calf cramping
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TriSooner posted 13 weeks ago.
nicholasd33 wrote:
I have heard that it is highly beneficial for one's recovery to do a little bit of jogging, if only for 5 minutes, after long swim or bike workouts.
The word "recovery" and "run" are polar opposites. "Recovery" means "recovery," not more training.
nicholasd33 wrote:
But every time I try to cool down with a short run after my long swim and bikes workouts, I get these nasty cramps in my calf muscles after about a minute.
This your body's way of saying, "Hey, dude, don't."
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tbt_22 posted 13 weeks ago.
Calf cramping or any muscle cramping during a workout can mean dehydration or calcium deficiency. If you say you are hydrating well then I would go with Calcium deficiency. When your mucles work hard they expend Calium to move. Over time you can develop a debt and your mucles will start to shut down. Best thing to do is replace your electrolytes just like you would on the bike or the run. You will still sweat and lose electrolytes in the pool.
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Dannyboy posted 13 weeks ago.
I had this problem during races.
I was reading in Mens Health that a major cause is dehydration. The article said that people who comsumed more liquid on the bike ran a faster run with a decreased amount of cramping. I have started to focus on that and have not had any cramping problems on the run.
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stewarba posted 13 weeks ago.
Can't speak for the swimming then running piece, but early in the season before my body adjusts to the brick workouts I get nasty calf cramps. It feels like they knot up real tight and are fairly painful. I generally stop, stretch them and keep going. The reason they recommend a short jog after a bike workout is to help your body adjust to the change in an exercise that is quad centric to a hamstring centric event. If you do this brick workout once a week, the cramps should go away. If this is your first Tri season, I would be willing to bet that this is more likely the problem than dehydration, but you didn't really mention how hard you were working out and for how long before your 5 minute jog.
Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines – Brian Tracy
2008 Sprint Tri A race goals
S: 500m in 10:00 – FS Stroke only
B: 22mph avg over course
R: 5K <= 25:00
Place top 50% for my age group
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jsk85 posted 13 weeks ago.
I'd say it's a dehydration issue...your feeling them after completing another workout where you just dehydrated yourself...try drinking more water at regular intervals throughout the initial workout
I am training for what will be my two first triathlons (both sprint distance) at the end of the summer. So far I am doing pretty well, pursuing the fairly aggressive sprint tri training program for intermediates on this site. As a 21 yr old male, I was in fairly good shape even before I started training. I have always been a decent endurance athlete, running 10-20 miles per week during my nordic skiing years. Now I have no problem completing the bike, swim, or running workouts at the specified intensity levels 6 times a week.
I have heard that it is highly beneficial for one's recovery to do a little bit of jogging, if only for 5 minutes, after long swim or bike workouts. But every time I try to cool down with a short run after my long swim and bikes workouts, I get these nasty cramps in my calf muscles after about a minute. I am worried about this for the race, that even if I have a strong anaerobic running base built up, that I will still experience this cramping.
I dont think it is a hydration issue, because I usually consume lots of water all day before a workout. And I usually do plenty of stretching of my calfs too. I have begun doing some seated calf raises a few times a week to strengthen the muscles. Will this be enough to solve this problem? Are there other things I can do to prevent this?