Cramps While Swimming: Choosing Between Hypertrophy, Flexibility, and Endurance

Just a couple of days ago, I experienced a cramp while swimming. Instead of stopping, I tried to push through it, even though that’s not really the recommended approach. It got me thinking about how our bodies go through different processes—sometimes even more intense than a cramp—like sleep paralysis or muscle contractions while resting. We often forget these moments because our bodies naturally adjust and move on. This realization made me appreciate that swimming is really about learning to relax, adapt, and go with the flow.

One of the best ways to teach someone to swim is actually by asking them to “drown” in a controlled setting. This may sound extreme, but it helps them understand how their body naturally finds an efficient horizontal position in the water. When swimming, efficiency comes from mastering this relaxed state and positioning.

Managing Cramps While Swimming

If you ever get a cramp while swimming, don’t panic. Remember, different swimming techniques allow for adaptation. If you experience a leg cramp, you don’t have to rely on your legs for propulsion. In freestyle and most strokes, about 80% of your movement actually comes from your arms. On the other hand, if you get a cramp in your arms, you can still manage to stay afloat and swim a significant distance using just your legs. The key is to stay calm and recognize that a cramp isn’t the end of your session.

In fact, sometimes, you might get a cramp early in your workout but still be able to continue swimming safely. This could be your body signaling an area that needs more attention—whether it's hydration, mineral balance, or flexibility. Over time, as you address these issues, cramps tend to occur less frequently.

The Trade-Off Between Hypertrophy, Flexibility, and Endurance

Coming from a background in weightlifting and hypertrophy training, I noticed that swimming introduced new limitations—mainly flexibility. When I was focused on hypertrophy, I trained my chest and biceps heavily, but over time, I realized this stiffness was limiting my ability to move efficiently in the water. As a result, I stopped training certain muscle groups to regain mobility and improve my swimming performance.

Another key difference between hypertrophy and endurance training is how the body adapts. If your primary goal is hypertrophy, it's generally advised not to do cardio right after weightlifting because it shifts the focus from muscle growth to endurance. But since my goal changed from muscle mass to endurance, I started incorporating more swimming, prioritizing overall muscle efficiency over sheer size.

Rethinking Muscle Efficiency

One interesting perspective is that the muscles we develop through hypertrophy are not necessarily the most efficient. The muscles we originally have—before intense training—are actually quite functional. As training volume increases, muscles grow to sustain the workload, but that doesn’t always mean they are more effective. A simple way to see this is by observing how strong babies can be, despite having relatively small muscles. They have natural muscle efficiency, whereas bodybuilders and weightlifters develop bulkier muscles to accommodate the repetitive strain of their workouts.

Incorporating swimming into a hypertrophy-focused training routine might reduce some gym-based gains, but it also serves as a check on overall flexibility, muscle health, and endurance. It forces you to recognize areas of tightness or weakness that weightlifting alone might not address.

Swimming is one of the best longevity sports out there. It challenges endurance, improves flexibility, and enhances muscle function without excessive strain on the joints. So, whether you’re dealing with cramps, adjusting your training goals, or simply looking for a way to improve overall fitness—just keep swimming, stay safe, and take care!