I'm in my early 70's and have been swimming since childhood. This year, for the first time ever, my legs have been cramping during workouts, usually after about a mile. I use fins. I imagine this is related to the aging process but maybe there are other factors. Any thoughts or suggestions?
When I started swimming full-time again in June of last year I would get cramps fairly often, especially when doing fast intervals late in practice. After a few months they got better, and I seldom get them now. I swim 5-6 days per week and average about 12K yds per week.
I think fins definitely contribute to cramping, particularly in my case where I didn't have a lot of flexibility in my calves due to running and cycling.
I also got in the habit of taking sips of Gatorade between sets to stay hydrated. Even so, I still will lose 2-3 pounds during an average workout.
When I started swimming full-time again in June of last year I would get cramps fairly often, especially when doing fast intervals late in practice. After a few months they got better, and I seldom get them now. I swim 5-6 days per week and average about 12K yds per week.
I think fins definitely contribute to cramping, particularly in my case where I didn't have a lot of flexibility in my calves due to running and cycling.
I also got in the habit of taking sips of Gatorade between sets to stay hydrated. Even so, I still will lose 2-3 pounds during an average workout.
