What's the cause of muscle cramps? How do you solve them?

[TCO]

justNTAKE A CENTRUM

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Drink lots of water. Eat bananas.

What he said.


It's really that easy, and it works.

[Kuciwalker]

From wiki again: Foods with high sources of potassium include bananas, avocados, celery and turnips, although many other fruits, vegetables, and meats contain potassium.

[TCO]

GOOD WORK. KEEP IT UP

[Pekka]

DanS, yeah, take a day off. Or at least relax more and take it easier for a while. It's not serious like you should be in a bed and all that.

It's just like the thing when you need enough sleep when you are working out. Your muscles are growing when you sleep so if you cut on that, it's not doing you a favour.

It was when I had walking sticks when I broke my ankle, and I HAD to walk long distance still, like few km's a day with those bad boys, at night when I'd go to sleep, my hands would twitch almost violently and my chest would also twist and cramp, I mean very visibly to everyone. As if I had these movements I can't control.

But just in case, make sure you drink enough and get all the intake that you need. BUt that doesn't necessarily help you from stopping the cramps, if you work out kind of too much, start from nothing and go up fast, this will happen. This will happen also when you just work too much. It's not dangerous though. Just inconvinient. But it's a sign that you should rest a little. You will gain your stuff back fast so it's not a matter of taking days off. Just go little easier for the next day, that would help.

[chequita guevara]

The main culprit is lack of potassium. Go take a look at what the ingrediants are in a Gatorade. That's what your body uses up in working out and needs replaced.

Be careful about how much you take, since too much can lead to a heart attack. I take 12% of the USDA every morning (I've never seen a pill with more that 3%). Any less than that and I get cramps.

Other mineral deficiencies that can cause cramps are: calcium, chromium, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese, but potassium's generally the cuplrit (if you aren't dehydrated).

[Jon Miller]

Yeah, but considering that good orange juice is ~17% as in bananas or yogurt, I would just change your diet.

Isn't really worth it taking a bunch of pills for a measly 12%.

JM

[KrazyHorse]

Pekka, cramps are not the same as soreness.

Soreness is normal. Cramps are a sign of a problem (not necessarily one that has a perfect solution, though; everybody gets cramps once in a while if they push their body to its limits).

[TCO]

i HAD THEM REAL BAD AT THE BOAT SCHOOL. hARD TO SLEEP AND THEN PAID FOR IT. jUST DURING pLEVE SUMMER. aC YEAR SUCKED WUT WAS MORE NORMAL.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Yeah, but considering that good orange juice is ~17% as in bananas or yogurt, I would just change your diet.

Isn't really worth it taking a bunch of pills for a measly 12%.

JM

It is to lose weight, though.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by TCO
i HAD THEM REAL BAD AT THE BOAT SCHOOL. hARD TO SLEEP AND THEN PAID FOR IT. jUST DURING pLEVE SUMMER. aC YEAR SUCKED WUT WAS MORE NORMAL.

Caps. Seriously.

[Pekka]

KH, I wasn't talking about soreness, I was talking about cramps as well. You can have them when you have done damage to your muscles, for example working too hard without proper nutrition.

[TCO]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


Caps. Seriously.

Ok. Ok. I am not that bad off.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by DanS
There was no warning on this one. I've never had cramps. Always shin splints when I run, but never cramps.

To avoid shin splints land on the ball of your foot and roll forward to you toes. You get shin splints when your foot lands on the front part of your foot first. Go to a speciality running store and you'll find someone who can get you a pair of running shoes designed to fit your biomechanical motions but still will make your foot fall in the correct manner to avoid shin splints.

[Dr Strangelove]

You've heard the phrase "no pain, no gain" haven't you. That's what you're going through. You've increased the routine workload on some muscles, they're going through changes as they grow to accomodate the demand, eventually they will get better. Muscles can get energy to produce power from aerobic and anaerobic phosphorylation. Used at low levels the metabolism is aerobic, but muscles have the ability to outstrip the oxygen supplied by circulation, at which point they switch to anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism leads to the build up of wastes like lactic acid, etc. The accumulation of these wastes causes the muscle pain. When the exercise is over you'll eventually burn off the waste products. The good news is that as the muscle gets used to the routine it will adapt and the cramps will stop, You can also reduce or eliminate the cramps by doing stretching exercises before your routine. If the pain is too severe you can try backing off of your routine. Try biking just 5 to 7 miles/day for 2 weeks, then go back to 10 miles/day. Your routine is fairly demanding, so driking the water and replenishing the potassium is a good idea too.