Over the years I have found several reasons "I" cramp badly. Back in the day,I worked 10-12 hour shifts..which lead to decrease in saddle time and exercise. I needed extra hydration 3-4 days before event...I actually used Pedialyte (stuff for young kids) and bananas before ,during,after.All this helped to some degree but what I found out by accident is that I had a deviated septum .My honker has been hit by a line drive baseball at the pitchers mound and a horrendous high speed crash (back in the day we didn't have full face helments). My doc told me that I wasn't getting enough oxygen thru my nose "plus" I had found out I clench my teeth alot while racing...not a whole lot of air flow ! Just something to think about. Have a good day Guscycle
Are the cramps in the front or back of your legs??.....i started to get them in the front of the thighs and people just laugh...its not funny and very painful..in the back you can often run/walk upstairs etc and the circulation takes them away..in the front?? In the privacy of your own home laying flat on your stomach [and sleep] works..however mine always happened on the drive back [enduro/trail ride] and people just looked at me stupid after i jumped out of the van and stood there smacking myself!!! AFTER this i asked a friend/pharmacist and he said "salt tablets" like the tennis players all seemmed to take back in the 70's....NONE found...he then told me [and i concure with rogerhatchek] Quinine Sulfate...it was what "explorers" used in the fight against malaria..and cramps in the hot climates of Africa India etc.. If you like gin and tonic your in luck as its found in Indian tonic water [has on front of bottle contains Quinine] and is cheap..i too let the gas out and mix with blackcurrant for the camelbak... Its worked for me and i hope you to, oh i like the sound of those crampese tablets.... finally..be careful taking a lot of aspirin..it thins the blood and thus aids circulation, but too much can have side affects!!
Yeah, I forgot I had also switched to drinking Pedalyte (orange cut with 2/3rds water). I'm sure that had a big effect on reducing my cramps. +1 about that aspirin note. If you are like me, I can't go within arms reach of a bike or I cut/scratch myself on some nearby barbed wire, tree branch, silva, thorn or other sharp object. Thin blood means you bleed more, longer, faster...
A lot of good ideas to try. I get them soo bad in evenings after a race that I can't stand up straight and walk. Thanx
I have used this in the past for both motorcycling and mountain bike racing with good results although the best prevention is ride, ride, and ride some more. http://www.sportlegs.com
I also get them after a race in the front of my upper leg. I have started to drink a lot of water the day before and morning of race and seems to help a lot.
I usually just get them on the right leg, seems to be from braking I guess. I may try lowering my pedal a bit.............. of course maybe some sort of exercise and stretching may help, duh.......
Your body is depleted of minerals or whatever it is in need of to function correctly... You need to prepare better in the days before the race, maybe in the race, and immediately after the race, so you are not suffering so much hours after the race ...
The key to pickle juice is it needs to be dill pickle juice. I have been told t is a favorite of football players that suffer from cramping. My girlfriend gets bad cramps (charley horses) in her legs mostly, but many other muscle groups. I had to take her to emergency once, because something was seriously wrong with her breathing and it was like she was having a stroke or something else serious. Cramping in one of her organs, is what it turned out to be. The emergency room doctor gave her some high dosage potassium pills and within a half an hour or so she was good to go. I believe he was who told us about the dill pickle juice and that it contained potassium. Since then we try to keep some potassium supplement around and fortunately haven't needed it
Pickle juice is the liquid substance used to give cucumbers their salty, sour taste. It is usually made of water, salt, calcium chloride and vinegar (acetic acid), and occasionally contains flavorings like dill or “bread and butter”. I have not read this yet but here is the scoop .... http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/pickleJuice.htm
How about concocting a witches brew of gatorade, water, pickle juice and throw in a packet of gatorade G2 perform.
If I wear mx socks that are to tight I get some calf cramps following a day of riding. Some brands are just way to tight. I really like the AXO socks as they fit great.
Realistically if you don't do any exercising or drink good amounts of water on a normal every day baises, then you could prob expect cramps. I'm not saying you don't do these things, but its always a good reason to start if you don't. I've done a little experiment and it took me 30 days to finally get hydrated. When I say hydrated, I mean when I get to the truck after an national enduro is over, I have to pee! I can ride a 60 true mile enduro and still have to pee as soon as i get back. I use to drink so much pop, ice tea, coffee, I got horrible cramps durring and after racing. I just recientley found out i'm Hypoglycemic and get dehydrated very easily. I"m not saying you or anyone else is like me because a lot of people can drink a smal amount of wanter and be hydrated. But for your body to not have cramps almost at all, you have to be saturated with water, not just 3 days before a race. Cramps come from latic acid build up in your muscles which can and usually stems from dehydration. I drink a camel back with NUNN tablets, 2 for every 70 ML of water. It kind of tastes bad at first, but it is full of electrolites and goodness your body craves when it is working hard. Hammer nutrition also makes these products and does a very good job at it. A lot of ISDE riders use NUNN and Hammer. I drink nothing but water, and maybe some work out and post work out water supplements. The first week sucked, but after week 2, my body craved water and only water. I gave up anything with added sugar because its not the good kind of natural sugar your body needs. My boyfriend is a AA rider and usually the day after every race we "one up" eachother by seeing who's urin is closest to clear, which means that person is more hydrated.. It's sad we made it a game, but we are very competitive and it works. 2 years ago I drank beer, smoked, and was lazy. Now I have done a complete 180 at 26 years old and feel so much better with so much energy! P90X every day makes you not have cramps too.. lol! trust me!
okay, trying some witches brew and suggestions: I took couple aspirins right before, 2 bannanas and hydrated day before, morning of and during/after race. Still got leg cramps last night. Next will be pickle juice and gonna try the Nunn!
I like to try to hydrate a couple days before with water and then the day of V8 juice and at least 1 banana before I start,I mix water with Gator aide usually for the ride in my hydration pack,when I stop for gas,lunch,pit more V8 juice the regular stuff and a power bar or whatever the choice and at the end of my ride more V8.I also usually try to eat some type of potatoe the night before and maybe a hash brown for breakfast before I ride and another bananna after the ride when my stomache settles. If you are starting to cramp when riding it's already too late, your dehydating. The other thing I have used during really hot weather when racing is called Pedialyte and I would mix it with water 50/50 for my camelback.The V8 is something I tried years ago when I was racing it seemed to get whatever I needed back in the fastest and had enough mass to fill me up if I didn't feel like eating.
Coconut juice is great stuff. It is getting very popular, at least where i am. It has more than twice the potasium of bananas and is slightly sweet and low in calories. It is simply the water from inside of the coconut. I feel like i have better endurance drinking it than i do with sports drinks. I would sometimes get cramps in my left under-forearm from working the clutch, but i also think it only happens if i have had alcohol the night before.
