Aquajock, please advise

[Dutchie42]

I've started practicing the crawl stroke every Saturday (about 30min), but my calfs cramp really badly. After, my calfs feel very painful. Which effects my long run on Sunday. And by Monday they hurt even more. You should see me walk down the stairs.

Do you know what causes it and how I can prevent it? I try to move my legs as slow as possible without sinking.

Any advice would be really helpful for me.

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, Dutchie! I'm sorry you're having such problems. Keep in mind that I'm more of a non-drowner than a swimmer, but that being said:

I would like to suggest you do a little bit of calf stretching (both for the gastrocnemius in a straight-leg position, and the soleus in a bent-knee position, pressing your heel to the floor in back of you with your body weight supported against a wall or other fixed surface) before your swim AND after your swim. I would also like to suggest you do some targeted calf strengthening again for the gastroc in a straight-leg position AND the soleus in a bent-knee position (standing heel raises).

My guess is the cause of the calf cramping is the fact that, in the flutter-kick that is employed in traditional front crawl, your feet are in a constantly toes-pointed position, and that constant contraction of the calf muscle can cause the cramping.

Hopefully some other, more skilled swimmers will weigh in here.

a-Jock

 

[jjswimmom]

Dutchie,

Sorry to hear of your calves being sore! Swimming is such an awesome sport, and congratulations on diving in!

I could offer a little insight as I am a lifelong swimmer. Aquajock said it in a nutshell... pointing your toes while swimming the front crawl is the most likely cause of your soreness. Stretching will of course help with this.

Is your swimming ability such that you could swim some backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke or any other swim strokes also? Changing your strokes will definitely ease up the soreness you will feel in your calves.

Another suggestion is to swim with a pullbuoy. Using a pullbuoy will ensure you are kicking from the hips, not the knees, and will possibly eliminate any kick insufficiencies, as you will not be able to kick incorrectly with a pullbuoy. Here is a link on pullbuoys..

http://www.goswim.tv/drilloftheweek_comments.php?id=2237_0_20_0_C

I would be glad to answer any other questions you might have on your freestyle form. One last suggestion... is it possible for you to have someone look at your technique in the water and offer suggestions? Possibly a fellow swimmer? A lot of facilities have masters programs that meet regularly with a coach or simply a group of dedicated swimmers and that would be a great resource for you. Here is a link on masters swimming to locate a facility close to you:

http://www.usms.org/placswim/

Happy swimming!

Janet