Training & Nutrition - Major Leg Cramps - Help!

Hey everyone, I was looking for some nutritional assistance.

Whenever I ride hard, either road or mountain, but usually always after mountain biking. I end up getting major leg cramps.

First my hamstrings will cramp, then while I try stretching those, my quads will cramp. The only thing I can do is endure the pain and just walk around untill they subside. It's actually very painful.

I make sure I stay hydrated and I stretch after each ride. Regardless, I always end up cramping. It always seems to happen once I'm driving home and don't have the luxury to stretch immediately. I have to suck it up and wait for the next rest area before I can pull over and stretch again!

I thought initially I was just out of shape, but I've been training regularly for at least 8 months now and I still cramp. Like I said I stay hydrated, but have noticed it gets worse after I drink Gatorade, or another sweetened drink. Does high sugar increase cramping?

What helps to prevent, and/or allieviate cramps once I get them? Do I need to take an electrolyte supplement? Do I need more potassium or what? Is drinking more Gatorade (or equal) necessary?

Thanks
L8R

I would venture to say Electrolytes, specifically
Potassium.
Try eating Bananas before your rides. Good energy
and high in Potassium.

Marty

Try bananas and milk----if that doesn't help-----get your blood sugar checked---i'm diabetic and my legs were always cramping up before I got medical help. If that's what it is---cut waay back on the carbs.

Ditto with the bananas and lots of water - the day before, during, and after the ride.

Possibly you could try stretching after you've warmed up, but before the major part of your ride. Just ride for five minutes or so in an easy gear, then stretch, and stretch again after your ride. Hope you can work this out, sounds painful.

One way to get a feel for whether it's a hydration issue is to weigh yourself before and after the ride. The difference is dehydration. Try to drink that much on the ride (1 gal ~= 8 lbs... where's the drowning smiley?). Aside from hydration, I, too, have always heard that potassium is the main culprit in cramps, along with magnesium and calcium.

You might want to try buying some potassium supplements to see if they have an effect. You can get them pretty cheap at discount pharmacies (do they have Phar-mors in Fla?). If you use salt, you might want to consider using a Morton product named "Lite Salt" or something like that. Anyhow, it's basically half sodium chloride (regular salt), half potassium chloride. That way, you reduce sodium, which has already been generously added to every prepared food you buy, and supplement potassium, which is pretty hard to come by in quantities anywhere near proportional to sodium.

Try some Enervit in your water and/or Enervit G tablets in your cheek. I always laughed at electrolyte replacements before I tried this stuff, IT WORKS. I have less cramps and feel better during and and after riding and ride stronger too.

This stuff makes Ga***ade look sick!!!!

On longer rides Enervitene for energy is great too, shot if it has taken me from "off the back" to attacking the guys I was with. It's liquid, so it goees down real easy. Since it isn't solid food it won't take any water away form your muscles to digest it and it digests very fast, about 5 to 10 minutes.



Ride with Electrolytes
Pat

Maybe time of day is the culprit. I'm more likely to suffer cramps after a crack of dawn ride than a ride taken a few hours later. The body's just not awake yet. Oh but I love those rides before the rest of the world has woken up and the streets are mine completely with only the sound of the tires and spinning gears. There's a price for everything I guess.

Kathy

It happened again this Sunday. Went for a mt. bike ride, and started cramping later in the day.

I drank a TON of water on Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday morning on the way to the trails. I had water in my Camelback (100 oz bladder) and drank nearly all of it on my first ride. Oh yeah, I ate a banana in the morning and another at our first "break" during the ride. When I got back to the truck, I drank two large water bottles of Gatorade. I stretched pre-ride, during our banana break and post-ride.

It's now Tuesday and my legs are still sore. I'm heading to my local GNC and picking up some magnesium and electrolyte supplements. I'll investigate that Enervitine stuff. At this point I'll try everything/anything!

BTW, Omaharider, I'm on a high protein diet (similar to Atkins, but not so strict), I was wondering if that was the culprit. Now, I'm not so sure.

