# Need help preventing cramps.



## soccerdude (Aug 6, 2006)

Anytime I ride a trail that's 15 miles or longer I get cramps in both my legs just above the knee. I usually get a warning in my right (dominant) leg at mile 15 and by mile 17 both my legs are cramped so bad that I cannot stand straight and I am in agony. The cramps always last less than 5 minutes and I'm able to walk again. After a mile of walking I am able to ride for a short distance but not too far before cramping again.

I assumed it was lack of hydration, electrolytes, or energy so I've tried all sorts of combinations. Plenty of Gatorade or Smart Water before and during the ride; eating meals high in either protien or carbohydrates the week before the ride and the morning of; and all sorts of energy bars and goo's. No matter what I cramp. I'm 5' 8" and weigh 245lbs so I wonder if it's just muscle fatigue. I ride lots of miles every weekend and have been doing so for nearly 6 years so I figure my muscles are strong enough for a 15 mile ride. It happens on any trail no matter how technical or non-technical it may be. Hills or no hills I get the cramps.

Does anyone have any advice they can share to help me out?


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## chrisgardner73 (Oct 12, 2008)

I'm by no means an expert, but have you tried using an electrolyte drink with a little more potassium and sodium, like Skratch Labs, Nuun, of Hammer HEED? Gatorade seems a little lean in that department. You might also wanna try eating a banana about 15 minutes before your ride. Again, I'm not a nutritionist or anything, that's just what has worked for me. 

Also...are you eating mid-ride? At that distance, your body could likely use some more calories, etc...

Good luck man! Cramping sucks!

Chris


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## soccerdude (Aug 6, 2006)

I have not tried any electrolye tabs or specialty mixes in my hydration pack other than Smart Water which has some electrolytes in it. Not enough to help with my cramps as I found out last Saturday. Do you recommend anything specific? I'm pretty picky when it comes to flavors I like but am willing to try anything to beat these cramps.

A fellow mtbr member said to try mustard before and during the ride so I'm going to give that a shot. I've hear crazy things over the years and surprisingly many of them were true. If nothing else it would be a good reason to carry a hotdog or two with me out on the trail. Maybe some beer too!


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## pointerDixie214 (Feb 10, 2009)

I have been pretty happy with Endurolytes... although Heed is easier since it dissolves. When I use Heed I have water in my camelbak and then a bottle of the Heed.

Gonna sound crazy too, but pickle juice is awesome for treating/preventing cramps.


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## cbell3186 (Jul 2, 2009)

Ive had the exact same issues for years, and have recently got a grip on them I usually use tablets in camelbak , (elixir to be exact) for hydration purposes, i have narrowed it down to lack of salt and also magnesium in my case, sounds crazy but the day before I ride, I take 2 pills specifically for leg cramps, but more importantly I eat a bag of salty chips (ruffles or the like) I noticed when I would drink straight water, my electrolytes would get flushed out, thought it was potassium, so I figured bananas and prunes would do the trick, ends up it was more the sodium side-- just my 2 cents... 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


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## bikeriderguy (May 2, 2006)

I've had good luck with elete electrolyte liquid this year. You just mix a capful per liter of water in bladder or waterbottle. No taste when mixed with water. I like this mechanism best as there is no sugar etc that you get with Gatorade.


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## Spindelatron (Aug 15, 2006)

*ok*

try bacon...

then maybe have someone check if your bike fit is okay. you might be overworking one specific muscle group and under-working others.


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## chrisgardner73 (Oct 12, 2008)

soccerdude said:


> I have not tried any electrolye tabs or specialty mixes in my hydration pack other than Smart Water which has some electrolytes in it. Not enough to help with my cramps as I found out last Saturday. Do you recommend anything specific? I'm pretty picky when it comes to flavors I like but am willing to try anything to beat these cramps.
> 
> A fellow mtbr member said to try mustard before and during the ride so I'm going to give that a shot. I've hear crazy things over the years and surprisingly many of them were true. If nothing else it would be a good reason to carry a hotdog or two with me out on the trail. Maybe some beer too!


Here's what I've been using, and it seems to work well. I use the raspberry, and it tastes great!

Exercise Hydration Mix (aka Secret Drink Mix) | Skratch Labs


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## CPXJ (May 10, 2012)

How soon before your ride are you hydrating? You need to start drinking water 8+ hourse before hand to be truly hydrated.


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## Breaking Down (Jul 18, 2011)

Fluid loading in preparation needs to be an on-going thing. If you're just trying to load a day or so in advance and notice your frequency of urination increase, you are likely losing a lot of potassium as well. Electrolyte supplements are great for during your ride, but a diet rich in potassium is better overall. Eat more sweet potatoes, avocados, and yogurt as they contain much more potassium than a banana. Although a banana is quite convenient mid ride as well.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

At 5'8" and 245 pounds, your legs are fatigued from lugging you and your equipment. I bet if you dropped to 180 you'll easily do a four-hour 25mi+ epic. Try L-Arginine - it will help your quad muscles maintain blood flow longer.


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## 3034 (Apr 12, 2006)

No water just an electrolyte mix before during and after
Pickle juice will stop cramps within 3 minutes
Salt pills are good also


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## CPXJ (May 10, 2012)

3034 said:


> No water just an electrolyte mix before during and after
> Pickle juice will stop cramps within 3 minutes
> Salt pills are good also


The first part of that in incorrect. You want to drink water before, not electrolyte mix. If your body already has the correct amounts of electrolytes, you dont want to be adding more, and your body can only asorb so much. So you will just be urinating all the electrolytes you just drank.


