Achilles tendon stretch on one knee

One of the more common severe injuries of the weekend warrior is a torn or ruptured Achilles tendon. This type of injury can only be treated with surgery and/or prolonged immobilization in a cast. Trust me; neither option is any fun at all. Keeping this area flexible and strong is a good preventive approach to keep the injuries and the doctors away. (Who needs apples? Just stretch!)
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Kneel on one knee with your hips back on your heel and your other foot flat on the floor next to your.
2. Place your hands on the floor in front of you and inhale; as you exhale shift your body weight forward, keeping your heel on the floor as you lean. You should feel the stretch in your Achilles tendon in your front leg.
3. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths.
4. Repeat this stretch on your other leg.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do keep your eyes looking down toward your fingers.
• Do keep your weight moving forward past your toes.
• Do keep your hips over your back foot.
• Don’t lift your back heel off the floor.
• Don’t force or bounce the stretch.