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Muscle guide · Lower legs

Soleus

Also called deep calf muscle, lower calf

The soleus is a broad, flat muscle lying under the gastrocnemius. It starts on the backs of both shin bones and joins the Achilles tendon to the heel.

It is mostly slow-twitch and larger in cross-section than the inner gastrocnemius: the calf's endurance engine, doing most of the ankle work in standing and walking.

5 exercises3 stretches8 with 3D demos8 sourcesUpdated 17 October 2026

Where the soleus is and what it does

Shaded: the calves area. It marks the region, not the exact outline of the soleus.
Starts at (origin)
The upper backs of both shin bones.Posterior fibular head and upper fibula; soleal line of the tibia
Attaches to (insertion)
The heel bone, through the Achilles tendon.Calcaneus via the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon
What it does
  • Points the foot and lifts the heel whatever the knee is doing, because it crosses only the ankle.Ankle plantarflexion
  • Carries the sustained load of standing, walking and walking uphill.Postural, fatigue-resistant plantarflexion
Nerve supply
Tibial nerve (S1, S2).

Sources 1, 2, 3

Exercises for the soleus

Bending the knee takes work away from the gastrocnemius, but it has not been shown to build more soleus: in a 12-week trial it grew about the same with seated or standing raises.

Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise) demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSeated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Beginner · A bench or boxSeated barbell calf raise demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSeated barbell calf raiseBeginner · A barbell + A bench or boxSeated one-leg calf raise with a dumbbell demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSeated one-leg calf raise with a dumbbellBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or boxSlow calf raise demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wallEccentric heel drop demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoEccentric heel dropIntermediate · A step

Stretches for the soleus

Bend the back knee; that slackens the gastrocnemius so the stretch lands on the soleus.

Soleus wall stretch demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoSoleus wall stretchBeginner · A wallStanding Soleus And Achilles Stretch demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoStanding Soleus And Achilles StretchBeginner · Other / check instructionsKnee-to-wall ankle rock demonstrated on the 3D figure3D demoKnee-to-wall ankle rockBeginner · A wall

Problems linked to the soleus

Achilles tendinopathy

The soleus feeds the Achilles tendon along with the gastrocnemius, so it is part of every Achilles loading programme, including heel drops.

Sources 2, 6

Shin splints on the inner shinMixed evidence

Medial tibial stress syndrome is linked to repeated strain where the soleus, tibialis posterior and flexor digitorum longus attach along the inner shin bone. Which of them matters most is still debated.

Source 7

Myths worth dropping

Each grade rates the evidence for the correction.

Seated calf raises are the way to grow the soleusEmerging evidence

With the knee bent, gastrocnemius activity falls by about a third and the soleus barely picks up the slack. In a 12-week study the soleus grew similarly with seated and standing raises. Seated raises are a fine way to load it with less gastrocnemius, not a special builder.

Sources 4, 8

Routines that train it

Post-run stretches

Seven stretches for after a run: calves, soleus, quads, hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes.

10 minBeginner7 movesA wall

Runner's warm-up

An 8-minute dynamic warm-up for runners: ankle and hip mobility, lunges, skips and pogo hops.

8 minIntermediate8 movesA wall

Questions people ask

What does the soleus do?

It points the foot and lifts the heel, whatever the knee position, and carries most of the ankle's work in standing and walking.

How do you train the soleus?

Seated or bent-knee calf raises load it with less help from the gastrocnemius, but standing raises grew it just as much in a 12-week trial. Heel drops load it too.

How do you stretch the soleus?

Do a wall calf stretch with the back knee bent, which takes the gastrocnemius out of the stretch.

Muscles it works with

Sources

  1. StatPearls · Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Calf (2026)
  2. StatPearls · Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Leg Posterior Compartment (2026)
  3. StatPearls · Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Gastrocnemius Muscle (2026)
  4. Kovács 2024 · Knee angle and calf muscle activity in plantarflexion (Biol Open)
  5. StatPearls · Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Tibial Nerve (2026)
  6. AAOS OrthoInfo · Achilles tendinitis
  7. StatPearls · Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (2025)
  8. Kinoshita 2023 · Standing vs seated calf-raise training and calf muscle growth (Front Physiol)

Anatomy and movement education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have pain that follows an injury, is severe or getting worse, or comes with numbness, weakness or swelling, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.