To actually build muscle and get stronger from static stretching, you need to do it a lot—specifically, for at least 15 minutes per session, 5 times a week, for over 6 weeks. Doing it less than that won't give you noticeable results because your muscles aren't being stimulated enough.

Holding stretches for a few weeks in a row can actually make your muscles a little stronger and bigger, even if you don't do traditional weightlifting. This happens because keeping the muscle under tension for a long time signals it to adapt and grow.

If you want bigger, stronger calves, lifting weights is much faster than just stretching. You only need about 45 minutes a week with weights to get the same results that would take over seven hours of stretching.

Both static stretching and traditional weightlifting can build muscle and strength, but lifting weights gets you better results in less time. Because of this, weightlifting is generally recommended for most people, while stretching is better suited for those who can't handle heavy weights.

Doing one hour of static stretching every day for six weeks can actually make your calf muscles grow bigger, not just more flexible. This shows that holding stretches puts enough tension on the muscle to make it build new tissue, which goes against the old idea that stretching only helps you bend better.

If you want to build calf muscle and strength, doing standard weight training is much faster than just holding static stretches. You only need about 45 minutes of lifting per week to get similar results, whereas stretching would take up to seven hours every single day.