2007-05-02 16:17:15 · 4 answers · asked by seera j 1 in Sports ➔ Swimming & Diving
Sounds like a calf cramp. It's actually your muscle tightening up. This usually happens due to dehydration. For some reason, the swimming pool environment seems to accelerate dehydration.
Try to drink some more water, in particular prior to swimming. Bananas and other fruits are great sources of potassium, which helps prevent dehydration. Performing some calf strecthes prior to swimming may help as well. During your swim, keep a water bottle at the end of your lane and drink some on occasion during your workout. Water or a sports drink will be good.
2007-05-03 05:56:06 · answer #1 · answered by CycleFan58 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you pointing your toes? Though the toes should be somehwat pointed during swimming, the feet should be relaxed. If you are trying to point your toes too much you will get cramps. Think more about relaxing your feet and ankles and thinking long and lean. Your toes willaim downward without a ballet-like point to them, that's how you want to kick. If you're NOT pointing your toes hard then you may need strength work for your calves and a lot of good stretching before and after.
Good luck, hope this helped!
2007-05-03 02:46:10 · answer #2 · answered by Kristy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to pay more attention to your hamstrings, calves, and tibialis anterior muscles. On your off days jump rope, do high repetitions of calf raises with low or no weight and do high but steady repetitions with low weight on the leg curl. For the tibialis anterior, face a wall, place your hands out in front of you against the wall and rock back so you end up balancing your weight on your heels. Roch from your heels to the normal foot position several times until you are moderately tired. From that same position, sway from side to side on the edges of your feet, lifting the sides of the feet but always maintaining contact with an edge of the foot on the floor. You need to use low weights, if any at all, and start builidng up high repetitions of these exercises in a moderate fashion. You're putting a lot of stress on the calf muscles relatively suddenly and forcefully in the dolphin kick and this probably the time they most contract. You have to get them used to being used out of the water and get them used to being used a lot so they don't react to your training load by cramping.
2016-05-19 03:41:26 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
are you talking about a cramp? eat more bananas (potassium), stretch before swimming, and make sure you warm up properly.
2007-05-02 17:43:40 · answer #4 · answered by calgrlzrockharder 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