Muscle Cramps- Electrolytes or what works?

[RShea]

So in the last week since getting back on my road bike I've had some cramps various times of the day. I do not think it is related to hydration as the worst evening I had ridden 15 or so miles and drank both sports drink (16 oz or more by the time I had to get off the bike) and probably another 30 oz of straight water out of my camelbak. It was a cooler evening, not sure, but suspect that had some contribution.

So is it a lack of Potassium, or electrolytes?
I find I can only eat so many bananas and not sure what else to try. Anyone do the tablets like the Hammer Electrolytes or Camelbak Elixir?

[brice618]

The guy who I took wfr from said just plain salt mixed with water and a little sugar or an apple with salt will help out a lot with electrolytes, better than gatorade. Might try that as an after work out deal to boost your bodies ability to handle the stress.

[VanPatrol]

Stretching?

If you doing that its probably your muscles adjusting to the bike thing.
Water, salt and a snack usually dose the trick

[Daywalker]

Sounds like you're hitting the electrolyte/water thing. Maybe just getting used to the different routine. If you want to make sure, try an electrolyte pill (I've always used hammer) to make sure you're fully stocked in that regard.

On the other hand, maybe your body is telling you to take up mountain biking.





Or wiffleball.

[Kevo]

Try taking an over the counter NSAID until you build up your cycling legs- I prefer Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) to help with inflammation and cramps. I find that it seriously helps while building up certain endurance muscle groups for seasonal sports (think early season pow day legs).

[ulty_guy]

1000 mg calcium and 500 magnesium once/day for about a week, after that, cut dosage by half. Once you're actually cramping tho, sodium is the only thing that can save you.

[couloirman]

nunn tablets and aleve

[plugboots]

Well, it helps to be in shape, but Hammer Enduralytes are it.

[4frntmorrison]

our highschool football coach used to have people drink jars of pickle juice. people said it helped although i never tried it myself. might be worth a try though

[bigairnbumps]

i find this works well. i just add a tab to my camelback.

http://www.nuun.com/index.php

[RShea]

Originally Posted by 4frntmorrison

our highschool football coach used to have people drink jars of pickle juice. people said it helped although i never tried it myself. might be worth a try though

Don't know which would be worst the cramps or the drinking of the pickle juice (sweet or dill- does it matter, how many ounces?)

I think I'll try a few other suggestions before this one. Thanks.

[Tuckerman]

I use salt pills on runs in the 4 to 5 hour range and when rolling. I can't think of the name off hand but I get them over the counter at the drug store. Also as you may already know once you get the cramping there is not a lot you can do. If I know I'm going on a long run I'll pop 2 of these pills in the AM then a few more before I start my run and some during the run. It's worked well for me but stretching could be your problem as the post above stated.

[ecas559]

E caps...enough said.

[Conundrum]

Brando-it's got what you need.

[Rontele]

Cytomax + sports legs = done.

[fool]

Try a mustard packet. And yes, I'm serious. I heard this from my school's trainer a while back and I've used it before and it seems work. It might be the placebo affect, but just carry a few packets of mustard and when you start cramping, pop one. Crazy, but it works (at least for me).

[bigairnbumps]

Originally Posted by fool

Try a mustard packet. And yes, I'm serious. I heard this from my school's trainer a while back and I've used it before and it seems work. It might be the placebo affect, but just carry a few packets of mustard and when you start cramping, pop one. Crazy, but it works (at least for me).

grey poupon or plain ballpark stadium?

[Tuckerman]

Oh and to add to my post above drink a ton of water. You probably already know that.

[IMOjacksocksenne]

a friend in high school ate eight bananas after hockey once to try not to cramp up.

she threw up, so i wouldn't reccomend it... but she said it worked.

[edwin33]

If your getting stomach / side cramps i have found that breathing more steadily and holding your breath a little longer before you breath out works. also try drink a bit of hot water before you exercise.

[axebiker]

How old are you? I'm finding that I'm having some problems with my quads cramping too, but it didn't start until I was in my 30's. I've tried most of the things Hammer Nutrition can throw at it, but it just happens - usually about 30 miles into a ride. It doesn't really matter how intense the ride is either - easy spin or hammer. It just happens.

My thoughts - I don't eat very well as often as I should, and I should really drink more water, and less pop. I think it's all about balance, and training. I love the thought of popping some capsules and all is good, but so far, it hasn't worked.

Good luck. Hopefully I'll find a remedy as well.

[Mr. Belvedere]

Originally Posted by IMOjacksocksenne

a friend in high school ate eight bananas after hockey once to try not to cramp up.

she threw up, so i wouldn't reccomend it... but she said it worked.

A high school girl eating eight bananas!
TPIWWP

Now i'm going to pray for my sins

[Big Steve]

Originally Posted by Kevo

Try taking an over the counter NSAID. . .

You might want to check out the research out there. The scientific consensus seems to be that NSAID's during long endurance athletic events can be harmful, possibly increasing risk of hyponatremia and muscle damage. Google: NSAIDs during exercise

My experiment of one led me to use Succeed! S-Caps (also called "S!Caps") for endurance exercise of more than a few hours. S!Caps were formulated by Karl King, an ultrarunner and research scientist. King analyzed many sweat samples and formulated S!Caps to replace the stuff that is sweated out. I've tried Nuun, e-Caps, Salt Stick, Lava and others, and I keep coming back to S!Caps, which seem to be the electrolyte caps of choice in the ultrarunning community, and they cost less than the others. (Note that it takes 3 e-Caps to provide the same Na as S-Caps.) S!Caps are available directly from Karl King at http://www.succeedscaps.com/main_scaps.html

[RShea]

Anyone have experience with the Swift brand?

http://www.affordablehealthandsafety...elta100ta.html

[MtBakehead]

Originally Posted by VanPatrol

Stretching?

Good tips on stretching for cyclists:
http://www.ultracycling.com/training/cramping.html

Maybe you should try drinking less?
http://www.ultracycling.com/nutritio...endurance.html :
"Too many times endurance athletes fall for the "if a little is good, a lot is better" myth. Nowhere is this truer than when it comes to hydration. All it takes is one race where you've had to DNF due to cramping and you start thinking, "hmm, maybe I didn't drink enough". Next thing you know, you're drinking so much fluid that, while your thirst is quenched, your belly is full beyond the point of comfort; and you're still cramping. What's happening is that over hydrating causes what is known as "dilutional hyponatremia", or a state of over-diluted blood serum sodium. This is almost as bad as under hydrating. The results are similar: cramping with the added disadvantages of stomach discomfort, bloating, and extra urine output. It is now believed that about 24 ounces of fluids per hour is the most your body can absorb. If you feel it is necessary to consume more, remember that you will need to consume even more electrolytes to offset what is being flushed out of your system prematurely."


There's a longer article on the site about over-hydration as well.