Muscle cramping and how to prevent it?

[asad137]

Earlier this week I got a new bike and on Thursday I went for my first road group ride. 11 other riders on various roads and trails in the twin cities area, about 30 miles total.

It was a lot of fun, but it would have been more fun had my legs (calves specifically) not started cramping up about 40 minutes into what was a ~2 hour ride. Part of the problem was that at the beginning I wasn't drafting well so I was working harder than the people in the pack, but at some point we hit some extended uphills and my calves just decided to stop working. It was pretty frustrating because I wasn't even breathing hard.

So, any recommendations on how to avoid muscle cramps? From what I can see, the conventional wisdom is that lack of electrolytes is a primary cause of muscle cramps -- I didn't know this beforehand, but I can imagine that in the future I would make sure to load up on electrolytes both before and during the ride (I just had water). Any other suggestions?

Asad

[Mokele]

Electrolytes are part of it, but there's also the simple issue of blood supply. That's why you don't go swimming after eating - so much blood is in your gut that any electrolytes and nutrientsyou have won't reach the muscles in enough quantity to fuel them, resulting in cramps.

Are you not used to this level of exertion, especially for such a long duration/distance? If so, you may simply not have enough capillaries to supply the muscle cells with what they need. IIRC, it generally takes about 2-3 weeks for your body to lay down enough new capillaries to meet the demand.

[Mauersegler]

In the spring of 2004 I started I started playing basketball on public courts here in Dresden and soon I spent whole afternoons on the court. Effective playing time was maybe around 2 to 3 hours, so really a lot. I had a lot of cramps back then and not just during the exertion itself (that happenes usually an hour in or something like that), but also in the middle of the night. It got better when I started drinking more water and this summer I actually drank 3 l on one afternoon (very hot and sunny day). At some point in 2005 I discovered that if I had cheese sandwhiches before playing basketball I was more likely to cramp up. That's when I stopped eating cheese on these days and since I played a lot of basketball, I practically stopped eating cheese altogether. Someone once offered the explanation that the Ca in the cheese offsets my electrolyte balance and maybe that's it, I don't know. I just stumbled upon the cheese through trial and error. The story isn't over though. I still had cramps every now and then. I don't even remember why, but last year I started dissolving a tablespoon of salt in a glass of water and the drinking it an hour before going to the game. It tastes like shit, but works like charm. Of course I drink a glass of regular water directly after, but still. For some reason I seem to be more prone to cramping than everyone else and I suspect that my diet is too low of sodium. I'll keep my eye on this thread for more insight into this problem.

BTW, I also tried the magnesium drinks, but they didn't work.


It's really "awesome" if you come down from a jump shot, cramp up and slowly go to the ground. Or if you have to stop having sex because your calve is cramping up.

[0xDEADBEEF]

@Asad: It sounds to me like you're giving your leg muscles more of a workout than they're used to, which of course is good, but for whatever reason, your calves are the first muscles to say "uncle." As you keep riding, and building up endurance, they'll hold out longer, but you're still liable to reach a point where something else cramps up, before you reach the point of total exhaustion. Stretching, warming up, and all of those good things people do before they exercise will help, as well.

On a separate note, I was surprised to see on my last blood test / lab report that my potassium level was high-normal. I had suspected that it might be low, because I have been having more and more various muscle cramps in my sleep. I asked my doc about it, and he said that while a potassium deficiency would certainly cause muscle cramps, potassium doesn't prevent them. Worse than that, he broke the bad news to me of my "real" diagnosis: Old Age (and he says it's not going to get any better!)

[asad137]

Are you not used to this level of exertion, especially for such a long duration/distance?

I am definitely not. Most of the athletic activities I do are more focused on short bursts of power with relatively low effort between (things like Ultimate and basketball), not sustained moderate/high output.

Asad

[Mokele]

Well, give it a few weeks and see if things improve. If not, you may simply not be built for high aerobic activity - some people aren't. Muscle fiber type is strongly genetically determined, and can only be changed to a very small degree. If you naturally have a lot of fast-twitch fibers, you'll be good at sprinting and weights, if you have lots of slow-twitch fibers, you'll be good at running and biking.

[asad137]

Update: I went on more-or-less the same ride today, and this time it was a smaller group and an even faster pace. I had almost no problems with muscle cramping (I felt a tiny twinge of tightness about 2/3 of the way in, compared to feeling it about 1/4 of the way in last time and then having my legs nearly unable to move for the last 1/3 of the ride). I attribute this to a host of factors: 1: I think my muscles are improving, 2: I stayed up near the front of the paceline for most of the first half of the ride, taking advantage of the draft, and 3: better prep in terms of nutrition -- I had an electrolyte replacement drink with me along with a bottle of water, had 2 bananas earlier in the day (yay potassium!), and had an energy gel before the ride and at the halfway point.

Even after all the big hills, I was able to hit nearly 30mph (ok, 29.6) for a brief period on a relatively flat section in the last ~5-6 miles of the ride. There is no way I could have done that last week -- I was lucky to be going 15-16mph on the same section last week.

An odd thing that's happened both times is that afterwards, when I stop riding, I get an ammonia smell in my nose (not in my sweat). I've read some conflicting reports about what causes this -- any opinions?

Asad