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If you’re
lucky, the cramp will be just a mild twinge and you can swim through it by
mentally isolating and relaxing the involved muscle. If you’re unlucky,
and your cramp is the major-league variety – the kind that makes your
calf, thigh or, foot feel like a block of petrified wood – you stop in mid
stroke and hope the lifeguard is awake.
Muscle cramps
can range from mildly annoying to life threatening. I once got a
total-seize-up cramp in EACH thigh during start practice and thought I was
a goner because I couldn’t move my legs to get to the lane line to hold
on. My head was going under in 12 feet of water when Coach finally
noticed my distress and dove in. Now, as a Coach, I take it very
seriously when one of my swimmers pulls up with a cramp. The thing is, a
lot of my swimmers seem to be getting cramps lately, so I started doing
some research on what causes them and how to prevent them. Here’s what I
found from a day of googling (internet) and from seeking advice from
Glenn, Dave, Don, and Coach Black.
What Is a
Cramp?
Basically,
it’s when one or more of your muscles contracts WAY too hard even though
you didn’t tell it to…and then won’t relax even when you scream at it to
let go. It’s an INVOLUNTARY contraction that won’t relax.
Cramps can
attack all or part of a muscle, or several muscles in a group. The most
commonly affected muscles for swimmers are the calf muscles (back of the
lower leg), the hamstrings (back of the upper leg), and the quadriceps
(front of the upper leg). Because we point our toes a lot and wear
things like flippers, swimmers are also prone to cramps in the bottoms of
the feet. Swimmers can get side stitches, too. Cramps can last a few
seconds or several long minutes.
What Causes a Cramp and How
Can You Prevent Them?
Lots of things can cause
cramps, but fortunately there are lots of ways to avoid them. Here are
some of the common causes…and some easy solutions.
Over exertion.
The working muscles don’t get enough oxygen, which
causes a build-up of lactic acid. When the build-up reaches critical
mass, the muscle reacts by going into spasm. This is why cramps are
common at the end of practice, when your muscles are fatigued.
The solution? Don’t’ jump into
an overambitious exercise program. Build your fitness level gradually.
Inadequate stretching and
warm-up prior to exercise. In order to
produce movement, muscles need to contract and expand. A good stretching
program lengthens and loosens your muscles so that they can contract more
vigorously. It also teaches the muscles how to “behave” without cramping,
i.e., how to contract…and then relax. A good warm-up ensures that blood
is flowing to all of your muscles prior to the really vigorous part of
practice.
Loss of fluids and
electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals
such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. It’s electrolytes that
control the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, and allow you to do
things like blink your eyes, wiggle your toes, and perform all the motions
of swimming. In general, sodium begins a muscle’s contraction cycle,
while magnesium or potassium begins the relaxation cycle. When you get a
muscle cramp, it’s often because you don’t have enough magnesium or
potassium in your blood stream to cause the muscles to relax.
When you sweat, you lose not
just water but also electrolytes. If you lose too many electrolytes, your
muscles can go haywire and start to cramp.
The solution? Stay
hydrated! And don’t wait until practice to pour in the fluids. You need
them before, during, and after – especially if it’s hot and humid and
especially if you’re a kid, because kids get dehydrated much faster than
adults. By the time your brain registers that you’re thirsty, you’re
already dehydrated. Dave tries to drink plenty of water THROUGHOUT THE
DAY, and credits this approach for his cramp-free practices. He has found
that chugging a lot of water can cause cramps faster than not drinking
water at all.
How much should you drink? It
depends on your body size and metabolism, but a good rule of thumb is that
if your urine is almost colourless, you’re well hydrated. If it’s yellow
or orange or dark, you need to up your intake. During practice, you
should drink 4 to 8 ounces of water or sports drink every 15 to 20
minutes. Water works fine for practices up to an hour long. Longer than
that, and you may want to switch to a sports drink or watered-down sports
drink to replace lost electrolytes. After practice, you should keep
drinking – 16 to 24 ounces for every pound of weight lost during
training. And don’t forget to drink during swim meets! According to
Jordan Metzl, M.D., author of The Young Athlete (New York: Little,
Brown and Company, 2002), even slight dehydration can impair athletic
performance, and as little as 5 percent dehydration can cause cramps.
Another good trick to prevent
cramps is to eat a banana every day. Bananas are rich in potassium and
magnesium. Don eats one every day, and relies on them as fuel throughout
his long swims. He says, “Knock on wood, I can’t remember the last time
I had a cramp from swimming.”
Over kicking with fins.
Fins force you to point your toes, which contract the muscles in the soles
of your feet. If you’re not used to pointing your toes, you may get a
cramp from fins. Also, if you try to kick TOO HARD or too fast with
fins, you may get a cramp. When you first put on fins, start EASY, until
your feet get used to being pointed, and until your calves and thighs get
used to the added weight and resistance. Also make sure you have the
right size fin. Too small or too large can both cause cramping.
Cramps can ruin a practice or a
meet, so you want to do everything to avoid them. The easiest solution is
to drink during the day and during practice, eat bananas, stretch before
you get in, and then…GO SWIM! |