I'm just about one year into swimming since stopping after college thirty years ago. I always retained great leg strength though biking but seven years ago I developed very bad sciatica at disc L5-S1, and pain down my left leg was excruciating. Three years ago I had a 2nd surgery and finally began recovery. The problem that remains is a tendency (actually more of a certainty) of getting bad cramps in my left calf and both arches in my feet. The chiropractors we get at big swim meets all say any nerve damage would be healed by now and I simply need to strengthen my calf muscle. Using fins will guarantee a cramp in seconds and actually so will a pull-buoy.
Anybody else every had this dilemma?
I remember I would get tremendous cramping on the bottom of my feet, lower calves, and hamstrings. The muscles would suddenly contract and amass if I didn't stop and relax. I would be swimming along, get hit by it, then struggle to the side nearly drowning and get out. For me it had nothing to do with hydration and salts, but was very consistent with endurance. Hard dryland resistance training just made it worse unless fully recovered. Had marginal success as my endurance increased, but was still inevitable long before any decent degree of workout was achieved.
Then, about a year ago I started toying around with yoga positions I found illustrated in a book of my wife's. Just assuming here, but the cramping has disappeared since then. This is with all activities, swimming, sleeping, or whatever (once had a bad cramp during peak intimacy which almost ruined the mood).
Though my swims are mostly low yardage and sprint-like, it was put to test the other day with a long slower paced swim (100 X50yds on 1:00 holding low 40's) that followed a full body workout with weights (much more than I typically do in a day). No cramping. Not sure what type of yoga it is or if I'm doing it right but it has definitely helped with cramping, among other stuff. Might be worth a try.
I remember I would get tremendous cramping on the bottom of my feet, lower calves, and hamstrings. The muscles would suddenly contract and amass if I didn't stop and relax. I would be swimming along, get hit by it, then struggle to the side nearly drowning and get out. For me it had nothing to do with hydration and salts, but was very consistent with endurance. Hard dryland resistance training just made it worse unless fully recovered. Had marginal success as my endurance increased, but was still inevitable long before any decent degree of workout was achieved.
Then, about a year ago I started toying around with yoga positions I found illustrated in a book of my wife's. Just assuming here, but the cramping has disappeared since then. This is with all activities, swimming, sleeping, or whatever (once had a bad cramp during peak intimacy which almost ruined the mood).
Though my swims are mostly low yardage and sprint-like, it was put to test the other day with a long slower paced swim (100 X50yds on 1:00 holding low 40's) that followed a full body workout with weights (much more than I typically do in a day). No cramping. Not sure what type of yoga it is or if I'm doing it right but it has definitely helped with cramping, among other stuff. Might be worth a try.
