Cramp

[montage]

Last night's TT I was on to a PB and the left calf cramped up at 9.1 miles...annoying because I was feeling pretty good.
For some reason, it is always my left calf that cramps up, without fail.

There are the obvious remedies such as drink more, bit of salt etc, which I shall try, but what are some other possible causes?

 

[Sambu]

Me too My link

 

[montage]

oops, should have read down first.
Uncanny how similar our issues are

 

[WychwoodTrev]

I have the same problem in my left calf muscle but I know the reason as I have aslipped disc in my lower back and its pressing on the nerve causing the calf tocramp up. My question to you is do you have a problem somewhere else thst could be causing this ?

 

[Sambu]

how old are you?

 

[WychwoodTrev]

Me ? I am 46

 

[montage]

I'm 20, history of knee operations but I had calf cramps before this - including extreme calf cramps on a 20 miles fell run a few years ago which caused me to lose sight .... I think I might pedal with my left foot slightly more pointed downwards than my right when under pressure, which naturally tightens the calf.

 

[Strom]

Use a good salt replacement drink, like SIS Superhydro to replace your salts lost in sweat and maybe consider a ZMA supplement, (google is your friend!)

 

[montage]

I'd rather avoid suppliments and SIS type drinks as they are pretty expensive, but I'm sure I can do home made options.
Calf is pretty sore when I cramped yesterday....I wonder if it's an old rip or something

 

[zacklaws]

It happens to me this cramping of the calve muscles and what I have found is, I only get it if I constantly sit pushing hard for long periods, but if every now and then I get up to stand to pedal for a a few seconds, I do not get the cramp. Usually If there is not a hill to go up to work out on standing, I will put my gears into the highest and then stand and try and get my legs working a little harder and stretch before sitting back down, drop into a lower gear and then raise the cadence again.

At the first twinge of cramp, like last night, I immediatly change to a high gear, stand for a few seconds then sit down and that cures it.

 

[Bayerd]

It happens to me this cramping of the calve muscles and what I have found is, I only get it if I constantly sit pushing hard for long periods, but if every now and then I get up to stand to pedal for a a few seconds, I do not get the cramp. Usually If there is not a hill to go up to work out on standing, I will put my gears into the highest and then stand and try and get my legs working a little harder and stretch before sitting back down, drop into a lower gear and then raise the cadence again.

At the first twinge of cramp, like last night, I immediatly change to a high gear, stand for a few seconds then sit down and that cures it.

I'll try that, I sometimes get the same thing in the right calf, for me it's more likely to hit if I ride later in the day than first thing.

 

[zacklaws]

I'd rather avoid suppliments and SIS type drinks as they are pretty expensive, but I'm sure I can do home made options.

All this year I have been using my own made electrolyte powder, based on the ingredients and amounts in Nuun Tablets which is posted online. For about £12, I think, I made up enough electrolyte powder to equal 600 Nuun tablets.

When you pay between £5 - £6 for 12 tablets, that is a massive saving, only about £275 for 600 tablets at £5.50 for 12

One tablet is made up from the following (per 500ml water bottle)

Sodium (carbonates) 360.0mg
Potassium (bicarbonate) 100.0mg
Calcium (carbonate) 12.5mg
Magnesium (sulfate) 25.0mg
Vitamin C 37.5mg
Vitamin B2 500mcg

As you can see, the ingredients are only baking powder, bath salts also a laxative, and chalk for example, which makes the price a big ripoff, 200grm of sodium bicarbonate you can buy for less than £2 off Ebay or even the chemists maybe.. I have not bothered with Viatamin B2, but I take that anyway as a vitamin tablet. But you would need jewelry scales to measure milligrams and also to add the right amount to water bottles, but they are dirt cheap off Ebay. Plus you would need a pestle and mortar to grind the Sodium Bicarbonate plus the magenesium sulfate down to a fine powder but it only takes a couple of minutes unless you bought it in powder form. Vitamin C powder (ascorbic acid) is the dearest item. aprox £7, but I got enough to last a long time in a 100grm container of ebay. Ensure the ingredients you buy are food grade. Magnesium sulfate is only £2.49 a kilo, once again highlights the ripoff price of Nuun Tablets. Plus my own mix still fizzes when mixed in water,

Alternatively, buy electrolyte powder from "myprotein" which is what I used to use in the past, or just nu-salt from a supermarket

 

[Sambu]

I'd rather avoid suppliments and SIS type drinks as they are pretty expensive, but I'm sure I can do home made options.
Calf is pretty sore when I cramped yesterday....I wonder if it's an old rip or something

Ditto, i thought it might be that. my leg hurt real bad for about 4 days after the last cramp.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Cramp tends to be due to an overall lack of condition, hence cramp threads are common early season and rare late season.
Electrolytes are thought to be involved but there's little real proof.
The usual advice is to drop a few gears and spin to take the pressure off the muscle.
Calves maybe partly due to pedalling tecnique, such as pedalling 'toes-down' which keeps the calf in a constant state of contraction and hence fatigue, try pedalling more flat-footed, you may need to drop your seat a tad.
On a TT, make sure you're 'pedalling circles' and maximising usage of all your muscle groups.

Gooogle cramp, you'll soon realise that although a common ailment, nobody really knows much about it's cause.

 

[HLaB]

I'd rather avoid suppliments and SIS type drinks as they are pretty expensive, but I'm sure I can do home made options.
Calf is pretty sore when I cramped yesterday....I wonder if it's an old rip or something

I've started making my own (I stole the recipe of bikeradar) I put 7 teaspoons of sugar in a 750-800ml bottle add 1 teaspoon of salt and no added sugar concentrate and dilute.
The odd time I've had cramp, touchwood it has manifested in my left leg, I think because its my weaker leg and needs to work harder to compensate.