I began experiencing thigh and calf cramping back in high school; over the past thirty years things haven't gotten any better. My propensity to cramping has caused me to ponder the condition quite extensively, and to experiment with various treatment and prevention methodologies.
This trainer/nutritionist/athlete out of Spokane named Ben Greenfield, is a source of some good fitness/nutrition information and this recent podcast on cramping is worth listening to if you have a propensity to cramp during exercise.
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/12/how-to-stop-cramps-during-exercise/
A few tidbits that I took away from the interview are:
·
There is no evidence that dehydration and low
electrolytes contribute to cramping. But
as the researcher says “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” In my personal experience I’ve not seen a
causal relationship between electrolyte depletion/dehydration and cramping.
·
Strength training may be an effective way to
limit or avoid exercise induced muscle cramping. In my experience this has proven true: people
who don’t train with weights tend to cramp, while those who routinely strength train
don’t.
·
There may be a mental aspect to cramping. The stress of a big event or harsh conditions
(i.e. excessively hot or cold) can increase the chance of a cramp. This is news to me. This may explain why drinking pickle juice
seems to be a fairly effective way to deal with cramps. On long mountain bike races (where I am susceptible
to cramping) I bring a small container of pickle juice. I actually used it at the Leadville 100 and
it worked – the cramp released. The
tight muscle relaxed almost immediately so it couldn’t have a physiological
effect, in other words the taste of the pickle juice must have sent some message
to my brain which in turn released the cramp.
Maybe.
Anyway good stuff. I would like to hear from folks who routinely train with weights as to whether they suffer from exercise induced muscle cramps.
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