# Leg Cramps......not a good day.



## RUBZERK (Aug 16, 2015)

Yesterday morning I decided to take a 28 miles ride around 7am before the local trail got too busy. Had 2 30oz+ of Gatorade and a 20 bottle of water. Om my way to the trail is have a 16oz cup of Oj. After the ride i stopped at sheetz and picked up 2 more bottles of water. 

Started my ride and was doing fine. As I reached mile 20 I started to feel some cramping so I took a break to do some stretching and walked a few yards. Back on the bike and I'm doing fine. Once I reach mile 25 it's like I have no knees. The pain was so bad that I had to walk 3 miles back to my car. I could not bend my knees at all. My calves are fine. But thighs and above my knees are really sore. 

What should I be doing to avoid this in the future? 

First 22 miles were paved trail last 6 were very rough dirt trail with tree roots that were very challenging with a few areas that were over grown.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Ditch the Gatorade for a proper Electrolyte replacement.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

What is your fitness level? Many people jump to the conclusion that cramps are nutrition based when it's often fitness level is below what you are asking of your muscles. It could also be bike fit putting you at a bad position. Not saying it's not nutrition, but those are other things to consider as well.

I can be quite parched on a ride and not get cramps. But if I push beyond my limits, I'm going to cramp. 

One thing you could try for future longer rides is take some pickle juice. I'm doing this next weekend for a race I'm doing that will have me pushing a bit more than I'm used to this year. I expect some cramps but I'm hoping the pickle juice will work. I'm going to grab a couple 5 hour energy drinks from the dollar store and dump the energy drink and refill with spicy pickle juice.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Pop 2000mg Magnesium Citrate and over-the-counter Potassium pill before ride. Always helps me, and I cramped all the time...not anymore.


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## dvXin (Jun 16, 2016)

Evidence supports cramps being remedied by electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium all are involved with muscle function). There's also studies show what exactly happens during a cramp, which is due to electrical signals going to the muscle being messed up. You lose those electrolytes through exercise, including some of it through sweat... when you push beyond your limits, guess what's happening to your supply of electrolytes. Pickle juice just packs a lot of sodium in its concentration, compared to the same amount of sports drink. A good sports drinks > water for exercise, because nutritional science...

Which version of Gatorade did you have? There's a formula specifically for endurance sports, which has more electrolytes than the original version.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

dvXin said:


> Which version of Gatorade did you have? There's a formula specifically for endurance sports, which has more electrolytes than the original version.


All recipes of Gatorade are utter crap due to the sugar content. Avoid Gatorade and others drinks of similar content. Sugar is going to short circuit your very best efforts.


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## jspharmd (Jan 11, 2005)

tiretracks said:


> All recipes of Gatorade are utter crap due to the sugar content. Avoid Gatorade and others drinks of similar content. Sugar is going to short circuit your very best efforts.


This is a curious statement. Which product do you use that isn't crap due to sugar content? Also, which sugar are you using? Why are you calling sugar crap, since you need the carbs for exercise?

Nutritional information of various products:

Scratch - 16oz - Calories: 80 - Carbohydrates: 21g - Na: 36mg - K: 40mg - Protein: 0g - 1st Ingredient: Cane Sugar

Accelerade - 12oz - Calories: 120 - Carbohydrates: 21g - Na: 220mg - K: 90mg - Protein: 5g - 1st Ingredient: Sucrose

Gatorade - 12oz - Calories: 80 - Carbohydrates: 21g - Na: 150mg - K: 45mg - Protein: 0g - 1st Ingredient: Sugar

Aside from the sodium content, they all look relatively the same. Maybe you have another hydration product that looks very different than these commonly used products in cycling.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

You actually don't need sugar for exercise.


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## soflorider01 (Jul 18, 2015)

Been using pickle Juice for a year now and it works famously. 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## jspharmd (Jan 11, 2005)

Nubster said:


> You actually don't need sugar for exercise.


I'll clarify, you need sugar for aerobic cellular activity. If you would like me to use more scientific nomenclature, I'll clarify further. You need glucose (a sugar) for cellular aerobic activity. Exercise is a part of this cellular activity. Better?


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## jspharmd (Jan 11, 2005)

This is a fairly good read about the major scientific theories surrounding exercise induced muscle cramps. It is a bit dated (published in 2011 from data generated between 1955 and 2008, but it is pretty accurate.

Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

TailwindNutrition.com 

Maltodextrose. Easier on the gut. No sugar spikes. Consistent energy and electrolytes to replenish what your sweating. 100 Cal per scoop. Tailor to your needs.


