If you are a runner, I am sure you will know about calf cramps.

Imagine this scenario if you want. Let’s say you are 7.5k in a 10k race and the road starts to tilt. Very slightly, but enough to put that extra tension on your legs while trying to maintain contact with the leaders. And the temperature? Well, it’s morning, but it’s hot and it’s likely to get hotter before it’s over. And to make matters worse, I was so desperate to maintain contact with the leading group, that I forgot to drink liquid at the last feeding station. And did you wear tight calf socks? I know they are fashionable, but why did you do it?

So what do we have here?

Extra tension in the muscles?
Dehydration?
Loss of essential salts?
Restriction of blood flow?

Overall, I think we are describing the execution of calf cramps, waiting for it to happen.

I’m not sure anyone has a definitive answer to the cause of the cramps, but there are certainly several steps you can take that could help you save yourself from a disaster during competition, in any sport.

1. Adequate heating

Ok, I know, but did you do it? If not, then those cramps could come. Seriously, if you have been involved in any sport at any level, then you will be aware of the importance of proper warm-up. And I don’t mean a quick walk up the stairs to the locker room! Adequate warm-up should include a routine that gently stretches the muscles to prepare them for the greatest effort and for blood to flow around your body. A warm help will not only help prevent calf cramps, but also help prevent some of the injuries that could occur when you put sudden pressure on cold muscles.

And while we talk about warming up, don’t forget about the casualties too. Warming up after exercise can also help prevent cramping and reduce the risk of injury.

2. Train hard, run easy

Have you heard this before? Do not? Well, you should think about it a bit, because it’s true. When you train for a sport, you not only practice the skills necessary to execute the event in which you compete, but you also train your body for the rigor of the event. To give an exaggerated example, if you train for a sprint and then try to run a marathon, your body will not be ready. If you try, I think you might have some serious cramping.

Remember, train hard, run easy.

3. Water is the blood of sport life.

When you start exercising, you start to sweat (or you should do it). Sweat is the natural way to cool down when you get hot, so it’s a good thing. And since your body is mainly composed of water, then you should have enough, isn’t it? Well, considering that you lose moisture from your body when you breathe, sweating removes a large amount of fluid from your system.

And your body will demand that it be replaced!

If you begin to feel dizzy, or experience a rapid heartbeat, these could be signs that you are starting to become dehydrated. I will read that if your mouth and lips feel dry, then you should bring water on board. It is not always possible to drink fluids during sports, but always have some available as soon as you can drink.

4. Sport A’int No Catwalk.

It is true! The sport is not a fashion show. If you think it is, then you are hanging in the wrong place! There is nothing wrong with looking good while competing, but be practical. Do not risk injury (or cramping) by wearing clothes that are too tight and that restrict the movement of your body, either externally or through blood flow. Believe me, I know. When I was younger, I wore ties in my socks while playing soccer (not like a fad you will understand), just to keep my socks and shin guards inside my socks. Three quarters of the way through a game, my calves would tighten, and I would roll on the ground in agony. Once it was understood, that I only had cramps, I was the subject of much mockery, but believe me, the cramps are far from funny if you are the

Doesn’t water suggest life? Since the dawn of time, water has possessed an overflow of revitalizing healing properties. Water cleanses, purifies, soothes. In more medical terms it eliminates inflammation and infection. Helping healing better, and more cheaply, than many of our chemically advanced concoctions, the simple molecule does so much more. It may be futile to ask why – just how.

Patients

In hydrotherapy or aquatic physical therapy, patients are gently immersed in warm water. This form of underwater therapy aims to assist patients to overcome conditions. Conditions where movement is limited because of paralysis or pain, or where the patient’s muscles have been weakened due to injury or illness. Water immersion allows patients to exercise painlessly, even pleasurably, aiding a hasty recovery from a wide variety of conditions.

