Hey guys just after a few ideas in regards to an issue i have with mainly my legs cramping up. I eat pretty well and i drink heaps of water but after an hr or so of riding hard i get the feelings of cramps starting to take off. Which usually ends up with me trying to push on but nurse my legs as much as possible so it doesn't get too harsh. Any ideas how to eliminate this? Perhaps i need to hit the gym to work out my legs? Cheers nato.
Preventing cramps.
- Thread starter nato
- Start date
theboogieman
New member
Just asked other half for you (shes a nutrionist)
She concurred with wence, magnesium and potassium.
She said look up food with high content of above and add them to your daily diet.
She concurred with wence, magnesium and potassium.
She said look up food with high content of above and add them to your daily diet.
rgranger
Gold Level Site Supporter
E-Lyte Sport. it is a mix that I used when riding the forest 40 mile loops. you can put a few ounces per liter and it has both potassium and calcium, so you had both sides of the chemicals needed for muscle to work and to reduce cramps. Well, the label said that anyway. I am diabetic so I wanted to get away from the sugar drinks like Gatoraid. G2 used to be low in sugar, but the GA folks fixed that when they bought the compnay - i think they have since backed off on the sugar somewhat in G2.
Rob
Rob
pscook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
Somebody turned me onto "sportlegs" as an exercise supplement. I have not added them to my training regimen yet, as they are somewhat pricey, but I might look into another sort of supplement as suggested above.
boogieman- What foods would you (or the other half) recommend as a starting point for adding magnesium and potassium?
boogieman- What foods would you (or the other half) recommend as a starting point for adding magnesium and potassium?
Jakobi
Super Moderator
Magnesium works wonders for muscle spasms and cramping. I'd personally go for a good once a day multi vitamin and then preload with the magnesium oxide days leading up to the event. Don't go too hard the morning of as one of the side effects of large doses is tap ass! Last thing you want to be doing while riding around is trying to hold in an explosive turd.
bread with yellow mustard,, sounds odd.. but helps with muscle cramps.. its along the same thing as mentioned a few replies ago.. its high in magnesium and potassium and absorbs into the body quick as does the pickle juice.. Bicycle racers use this as a supplement to the diet daily before a big event.
desertgasser300
Banned
Midol usually works for my wife! Sorry, couldn't help myself.
singletracker
New member
I used to have the same problem even though I made sure I was well hydrated before a race, but then I found this stuff http://new.eletewater.com/
Elete water....magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium. Add it to anything you drink.
I promise it works! At least it does for me and my wife. I started putting it in my water a couple of days before a race, and I use it the morning of the race and in my camelback. I don't have leg cramps any more while racing.
My wife has woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night with sever leg cramps that she couldn't shake, and I made here drink some. The leg cramps went away almost immediately. She is also convinced.
BTW, I don't have any ties to the company, it's just a product that I really believe in, and I've been using it for a few years now.
Elete water....magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium. Add it to anything you drink.
I promise it works! At least it does for me and my wife. I started putting it in my water a couple of days before a race, and I use it the morning of the race and in my camelback. I don't have leg cramps any more while racing.
My wife has woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night with sever leg cramps that she couldn't shake, and I made here drink some. The leg cramps went away almost immediately. She is also convinced.
BTW, I don't have any ties to the company, it's just a product that I really believe in, and I've been using it for a few years now.
theboogieman
New member
@pscook,
Other half said add these to your regular diet.
along with a mag sulphate supplement:
Dark green veg, fish (like samon,cod, mackeral,) dark leafy veg like spinnach.
Nuts and seeds.
Bananas.
Other half said add these to your regular diet.
along with a mag sulphate supplement:
Dark green veg, fish (like samon,cod, mackeral,) dark leafy veg like spinnach.
Nuts and seeds.
Bananas.
pscook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
That is my regular diet, oddly enough. But I will add more seeds. I am on a GERD and low cholesterol diet (mostly, sorta), and all of the above are recommended. Sounds like this is why I don't cramp, I just get sore. Good to know, thanks!
GMP
Active member
I chug down an iced cold Pedialyte before a warm weather race. Its gross, has to be cold, but works. Also stay away from coffee in the AM. I would get calf cramps during a TRX workout, passed on the coffee next time and no more cramps. That and train the muscles, as hard and as much as you can.
desertgasser300
Banned
Practice practice practice.......holding on to the bike with your legs, a good diet and full body workouts are very key to a structured and strong base.
By full body workouts I mean, excercises like flipping a small tractor tire, dragging a tire, dead lifts, power cleans etc. Doing these incoporates your hands, arms, legs, back, stomach and your gluts(butt). Every base muscle. Isolated muscle excercises are good if you wanna look pretty. Think power-endurance in your workout routine. Endurance to go the distance and power to keep lifting the bike and manuvering it around.
If you don't like the rigid discipline of working out....in my best shape I was riding a mtn. bike 3 to 4 times a week and running/walking bleachers with a 50lbs weight vest. The more you start working your body the more attention you will pay to what you put in it to fuel it.
Supplements scare the crap outta me, in neighboring Fire depts we have had three cardiac related deaths in the last year all under 40 yrs of age. Two they have linked back to supplements in their diet. Monster, redbull...that kinda crap.
In the end do what feels good for your body type cause everyone is different!
My .2 cents
By full body workouts I mean, excercises like flipping a small tractor tire, dragging a tire, dead lifts, power cleans etc. Doing these incoporates your hands, arms, legs, back, stomach and your gluts(butt). Every base muscle. Isolated muscle excercises are good if you wanna look pretty. Think power-endurance in your workout routine. Endurance to go the distance and power to keep lifting the bike and manuvering it around.
