Muscle Cramps
I am asked a lot, "What can I do to prevent my muscle cramps?" I just got my second such question of the day. I wish I could tell people that all you had to do is X and miraculously your cramps will be a thing of the past. Problem is, no one knows for sure what causes cramps. It's unlikely to be sodium (or potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc) despite what you have been told and read your entire athletic life. The research simply doesn't support any of this. But it's difficult to change the minds of hundreds of thousands of people when the sports drink industry spends millions to softly convince you that you just need more salt. I wish it was that simple. If it was I wouldn't keep getting this question. The best I can do is to help educate you about how little we know about this common affliction. Perhaps with a little education you can do a better job of figuring out the cause of yours. What I'd suggest you do is go here, scroll down a little bit, and read the section titled "Muscle Cramps." This is an excellent summary of what is known by sports science currently on this topic. Good luck with your quest for an answer!
posted by Joe Friel @ 6:18 PM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
I cramp frequently after long rides. Last week I stopped at an ice cream shop and got a medium vanilla cone. Cramps abated and didn't return.
G'Day Joe,
OT: I noticed on the sidebar you mentioned you have put together a 9:30 IM plan, but when I click on the link I can't seem to locate the plan??
I would love to have a good look at it.
Cheers
Paul F
Pre-Paleo I ate a lot of salt to prevent leg cramping at night. I still cramped often.
Now I eat no salt at all. I have increased the amount of spinach and cantaloupe I eat. I've only had 2 occasions where I cramped up at night. Both of those I believe were caused by dehydration.
I have 2 massage clients who get foot and calf cramps during sessions. Both of those gentlemen feel Budweiser and water are interchangeable. LOL
Looks like Fatigue and Stretching are very significant factors so fitness is very important as well as hydration and electrolytes. Thanks for the link and quit reading this and get out on your bike! Again thanks Joe and keep the tweets/blog coming; your knowledge is important.
Cramps are such an interesting issue. 2 years ago, when I was not in the condition I was now, I had lots of issues with cramping.
Lots of heed, gatorade, enduralytes, etc seemed to really help with the problem
Today, I ride much more, at higher intensity, drink only water on rides, and don't get cramps.
Paul F--Sorry for the inop link. Try this one and then open IM plans... http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans/training-plans/joe-friel.aspx
for an immediate solution to cramping eat TUMS! Yep, it works every time. For a long term solution, hydrate, eat foods from the earth, you may even try pickle juice or eat a pickle. Klausens arr my favorite, but if you cramp in a race. EAT TUMS! works every time.
You don't need all the science to define a cramp, blah, blah, or why this works, It just does.
for an immediate solution to cramping eat TUMS! Yep, it works every time. For a long term solution, hydrate, eat foods from the earth, you may even try pickle juice or eat a pickle. Klausens arr my favorite, but if you cramp in a race. EAT TUMS! works every time.
You don't need all the science to define a cramp, blah, blah, or why this works, It just does.
As a long time sufferer of cramps, I know my "secret". Long training sessions. If I'm doing 2 5hr+ days a week in addition to racing and short rides, they are not a problem. Otherwise, after 2-3 hour barrier in a race, they come real hard on both legs and every muscle - even if I'm in very good shape.
Besides wondering what causes cramps, you can wonder what to do when you get one. A trick that often works for me involves contracting the opposing muscle. For example, for a calf cramp, the antagonist is on the shin, so flex at the ankle causing the ball of the foot to come up. It's the same motion as you'd use to "stretch" the cramp, but you are doing it only by contracting the opposing muscle. This causes the cramping muscle to be inhibited and quite often causes the cramp to go away. The beauty is that you don't need to stop and find a way to stretch. You can just start the release immediately. There is some amount of staying calm and keeping tension in the opposing muscle for a few moments. If you are curious, "reciprocal inhibition" is the mechanism you're making use of when you do this. I get foot cramps driving and, if it wasn't for this trick, I don't know what I'd do. A panic stop and hopping around, I guess. (For the foot cramp, the motion is a flex at the ankle as above combined with a twisting of the foot. You just have to play with it to find it, I guess.)
Right on. It's called Sherrington's Law of Reciprical Inhibition. Go to http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/2789.html
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