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## 3034 (Apr 12, 2006)

CPXJ said:


> The first part of that in incorrect. You want to drink water before, not electrolyte mix. If your body already has the correct amounts of electrolytes, you dont want to be adding more, and your body can only asorb so much. So you will just be urinating all the electrolytes you just drank.


Who cares about wasted electrolytes. ? This method has worked for me for years before this routine I would get the always fun double quad cramps I also like coffee so I preload with electrolytes


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## IntensevCare (Nov 24, 2004)

You can throw dollars at them, with Enduralites from Hammer Nutrition. I am a bad cramper, and this stuff works. Ive tryed Tums too, and I am not sure if they went away because of the Tums, but everytime I do, they go away in a few minutes.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

For pre-ride, try a banana and water. During ride, fill a bottle with HEED or Cytomax and eat something like half a PowerBar or Gu. Hydrate so much that you have to stop and pee every 4 miles or so. Then back off however much water that was a bit. Some people sweat more than others, and it may just be that you're sweating more than you're taking in. 

Weigh yourself immediately before and after your ride, you may just be surprised by how much water you're sweating out. I will leave for a 2 hour ride and drink a large water beforehand. I fill up a 60oz in my CamelBak and a 24oz water bottle with Cytomax. I drink almost everything but a few oz. of water during the ride, and by the time I get back I'm almost 3 pound lighter than when I started!


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## Combatcm (Nov 15, 2005)

Your gonna have to lose weight...That's the only solution..

Spinning more and staying in the saddle might give you a few extra miles.

I'm fairly heavy and standing usually kills my quads after hour 3


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## mtboz (Feb 10, 2010)

At some point training and ride volume becomes the issue. Even under ideal conditions you will cramp if your not in good shape.


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## jason_lew (May 23, 2012)

any good advice to help treat a cramp during a ride? Especially a lower stomach one.. usually other ones I can stretch out a little


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## 3034 (Apr 12, 2006)

jason_lew said:


> any good advice to help treat a cramp during a ride? Especially a lower stomach one.. usually other ones I can stretch out a little


Pickle juice


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## BStrummin (Nov 17, 2009)

There was a really long thread on here that I found recently while trying to defeat my quad cramps, and while nutrition is obviously very important, don't discount position. Basically it was an argument about the muscle not being able to fully contract/retract and flush out the lactic acid. Last night I felt the tell-tell twinge in my quads right after I started a ride. I raised my seat 1/4" and to amazement my legs started feeling better almost instantly. Rode a much faster than normal ride and felt great.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Also, don't forget proper cleat position....if riding clipless. Cleat _*must be 2-3mm behind *_the ball of your foot, or pedal spindle.


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## coyotegulch (Jun 25, 2008)

Most research now points to conditioning rather than hydration or nutrition as the culprit behind muscle cramping.


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## rlucky82 (Jun 5, 2010)

Ergonomics - have your bike fit checked! Also included with what others have said and at the risk of sounding like a commercial, try hammer Heed and hamer endurolights. I also like bannanas and salted pumpkin seeds.


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

magnesium, calcium and potassium supplements daily.... elete drops are good too...

...wait for it...






































a pre-ride massage by a hot asian chikka may help too.


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## soccerdude (Aug 6, 2006)

Great advice from eveyone unfortunately I haven't been able to try any of it out. I crashed a few weeks ago and ended up with a major infection that required outpatient surgery to lance and drain. Right on the groin too! Major pain! I'm finally back on the bike but have not rode anything hard that would cause me to cramp. Next oportunity for me to test some of your ideas is at a 6 hour race coming up at Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, Tx. I'll do 3 laps of 8.5 miles each with an hour break in between each lap. Last year I cramped big time in both legs on the third lap about 4 miles in. I'll report what I decide to do and if it works.

Mike S.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

^ It may appear so....but too much water also dilutes electrolyte balance, which again increases the likelihood of cramping...*BADLY*.


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

doing this can flush all the electrolytes out of one and cause DeAtH:nono:



douglas12 said:


> I think drinking lots of water can do the trick for you. It is also suggested by many doctors that drinking lots of water can cure cramps all over the body.


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## soccerdude (Aug 6, 2006)

It's been a long while since I've updated this thread but I wanted to make sure and try everything that everyone suggested before posting a follow up. Since May I've been able to hit four trails that always cause me to develop cramps and I tried something different at each trail. Bananas, Sports Legs, and increasing plain water intake did not help but both Nuun and Hammer Fizz tablets did the trick! I did not try pickle juice as I hate pickles and even if it did work it's not something I would use on a regular basis. Bananas and increasing the amount of plain water I drank did not help at all. Sports Legs on the other hand didn't solve my cramp problem but did help with overall power as I could push harder without my legs hurting. Sports Legs also helped me recover faster as my legs were not tired the next day after a hard ride. Both Nuun and Hammer Fizz completely solved the cramp problem as I was able to ride more than 15 miles of difficult trail without a single cramp and at no point in the ride did I feel a cramp coming on. Both leave an aftertaste in your mouth after drinking but the Nuun lemon lime tablets tasted exactly like Gatorade but without all the sugar. Even tasted like the old style Gatorade that came in a glass bottle all those years ago. Hammer Fizz tasted like ass. I must admit that Nuun taste pretty bad too unless I put ice in my hydration pack to cool it down. Both taste awful when warm. 

So, as many of you suggested I needed an electrolyte mix to solve my cramp problem and you were right! I appreciate all the suggestions and am looking forward to pushing my limits and seeing how many miles I can ride now.

Mike S.


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