I just started swimming again after a 7 year hiatus and it seems that after I swim about a 1000 meters, I get calf cramps, usually in both calves. I rarely, if ever, had them when I swam competitively so this is a new experience to me. It doesn't matter which leg - usually both cramp up. And it's not like they last a few seconds. I can usually stretch them out enough to continue my workout, but my calves are then stiff and tight for a day or two afterwards.
Any ideas on how to avoid them? I've tried stretching them before swimming, but it doesn't seem to help.
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Originally posted by nybeccaboo
I just started swimming again after a 7 year hiatus and it seems that after I swim about a 1000 meters, I get calf cramps, usually in both calves. I rarely, if ever, had them when I swam competitively so this is a new experience to me. It doesn't matter which leg - usually both cramp up. And it's not like they last a few seconds. I can usually stretch them out enough to continue my workout, but my calves are then stiff and tight for a day or two afterwards.
Any ideas on how to avoid them? I've tried stretching them before swimming, but it doesn't seem to help.
I've started swimming after several year or more long breaks and each time my calf muscles would cramp up regularly. This time I started doing calf presses before I got back into the water. In several months of swimming I've had two calf muscle cramps and neither was very long-lasting. My calf muscles haven't cramped up in the middle of the night either (talk about a rude awakening).
As I’m not sure if “calf press” is the commonly accepted term I’ll explain what I mean.
Stand barefoot with your toes on the edge of a stair. You can also use a phonebook to stand on if stairs are not available or convenient. Now just raise your body up and then down below the stair/phonebook. You’ll start to feel your calf muscles burn almost immediately.
Start with 3 sets of 15 and work up from there.
Originally posted by nybeccaboo
I just started swimming again after a 7 year hiatus and it seems that after I swim about a 1000 meters, I get calf cramps, usually in both calves. I rarely, if ever, had them when I swam competitively so this is a new experience to me. It doesn't matter which leg - usually both cramp up. And it's not like they last a few seconds. I can usually stretch them out enough to continue my workout, but my calves are then stiff and tight for a day or two afterwards.
Any ideas on how to avoid them? I've tried stretching them before swimming, but it doesn't seem to help.
I've started swimming after several year or more long breaks and each time my calf muscles would cramp up regularly. This time I started doing calf presses before I got back into the water. In several months of swimming I've had two calf muscle cramps and neither was very long-lasting. My calf muscles haven't cramped up in the middle of the night either (talk about a rude awakening).
As I’m not sure if “calf press” is the commonly accepted term I’ll explain what I mean.
Stand barefoot with your toes on the edge of a stair. You can also use a phonebook to stand on if stairs are not available or convenient. Now just raise your body up and then down below the stair/phonebook. You’ll start to feel your calf muscles burn almost immediately.
Start with 3 sets of 15 and work up from there.
