Hot Potato

Since the end of last summer, I have been experiencing severe, extremely painful, sustained muscle cramps between two and four hours after a hard ride. I will just be sitting on the couch, or in bed, feeling good, and I will go to move my leg and a wave of cramps will seize my entire leg. It cascades from the quads to the hamstrings to the calves, then they all stay locked up rock hard for a few minutes. This period of tetany is one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. Gradually, it will loosen up to the point that I can get on my feet, and walk it off.

No cramping on the ride, but it will always be after a ride that I pushed myself. It won't happen if I am walking around after a ride, it seems to only be possible if I sit or lay down and completely relax the leg muscles, then a trivial effort at a movement sets off the cramps.

I would rather puke from the ride effort than experience this. Any cures or preventatives?

davesax36

potassium, magnesium, sodium, water, massage.

lambo_vt

Sounds like you need more sodium. Do you drink plain water when you ride?

nitropowered

I would say a severe electrolyte imbalance.

If you are drinking just water during the ride, start adding something. If you don't like sugary drink mixes, try Zym or Nuun.

And are you eating after the ride? Seems that some people will skip the after ride meal to try to loose weight, which does more harm than good.

banerjek

Since you know this happens to you, I have a little safety tip -- do not take a nap with a large dog after riding.

If you get massive cramps and your arms are around the dog, you could scare the crap out of dog which will then defend itself. I learned this the hard way...

Hot Potato

I usually drink water and gatorade. I will munch after the ride. It is possible that I don't drink enough, but I have had it happen even after forcing myself to hydrate on the ride. It doesn't happen every time, more like 30% of the hard (for me) rides. I can ride long distances at a moderate pace in the most severe heat, run out of water, sweat buckets, and this won't happen. I understand that cramps are caused by pushing your muscles beyond what they are conditioned to doing, but I was hoping that there was something I could do in the hours after a hard ride to prevent this. I could just not do hard rides, but the hard rides were really starting to improve my fitness and speed at the end of last summer. Is this just a temporary phase while I build cycling abilities?

banerjek

Possibly. But if you're like me and can ride for many years without ever getting those cycling abilities, the cramps might not go away.

nitropowered

You may want to go to the doctor and go get blood tests. Get blood drawn before you ride for a baseline and if possible schedule a second draw after a hard workout (essentially do the workout and ride to the doc's)

icon

I would experience this quite often. Have a banana before every workout(ride) and one after, you need more potassium. Might also be dehydrated or in need of electrolytes. I've also heard that it's a bad idea to stretch a cramped muscle when it is fully contracted.

It is the most painful feeling I've ever experienced. It would hit when I least expected and the worst was when I was sleeping. Starts off as a charley horse cramp and then the entire leg.

SharpStone30888

Thats not delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is where your legs are stuffed a day or two after a hard/long ride.

fa63

I never have cramps as severe as you describe, but massaging my own legs using "the stick" a little bit before and after the ride has helped me tremendously.

icyclist 

On rare occasion, several hours after a long, strenuous ride, I've gotten a serious cramp in one leg or the other, usually hitting me in the back of a thigh. And always after I'd been sitting for a while. I was certainly hydrated and wasn't lacking for potassium, magnesium, etc.

At some point years ago, I started stretching legs my a few hours, not minutes, after a hard ride. Nothing extreme, I'd stand after I'd been sitting for a while, and stretch several seconds, usually just carefully bending at the waist, holding it long enough to feel the stretch in my hamstrings.

That was the end of my post-ride camping. Was it the stretching that stopped the cramps? Maybe. Or maybe the rides have gotten less intense over the years, and/or maybe my age mitigates against cramps. I would suggest, though, trying, if you aren't already, some easy stretches after you ride, and not necessarily just after you ride.

lpolliard

I seem to experience cramping when I return to my bike after a few days off from my normal routine. Maybe you are not riding enough and more consistently.

Voodoo76

I used to experience this on occasion. For me it was usually related to poor Hydration or a poor warm down. Consider going for a walk a couple hours after a hard ride, or hop in a pool if you can (before the cramps obviously).

Hot Potato

I ride daily April through November, since I commute to work by bike. But it is club rides that cause these cramps, and I only get to do club rides once or twice a week.