{"id":56823,"date":"2014-06-20T14:40:05","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T21:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/?p=56823"},"modified":"2014-06-20T14:40:05","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T21:40:05","slug":"science-of-performance-how-to-improve-cramps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/science-of-performance-how-to-improve-cramps\/","title":{"rendered":"Science of Performance: How to Improve Cramps"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr. G. John Mullen, PT, DPT, CSCS of Swimming Science<\/a>, Owner of COR PT <\/a>, Creator of Swimmer’s Shoulder System<\/a>, Swimming Science Research Review<\/a>, Swimming Troubleshooting System <\/a>, and Mobility for Swimmers System <\/a>, Swimming World correspondent<\/i><\/p>\n

SANTA CLARA, California, June 20. FREQUENT toe pointing causes frequent calf cramping in swimming. I’ve recently discussed the cause of cramps<\/a>, arguing against the nutrition or hydration hypothesis. Instead, current research suggest the main cause of cramps is fatigue.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, pushing one’s limits of fatigue is mandatory for any sport, especially swimming. Therefore, cramps will occur in overworked areas. The calves, specifically the gastrocnemius, is particularly prone to cramping as it crosses two joints. As the gastrocnuemius crosses two joints, it becomes responsible for more actions, increasing fatigue. If you have a cramp during practice, try these two things:<\/p>\n

1) Calf stretching<\/b> (1-2 minutes): I’m not a large advocate of static stretching, but it seems stretching breaks the cycle of an overloaded cramped muscle. Remember, the calf is composed of two muscles, so make sure you stretch both! Also, during the stretching, block ankle pronation, a common way for negating a stretch.<\/p>\n