If you only stretch one leg, your other leg actually gets stronger too. This happens because your brain and nervous system adapt to the stretching, which could be really useful for physical therapy and preventing injuries.

Regular static stretching might make you stronger not just by building bigger muscles, but by teaching your nervous system to fire muscle fibers more efficiently. This means your brain and nerves get better at activating muscles, which can boost strength even without visible muscle growth.

Doing static stretches, whether hard or easy, won't make your calf muscles stronger or more powerful over a month. Your strength and jumping ability stay exactly the same because stretching doesn't actually force your muscles to work hard enough to build strength.

Doing intense static stretches for a month makes your body more comfortable with being stretched further, mainly because your brain and nerves get used to the discomfort rather than your muscles actually changing. Light stretching doesn't trigger this response, so you won't see the same flexibility gains.

Doing long static stretches or heavy weightlifting both help your ankles move more freely compared to doing nothing. In fact, lifting weights through a full range of motion can make your joints just as flexible as dedicated stretching, while also building muscle at the same time.

Spending an hour a day stretching your calves can make your ankles more flexible, giving you the same mobility benefits as doing heavy leg workouts for six weeks.