Treatment

Aquatic physical therapy has been used for decades. It is an integral part of treatment for severe arthritis or post knee or hip surgery. Fibromyalgia or rheumatic syndrome, a condition characterized by body aches, pain, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and anxiety, combined with tenderness and whose cause is unknown, is also healed by aquatic physical therapy. Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis where the spinal vertebrae become progressively inflamed and the spine eventually becomes fused, making movement very limited, also benefits from the hydro treatment. Even in some serious neurological conditions, the aquatic physical therapy can increase mobility as well as the power in the muscles by allowing movement in muscles normally unable to move. Though it cannot help the illness, aquatic physical therapy can also help to re-instruct muscles to get over damage from stroke or accidents.

Limitations

Regrettably, aquatic therapy still has its share of limitations. Pure water therapy cannot help patients who are incontinent for hygiene reasons, as well as those with skin conditions or allergies to chlorine. And it is unsuitable for people who have high blood pressure as hydrotherapy raises the blood pressure.

Nonetheless, hydro/aquatic physical therapy especially helps therapists help their patients because being immersed in warm water makes the buoyant movement much easier as the water lifts the limbs, improving joint movement and getting the joints working effectively again, in contrast to painful movement against gravity.

Objectives

The qualified aqua therapist has three primary objectives in performing therapy in warm water for his patients. The objectives are to abolish gravity, allow the body to float and amplify the power in the muscles. Also to provide greater movement of a specific limb or joint. Also to conduct gentle exercises because of its effective resistance to movement. The water’s warmth and healing powers relaxes the muscles and eases pain. And to look at it simply, hydrotherapy is just an underwater exercise.

Being flexible is vital for athletes in sports as well as anyone else who focuses on fitness. If your body is tight then you can’t perform at optimal levels and leave yourself vulnerable to injury. If you compete in an iron discipline like powerlifting, bodybuilding, or strongman, then you need to stretch so the fascia, which is the skin around muscle fibers, can open up and allow you to send more blood to the muscle. There’s no getting around it. You need to be stretching on a regular basis.

This concept should be familiar to anyone that had a basic PE class. Most coaches took their students through a very basic set of stretches before they began whatever activity was on the agenda for that day. These five stretches are basic but if you haven’t focused on flexibility and agility then it will be a good start for now. Do these same five stretches every day after a brief walk or warm up period. Make sure you never try to stretch a muscle before warming up. It won’t be as effective and can lead to injury. Perform each stretch twice for 20-30 seconds with 10 seconds in between each. You can also do this routine after training as a cool-down method if you like.

Calf Stretch – Place your feet on a step with your heels hanging off of it. Make sure you can maintain balance or support yourself by holding rails. Lower your heels as far as you can without coming off the step. Hold on to a rail or banister for balance. You should feel a stretch in your heels, calves, and up to your knees.

Touch the Toes – This is a simple one but it isn’t done as much as it should be. Keep your legs straight. Reach down to your toes or as far as you can. You should feel a stretch in the back of the legs up to the glutes. Maintain this stretch and continue to breathe while doing so.

Quad Stretch – Stand at a doorway and hold on to one side of it with your right hand. Pick up your left foot behind you like you’re attempting to kick yourself. Grab your left foot with your left hand. Pull and hold your foot until you feel a stretch in the front of your thighs. If you can’t reach your foot in this manner, place it on a bench or seat behind you and slowly squat down with the other leg until you feel that stretch. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Chest and Biceps Stretch – Stand in a doorway or rack and hold onto the back of it with your hands and arms straight. Push your chest forward until you feel a stretch in the chest and shoulder area. If you make a fist with your hands and hold them in the doorway you’ll feel a stretch in the biceps as well. Don’t try to stretch too hard or too far. You should just feel a mild discomfort, not pain.

Back and Arms Stretch – Grab a pullup bar with both hands. Allow your weight to hang from it. Let your shoulders come forward for an extra stretch in the shoulder area. If you don’t feel comfortable from a pullup area, sit in a pulldown station and grab the handle with resistance on it that will allow you to feel this same stretch. Make sure you do this with both an overhand and underhand grip.

Once you get more comfortable with these, start looking for more advanced stretches you can do so you can maintain and even improve the health and function of your muscles.