Tight leg muscles and cramping

[TechMech]

Hi folks, myself and fellow Scotland dwellers from these forums are meeting up on Sunday for a 40 mile trip through the Trossachs from Dunblane. This will be my longest cycle to date.

What i'm quite concerned about is that for about a week and a half my calf muscles and the top sides of my thighs have been feeling quite tight.

I went out for a 25 mile cycle last night and 15-18 miles in my right calf starting cramping up. This is not the first time this has done this as about two weeks ago it did the same thing on an evening ride. I usually cycle on a Sunday late morning/early afternoon as well and I don't really get any problems, therefore, I would guess that it's the cold that setting it off as i'm out to about 8:30 at night.

But as i'm not wanting to take any chances, any ideas on the best way to loosen these up for the Sunday ride?

 

[montage]

Stretches, stay hydrated, salt. Also your saddle MIGHT be too high?

 

[Ben M]

Really hot baths followed by stretching. While you're in the bath, massage the offending muscle.

Try not to get cold at any point if you can avoid it.

If you've got some deep heat or similar, use that as well.

To help stop cramp next time, try and up the amount of salt that you are taking in, either with meals, with isotonic drinks like lucozade, or with a water salt sugar mix in your bottles.

 

[jimboalee]

Joe Beer has an article in the latest CTC magazine.

 

[davidaw]

see http://www.hammernut.co.uk/electrolytes-endurolytes-46-c.asp

I had cramping issues until I started using Hammer stuff, and enough of it with fluid.

No good for Sunday though, but can solve it for the future.

 

[TechMech]

You've all said salt!

That's interesting, because a friend of mine said that to me a few years ago and to be honest I didn't believe him.

You always here that salt is bad for you, so i don't tend to add it to food only very occasionally.

So how does the lack of salt cause cramps?

 

[Ben M]

You've all said salt!

That's interesting, because a friend of mine said that to me a few years ago and to be honest I didn't believe him.

You always here that salt is bad for you, so i don't tend to add it to food only very occasionally.

So how does the lack of salt cause cramps?

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine082607.html

Also, it isn't large amounts of salt that is bad or you, it's a disproportionate amount of salt to the amount of water that you drink that is.

 

[PaulB]

This is a problem I suffered from for many years as a competitive runner and I was told to increase the salt intake. From personal experience, I now think this is a load of garbage - in fact, I take it with a pinch of salt - and the problem was eventually and easily overcome by taking Vitamin B supplements.

 

[ASC1951]

To help stop cramp next time, try and up the amount of salt that you are taking in, either with meals, with isotonic drinks like lucozade, or with a water salt sugar mix in your bottles.

Not sure about that. Salt is only an issue for cramp when you are severely short of it - the usual test is that if neat salt has any taste, you aren't short of it - and if you eat any sort of normal diet that isn't going to happen, even with sustained exercise. You certainly don't need to add any salt to your food and in the long term that is positively harmful.

BTW, the salt in isotonic drinks isn't there because you need salt. It's to increase osmotic pressure i.e. make the water easier to absorb.

Much more likely to be hydration, posture, bike fit or muscle tone IME.

 

[Ben M]

You certainly don't need to add any salt to your food and in the long term that is positively harmful.

BTW, the salt in isotonic drinks isn't there because you need salt. It's to increase osmotic pressure i.e. make the water easier to absorb.

It's only harmful if you aren't taking in a proportionate amount of water. Salt isn't harmful, taking in too much compared to the amount of water is, because your body has osmotic problems if you do.

It's both from what I read. You do need to replace all of the salts that you are sweating out. Isotonic drinks also benefit from the fact that they will not lead to water intoxication, even in large quantities.

 

[TechMech]

It's only harmful if you aren't taking in a proportionate amount of water. Salt isn't harmful, taking in too much compared to the amount of water is, because your body has osmotic problems if you do.

It's both from what I read. You do need to replace all of the salts that you are sweating out. Isotonic drinks also benefit from the fact that they will not lead to water intoxication, even in large quantities.

Water intoxication? I've never heard of that before, how does this happen?

 

[Ben M]

Water intoxication? I've never heard of that before, how does this happen?

If you drink huge amounts of water, then your brain swells and you die.

If you want to know more about it i'm sure that google can explain more thoroughly than I can, but basically it's because of osmosis, which is where water tries to all be as dilute as possible, so if you take in "neat" water, it interferes with the concentrations of electrolytes in the body. That is why isotonic drinks are best for sports, they contain the same concentration of electrolytes as your blood.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm with ASC1951's last line. Cramp is mostly about muscle-tone and overall condition, though being properly hydrated is important.

I say this from personal experience and years of cycling forums observing the annual patterns of questions and Cramp question come in a flurry at the beginning of the season when people are digging their bikes out or starting to seriously up their training effort. There are rarely cramp questions at the end of the season. I very rarely get cramp, but I used to suffer really badly in early season TT's and club runs. I'd carry little fitness through the winter and then gicve it hell on a 10 mile TT and die of cramp half way round. Now I'm fitter all year round and ride much harder without cramping issues. I've not changed anything else.

 

[Cranks]

I use Elete water, even boil my potatoes in it - Ok, sounds weird !

Works for me, I think you have to try stuff to see what suits you.

Stretching, massage and I also got my bike position checked - have you changed anything recemtly? Pedals? Shoes?

 

[jimboalee]

I'm with ASC1951's last line. Cramp is mostly about muscle-tone and overall condition, though being properly hydrated is important.

I say this from personal experience and years of cycling forums observing the annual patterns of questions and Cramp question come in a flurry at the beginning of the season when people are digging their bikes out or starting to seriously up their training effort. There are rarely cramp questions at the end of the season. I very rarely get cramp, but I used to suffer really badly in early season TT's and club runs. I'd carry little fitness through the winter and then gicve it hell on a 10 mile TT and die of cramp half way round. Now I'm fitter all year round and ride much harder without cramping issues. I've not changed anything else.

He's the man.

After a lay-off or if you're a newbie pushing for a PB distance record, your capillaries aren't developed ( or have retracted to nearly nothing ). You will have some muscle bundles that are capillarised, but when they're tired, the others won't be getting the O2 and fuel supply enough to keep exercising at the same intensity.

Build up slowly.