UKC

Did a long route recently, involving about 250m of climbing and 200m jugging fixed lines. Later in the day I started getting cramp in my jumar hand, and on the drive home I got it in my quads. Any tips on avoiding this? Internet suggests cramp may be caused by dehydration, a lack of potassium, or not warming up. Pretty sure I was warmed up and hydrated, so is the answer just to eat more bananas?

In reply to humptydumpty:

More simple sugars, more stretching and consider an electrolyte solution if you're sweating all day.

In reply to humptydumpty:

Most people (I think the figure was 60%) are deficient in Magnesium (I'm surprised Potassium was what you found first), and an imbalance of Magnesium and Sodium can cause cramps. Eating lots of vegetables (especially leafy greens) is probably the best way to make sure your minerals are in balance, although you can also take supplements every now and again too. Potatoes are actually a better source of potassium than bananas.

In reply to humptydumpty:
I am a fan of Diroralyte as a way to help rehydrate and sort out impalances of salts if I am getting cramps. Tastes rubbish, but gives very quick results and is supposedly balanced to give everything you need.

In reply to humptydumpty:

I avoid cramp by sitting in a pub and, if necessary, drinking through a straw.

In reply to humptydumpty:
Jugging is an unatural movement, in my experience- cramps appear when you've worked untrained muscles to failure-caused trauma

If you're a ninja at jugging, then I'd say dehydration and worked a muscle to death.
Mineral imbalance is a mythful excuse for cramp, so don't start adding salt to shit. Come over to the dark side.

In reply to zimpara:


Interesting point of view - definitely the first time I've jugged anything in 6 months. But what's the dark side? Pepper on everything?

In reply to SenzuBean:


Interesting - I'll have a look into this. Definitely more into fruit than veg at the mo, but it's never usually a problem.



Not quite as handy to add to your breakfast, though If you've got a potato milkshake recipe that's half decent I'd be v glad to hear it.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Does coca cola count (serious question)? The day in question I'd had about 2.5l of water and 0.75l of coke, and sweated buckets.

In reply to zimpara:

If I could avoid cramp without really holding back on what I do it would be transformative for me.


Not just untrained; I've had excruciating thigh cramp when extremely hill fit but also very fatigued. I think fatigue rather than lack of training is more accurate (though, if untrained, fatique will come on quicker).

I understand that low magnesium and potassium contribute and I have combined capsules of them.
I drink electrolytic carbohydrate stuff to keep hydrated.
I stretch and massage after hard exercise, especially if having to be static (say in a car).

All above seem to help, but I still live in terror of the pain.

In reply to humptydumpty:


The extreme exercise no doubt was more than what you normally get up to though?


Sure - here's a recipe for a Russian Dreadnought breakfast smoothie:

- 1/2 cup of ice
- 1 apple
- 6 strawberries
- 20 blueberries
- 1 cup of vodka
- 2 cups of Smash
- another cup of vodka

Blend until smooth. Drink until dead.

In reply to humptydumpty:

I've been getting excruciating, incapacitating cramps for two years. Taking tonic water ( quinine is reputed to help) with added salt and it did ease a bit. Recently found out that cramp is a side effect of one of the drugs for my chronic kidney disease. Left them off on docs orders and had no problems. If you're on any Meds it may be worth looking into, if not then I've not been much help.

In reply to SenzuBean:


Cramp problem solved.

In reply to humptydumpty:
I suffered enormously from cramps, particularly after big routes. Lesser so now since I only tend to do little walks. But the other day I went out with some fit people and when we got back to the car they did stretching exercises. They explained it was far more important to warm down than warm up. Since then I have found a great improvement.

In reply to humptydumpty:

I think it is complicated in the sense of being overdetermined. Hydration, electrolytes, lack of specific fitness might all be involved in varying degrees. But even highly-conditioned athletes who are properly fed and watered sometimes get cramps, and reputable studies have suggested that cramping is not really caused by dehydration and/or electrolyte imbalances but instead is an artifact of nervous system overstimulation.

This has lead to a very peculiar treatment: drink pickle juice. No, this isn't some weird new-age bit of flim-flammery; here is a NY Times article on the subject. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/phys-ed-can-pickle-juice-stop-musc... .

A commercial supplement drink that claims to work the way the Times article says pickle juice does (only presumably better) is marketed under the name Hotshot. Have a look at http://www.teamhotshot.com/ .

In reply to humptydumpty:


Before all the electrolytic drinks were developed, elite marathon runners used to drink flat coca cola. If I remember correctly (Australian?) research found that it was much better (with keeping various levels ok) than water but electrolytics were better - it was something like 70% as good as them.