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## RUBZERK (Aug 16, 2015)

I'm thinking I'll try the tailwind products. 
How do mustard packs help?


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## dvXin (Jun 16, 2016)

Oh My Sack! said:


> TailwindNutrition.com
> 
> Maltodextrose. Easier on the gut. No sugar spikes. Consistent energy and electrolytes to replenish what your sweating. 100 Cal per scoop. Tailor to your needs.


Source explaining how maltodextr(in) is easier on the gut, or do you mean Tailwind is? It has a GI of ~100, which means sugar spike.

I believe what makes something easier on the gut, is getting rid of the base/alkaline ingredients (ex. baking soda), since adding a base to an acid in water results in heat and gas. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is added to some formulas, since there's evidence that it improves performance (duh, sodium is an electrolyte), but a good alternative to it is sodium citrate. Being citrate based, rather than (bi)carbonate, lactate, chloride, etc. based, keeps the pH levels in your gut balanced, and is more readily absorbed.

Oh, and sea salt (Tailwind ingredient) is plain old sodium chloride (like table salt), except that it still contains a variety of trace minerals (including some that are toxic/radioactive, though the poison is in the dosage generally). Don't forget that the dosage is significant in a sports drink. Plain sodium chloride is generally fine to use as a source of sodium.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

RUBZERK said:


> I'm thinking I'll try the tailwind products.
> How do mustard packs help?


Do you mean their "Stick Packs?" If that's what your referring, they are just single serving packs containing 200 calories (2 scoops) which would be typical of a 24 oz water bottle fill up. I buy, in fact I just did shortly after my post above, in the 50 serving bag. I use the Raspberry Buzz (caffeinated) and the Berry flavor. You might consider the stick pack bundle as a tester. You get 1 pack of each flavor so you can test and see which ones you like before you go the more economical route and buy a big bag. I also have some stick packs of my flavors on hand and keep one in my Camelbak in case I find myself in a situation where I might need the product to add to available water or even kick it down to someone in need on the trail. I don't typically run it in my camelbak but instead keep water in that and carry one bottle of TW on my bike.


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## cmonkEP (Nov 12, 2006)

tiretracks said:


> All recipes of Gatorade are utter crap due to the sugar content. Avoid Gatorade and others drinks of similar content. Sugar is going to short circuit your very best efforts.


So I've got a bone to pick with this statement...Did you ever stop to think about why all sports drinks have sugar? It turns out that your body is better able to absorb electrolytes in the presence of glucose. You can drink salt water, and you'll absorb a certain percentage of the sodium ions due to osmotic pressure changes and sodium ion pumps in the cells of the intestinal wall. When you couple the salt water with sugar (glucose) then you get a lot more sodium in your system. this is because every glucose molecule that is absorbed by your intestines takes a sodium ion with it. It's called a co-transport coupling mechanism.

The whole reason we have Gatorade (the very first electrolyte drink for endurance athletes) is because a whole lot of research went into figuring out the best way to rehydrate football players at the University of Florida. Almost all other electrolyte solutions are variations on the original.... because it works.

As background, once upon a time I got a degree in molecular and cellular biology and had to learn a thing or two about how cells absorb things. I'm happy to share some relevant scientific papers if it'll make you feel better about my statement.

Of course, it ultimately doesn't matter what you use, and there are some electrolyte drinks that are easier on your stomach and some that have less/different sugar. If it works for you, then that's great.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

jspharmd said:


> I'll clarify, you need sugar for aerobic cellular activity. If you would like me to use more scientific nomenclature, I'll clarify further. You need glucose (a sugar) for cellular aerobic activity. Exercise is a part of this cellular activity. Better?


Your liver produces glycogen. You can live and perform in the absence of the consumption of sugar of any form. Gluconeogenesis...ever hear of it?


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## alphajaguars (Jan 12, 2004)

RUBZERK said:


> I'm thinking I'll try the tailwind products.
> How do mustard packs help?


Supposedly the turmeric in the mustard helps with cramps. No idea if that's what does it or not, but I carry several packets with me on 6 hours races and find it works very well at helping to relief my cramps.

I have also started using Tailwind. Still experimenting with the calories per bottle. going to try 300 for my next race.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

My daughter was getting cramps in high school tennis matches and started using mustard packs. They did seem to help.

Is this length of ride normal for you? If not, you probably just pushed your muscles further than they are ready to go. The one time I got a cramp on the bike was during a triathlon, I was probably pushing harder than normal and fortunately it went away quickly. 

Oddly, I have been getting cramps in my calves and feet while sleeping lately.


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