Cramps in Swimming- What are typical causes/solutions?

X2

I thought it was a wetsuit thing, but then I got them in my HIM when exiting the water as well.

Never happens till I exit the water, and I have tried getting my legs moving in the water to possibly loosen them up the last 100 yds or so with no luck.

That advice doesn't help because the issue, as I think you were suggesting, is fitness and not nutrition or flexibility.

I get them in the pool.  They tend to be triggered by a particularly hard push off the wall, vigorous kicking, or jumping up to get out of the pool, and mostly they occur when I'm pretty tired.

ETA:  As far as solutions go, once it happens you're cooked so prevention is the only cure.  I try to be careful about push-offs and hard kicking when I'm tired.  Occasionally I get a pre-cramp twinge and can massage it away without getting the actual cramp.  I'm more careful about how I get out of the pool.  These things have helped.

Either the Oct or Nov 2011 issue of Triathlete magazine quotes a South African study that suggests that cramping is genetic and that some people are simply more prone to it. The most effective remedy was stopping the activity and massaging the cramp.

I have suffered calfs cramps off and on and the only remedy I have had is prevention through conditioning. 

I cramp from swimming and it's caused by:
1). NOT SWIMMING ENOUGH (or at all) - a.k.a. SWIM FITNESS!

x2.  The only thing they also attributed it to besides an individual tendency to cramp was speed, ie: effort level.  In other words, it backed up the advice often given here on BT about them being caused by an athlete exceeding their fitness level.  They specifically said that there was no link indicated between localized cramping and any of the other old myths such as hydration and electrolyte deficiencies.  Here is a link to a summary of the study.  Oh, and the study happened to have been done on Ironman triathletes.

I got them when I started. It was a combination of two things:

-lack of swim fitness

-kicking too much with a hyper-flexed foot

I fixed the first by swimming more and the second by working on my swim form. I haven't had cramps in the swim in over a year.

Same here.  I tend to get calf cramps, particularly on long practices (3500+yds) during hard weeks.

Both years I have done a 5k swim I have cramped my calves right as I got out of the water to jog it in.  Last year I had to crawl over the line.  I'd prefer to finish standing up next year, if possible.

I agree it has a lot to do with fitness, but many do not realize how many nutrients you lose while swimming.  If you read all of the previous posts the cramps happen towards the end of workouts or while getting out of the water, when your body is most depleated.  You need to make sure you have an electrolye drink on hand to sip throughout every workout and even a gel to take halfway through.  That way if you fitness is lacking a bit, you have the nutrition to back it up.  Regarding racing, no matter the temperature of distance, you must salt load prior to the race.  Better to be safe than sorry.  I like the Salt Stick tabs.  I take them throughout the day before the race, a couple before I start the swim, and regularly throughout the rest of the race.  It makes a world of difference, believe me, I have experienced cramps at every stage of racing and they are not fun.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

How can nutrition make up for a lack of fitness?

Do you advocate salt loading for all athletes?  I'm assuming you mean primarily for the sodium?  What about other electrolytes?

But if you had to pick just one, would that be it?

I'm shocked at all the responses saying it is fitness related.  I swam AAU (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I know) and regularly did 10k/day in long course season.  I got them back then.  I get them now.  I have started experimenting with Hammer electrolyte tablets and last time I only cramped in one foot and it was only after about 2000 m so that is progress.  I'm certainly not in the shape I was from 11 years to 21 years of age, but I hardly think my cramping when I swam as a kid was from lack of fitness.  I suspect the same now.  Oh, and I swim OWS so no pushing off walls for me now.

I've also found the electrolyte tablets have helped on the bike for hammies and high calf cramping I used to get.   Again, I've only just started using them but I'm seeing either results or placebo.  In either case, I'll take it.

When people say it's fitness related, that doesn't mean that the person cramping isn't fit.  It means they're going too hard or long for their current fitness level (And the South African study indicates they also just happen to be an individual who is prone to cramping - click through the link on my previous post).  You can take an Olympic caliber athlete in prime condition, and if they're prone to cramping and they push their fastest pace, they will likely cramp.  If you used to cramp, and you don't now, it could just be that with years comes the wisdom not to outpace your current fitness. 

Ah, would that that were true.  Perhaps wisdom comes in the 60s .  Used to cramp and still do.  Seems to have stopped now that I'm doing Endurolytes though.  Also, thanks for explaining - now I understand better.

Dave Scott gave an athlete briefing at the 2010 Silverman race and talked about "charlie-horse" style calf cramps, which is what I've gotten in the past. Dave recommended "dorsi-flexing" your feet several times throughout the swim portion of the race to prevent calf cramping. This is stretching your foot by bringing your toes upward, toward your shin.....kind of the opposite of what most of us do with our toes while we're swimming. The extra drag does slow you down, but only for the few seconds it takes to do the stretch.

I've gotten leg cramps before on both IM and HIM distance swims and at the pool. Since I heard Dave give this advice, I've done these stretches during all my longer OWS's and been cramp free. I do the stretch in both feet at the same time, about once every 15 minutes. Don't know for sure if it's a cause and effect relationship or just coincidence, but I tend to belive almost anything Dave Scott says, afterall, he is THE MAN. When I do the stretchs, I try and hold them for 10-20 seconds.

Lots of answers, but in reality you have gotten two sets of responses to the question.

Cramps caused by ? You mentioned your athletes area getting the usual foot/calf cramps. I would assume your coaching alot of former runner/cyclists types with limited ankle flexation. And now they are being asked to get themselves into a swimming posture and wham the cramps begin. Not uncommon and very predictable from this group of athletes. On the other hand we have overuse/workload cramps which can happen to anyone( from the most fit to the beginner) and can be corrected as many have noted. And someone mentioned that some are more prone to it than others. A breastroker on my daughters agegroup team, he's very fit but he has regular foot cramps during practices. There was a girl on the team a couple of years ago who couldn't wear a pair of fins to a 100 yards and she would be in tears.