Thank everyone, I'll keep you posted!
L8R

I drank a TON of water on Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday morning on the way to the trails. I had water in my Camelback (100 oz bladder) and drank nearly all of it on my first ride.
I may be way off here, but I don't think 2 bananas and some
gatorade replenish your electrolytes when you're working
really hard and sweating out more than you replace.
think about it, you sweat out electrolytes, replenish water
but no electrolytes.
Were the cramps less intense than previous incident?
You had the gatorade when you went back to the truck,
was that during the break? after the ride?
I'd suggest carry waterbottle or two filled with some
type of electrolyte drink (I like Cytomax) in addition to
your 100oz camelback.
Yeah you carry alot of liquid weight, but its better than
the cramping later.
One other thing I'd suggest is something like GU, or
powergel, for a full day of riding H20 and banana
just isn't enough energy, you may have total depleted
glycogen stores and cramped because you pushed
muscles into anaerobic work throughout ride and lactic
acid just caught up.
Hope this helps.
Marty

Just want to add that cramps can lead to other injuries, so they should be taken seriously. In my case, calf cramps led to Achilles tendonitis--full story found in my post in "general discussion". It was partly a case of not enough Water. Trust me, I am now hydrating like a madman.

Cheers,
Jamie

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Thank everyone, I'll keep you posted!
Indeed! When you discover what magic formula works, as well as those that didn't, please let us know.

One other possibility that I thought about while reading about dehydration and cramps somewhere. It said dehydration caused cramps due to the blood thickening, thus impeding circulation. If that's the case, supplementing vitamin E may also help, if you aren't already. I've heard it recommended for people who get cramps due to circulatory problems, like diabetics, but never for cycling-related cramps. If you are already supplementing E, I've heard that it's best to take it with whichever daily meal has the most fat, since it's a fat soluble vitamin. Also, not to take it with iron (the iron destroys the E or something).

This will sound like an ad, but it isn't. Just want to share an experience. In the past, almost any ride much over two hours and I'd get cramps afterwards. Last weekend, I drank Accelerade during a 52 mile ride and EnduroxR4 immediately afterward. NO CRAMPS, at all. In fact, my legs felt great the next morning. The stuff's not cheap, but if it keeps working, I'll gladly keep using it. Next time, instead of two bottles with Accelerade, I think, I'll fill one with only water.

Hey, Hotrod, what is in the Accelerade and the Endurox? I don't know these. Are they electrolyte solutions, carb solutions, both, neither? Specifically, do they contain potassium and/or magnesium and in what quantities?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Jamie

Info about Endurox and Accelerade (http://www.endurox.com/)

I, too, probably sound like an advertiser, but I'm just an impressed customer. EnduroxR4 defininitely improves my post-ride energy level and recovery time.

I'm going to sound like the other not-so-advertisers, but I've had excellent results with Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition. 2-3 scoops per hour, tossed in with my other fuel choices, and I'm happy as a clam. Rode my first century on Saturday plus another 57 on Sunday without even a hint of cramping.

I've heard that Tums helps.

Try Hammer's Endurolytes. I used to cramp during extended rides and they do the trick every time. Never leave the house without them. Comes in powder & tablet form.

try pickle juice.
http://sweatscience.com/pickle-juice-stops-muscle-cramps/
i don't actually drink pickle juice, i drink 2 oz. of apple cider vinigar. never fails to relieve the cramps. try drinking the vinigar right after you stop riding.

And another info-mercial. I have been using cytomax this summer with good results. The flavors help make it drinkable. Mix it right in the water bottles and go.

How long is your warmup?

One thing's for sure - you don't want to drink 100 oz. of water with no electrolytes or just a banana or two. And Gatorade doesn't contain enough electrolytes to even balance the water that's in it. So it's very little help. More information and a good discussion on the water/electrolyte topic here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/773122-quot-Only-Drink-When-You-re-Thirsty....-quot

The original question was posted in '02 (and I responded then, too). Hopefully 'nut has resolved his problem.

I recently heard another approach to address cramping after potassium, hydrating and electrolytes have failed; quinine. It's a very mild muscle relaxer. Hydrate with tonic water the day before. No first hand experience, just thought I'd pass it along.