

Keeping the knees straight, which shifts the pull higher, to the upper calf.
Dropping the heels quickly or bouncing at the bottom.
Having only your toes on the step. Keep the whole ball of each foot on it.
Letting go of the chair while your heels are down.

How often

A typical range is 2 to 4 holds of about 20 to 30 seconds, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this, including how far your heels should drop.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in your Achilles tendon or the back of your heel.
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.
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.

From the clinic

With your heels off the edge, your body weight does the stretching, so it is easy to go too far. Lower gently, and if the pull is strong, let your heels sink less or let the chair take more of your weight. The soleus stretch at a wall works the same muscle more gently, with the heel on the floor. After a torn Achilles tendon, whether or not it was repaired, dropping the heels below a step puts the healing tendon on stretch, so wait for the go-ahead from your surgeon and physio. If your pain sits right where the Achilles tendon joins the heel bone, ask your physio first, as sinking the heel below the step often irritates that spot.

Keep both hands on a sturdy chair or a rail the whole time. Use a step that does not slide, with bare feet or flat shoes that grip, not socks or tights. If you have fallen in the past year or often feel unsteady, use the bottom stair with a rail on each side, or stick to the wall version. If a foot starts to slip or you feel wobbly, step down to the floor.

After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's weight-bearing plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. This stretch puts your full body weight through both ankles, so it tends to come later in rehab than stretches done sitting or at a wall.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

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.

Soleus stretch on a step