If you don't like the rigid discipline of working out....in my best shape I was riding a mtn. bike 3 to 4 times a week and running/walking bleachers with a 50lbs weight vest. The more you start working your body the more attention you will pay to what you put in it to fuel it.
Supplements scare the crap outta me, in neighboring Fire depts we have had three cardiac related deaths in the last year all under 40 yrs of age. Two they have linked back to supplements in their diet. Monster, redbull...that kinda crap.
In the end do what feels good for your body type cause everyone is different!
My .2 cents
pscook
Platinum Level Site Supporter
Monster and Redbull are not supplements. They are sugar and caffeine and other junk. I agree that crap like that is the downfall of man, but there are some reliable and acceptable supplements that do help the body, when used for a specific purpose under the guidance of a trainer. That being said, I use food as a supplement, grains, pasta, natural proteins, etc. and avoid as much as I can regarding the "medicinal" style supplements. I do use Nuun extensively, it's a much better alternative than Gatorade, but that is the extent of my outside sources of supplements.
moto9
Silver Level Site Supporter
I ocassional deal with cramping, I just did a 200 mile race without any cramping.
I pre-race hydrate 2-3 days before the race, just chugging lots of water throught the day.
Second, I take magnesium and potassium pills starting at least a week prior to the race...one each in the morning and same before bed.
Any suppliments you take should start at least 4-5 days before the event.
Eating healthy is always a plus, pickle juice is good for post race attacks...you know those middle of the night screaming lock-ups.
ever get both legs cramping and spasm at the same time? Mine do, doesn't seam riding or work out related but will happen when sleeping and be bad enough that the knees and ankles crack like knocks cracking.. lasts for 5-10 minutes of severe pain. tried pickle juice, and stuff.. valium when it happens works but the Dr's act like I'm BS'ing them..
I have been telling people about magnesium for 10 yrs on, well, the um...orange kool aid site...
I ate about a thousand bananas trying to get potassium, only got the running crap shoots, still had cramps. Bananas just gave me stomach cramps with my leg cramps so I walked funny and bent over holding my guts. Bananas are great for constipation I now know. Funny thing is Magnesium can cause constipation.
Pickle juice only works if you drink it for several days before you ride. It takes awhile to build up in your system. Not sure if pickle juice has both magnesium and potassium, or just one. Actually, any supplement takes several days to fully assimilate in your system. I think Mustard has potassium too?
Most people with severe muscle cramps are actually low on potassium, not magnesium, but you don't know until you experiment.
I take alot of Rolaids, Omeprazole, and other stomach acid remedies, which I learned when I got stomach cancer, all cause you to be low on Magnesium and or Calcium! Rolaids have calcium and magnesium in them, but not enough to replace what is lost from the antacid.
By the way, if you have severe ongoing acid reflux, ask your doctor to test for "Barrets Esophagus". It's a pre cancerous condition. When I got scoped they found that, 3 ulcers, a damaged Pyloric valve, and a few cancer cells. My doc didn't agree that straight whiskey should kill it. But I keep trying anyway.
Oh, I also learned that heavy drinkers often are low on Potassium and Magnesium! I'm not a heavy drinker though. Not by Irish, British, or Scottish standards anyway. But I did cut back a bit. The doc said dark beer was the easiest on the stomach, but also has the most calories.
I'm cheap, so I hate to buy magnesium tabs which are expensive for the good ones, and I finally ate all of the side cases off my old 84 Husky, (magnesium cases), and people look at me funny when I lick batteries, so I just take 2 multivitamins a day starting 3 days before I ride. On the day before I ride I take one in the morning, one at night, one with Breakfast before I ride, and one right before I ride. Seems to give me all the Pot and Mag I need.
I chase the big horse pill vitamins with dark beer. Makes them go down easier.
I ate about a thousand bananas trying to get potassium, only got the running crap shoots, still had cramps. Bananas just gave me stomach cramps with my leg cramps so I walked funny and bent over holding my guts. Bananas are great for constipation I now know. Funny thing is Magnesium can cause constipation.
Pickle juice only works if you drink it for several days before you ride. It takes awhile to build up in your system. Not sure if pickle juice has both magnesium and potassium, or just one. Actually, any supplement takes several days to fully assimilate in your system. I think Mustard has potassium too?
Most people with severe muscle cramps are actually low on potassium, not magnesium, but you don't know until you experiment.
I take alot of Rolaids, Omeprazole, and other stomach acid remedies, which I learned when I got stomach cancer, all cause you to be low on Magnesium and or Calcium! Rolaids have calcium and magnesium in them, but not enough to replace what is lost from the antacid.
By the way, if you have severe ongoing acid reflux, ask your doctor to test for "Barrets Esophagus". It's a pre cancerous condition. When I got scoped they found that, 3 ulcers, a damaged Pyloric valve, and a few cancer cells. My doc didn't agree that straight whiskey should kill it. But I keep trying anyway.
Oh, I also learned that heavy drinkers often are low on Potassium and Magnesium! I'm not a heavy drinker though. Not by Irish, British, or Scottish standards anyway. But I did cut back a bit. The doc said dark beer was the easiest on the stomach, but also has the most calories.
I'm cheap, so I hate to buy magnesium tabs which are expensive for the good ones, and I finally ate all of the side cases off my old 84 Husky, (magnesium cases), and people look at me funny when I lick batteries, so I just take 2 multivitamins a day starting 3 days before I ride. On the day before I ride I take one in the morning, one at night, one with Breakfast before I ride, and one right before I ride. Seems to give me all the Pot and Mag I need.
I chase the big horse pill vitamins with dark beer. Makes them go down easier.
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