Cramps

[Pink Pony]

At the last Firecracker Race in Winsconsin i tried one of those Electrolyte/Sodium Pills? But i don't remember the name.

Race went excellent. Im thinking about switching to this instead of Gatorade..

12hrs of Mankato are weeks away. I want to try something a bit stronger..Any Suggestions??

And of course what is the maximum dosage?

[Pete Hamer]

Was it the Hammer Endurolytes that you tried? I've been using them and like them. I take as many as I can, doesn't seem to be any negative side effects.

[Pink Pony]

YES EXACTLY HAMMER!! they had a lightning on the sample we received

is this product for this(cramps, etc) or was it just luck i didnt cramp that day? im just doing the diet for race day and figuring out what to eat on each lap.

[Pete Hamer]

yep. it's designed to prevent cramping. I used to get severe hamstring cramps. Between going to O'Brien chiropratic and using Hammer Endurolytes I think I've got rid of the cramps for good. There are other products for this too. Hammer has a powder form of endurolytes and enervitine has chewable capsules and clif has gel blocks. I've haven't tried these others because the Hammer prodcut is working.

[Magic]

yep. it's designed to prevent cramping. I used to get severe hamstring cramps. Between going to O'Brien chiropratic and using Hammer Endurolytes I think I've got rid of the cramps for good. There are other products for this too. Hammer has a powder form of endurolytes and enervitine has chewable capsules and clif has gel blocks. I've haven't tried these others because the Hammer prodcut is working.

Pete, where can I get some of these Hammer pills? I need some for the 24hr race. Thanks, Magic.

[Pink Pony]

Cool thanks for the advice. I want to try EVERYTHING at 12 hour of Mankato so i can prepare for Afton.

See ya there. thanks


:banana: Peanut Butter Jelly Time!:banana:

[soupboy]

These worked great for me on my most recent trip out west:

http://www.sportlegs.com/about/welcome.asp

After having a day end with cramps so fierce I could barely shuffle alongside my bike I didn't have another twinge in the subsequent 7 days of riding. It surely could have been part placebo effect, but they're worth trying. I've seen others pop salt tabs too.

[stoneage]

I change my tune about those electrolyte tabs. If they work, use them. I haven't seen a use for them myself, as I usually have some kind of sport drink with me, but if you are diabetic or intolerant then they make sense. Some friends have been recommending those gel blocks, also. They sure go down easy.

[soupboy]

Yeah, we got some samples of the (Clif?) electrolyte gel cubes - texture of gummi bears. They seemed fine.

For most rides it is just pure H2O in the C'back and a concentrated bottle of Accelerade in the bottle cage.

Some people don't really sweat, other mays sweat a lot but not dump too much salt, and some are really "salty sweaters". The latter group is the most prone to cramps if they don't monitor their fluids/electrolytes.

http://www.amaasportsmed.org/programs/hyponatremia.pdf

I change my tune about those electrolyte tabs. If they work, use them. I haven't seen a use for them myself, as I usually have some kind of sport drink with me, but if you are diabetic or intolerant then they make sense. Some friends have been recommending those gel blocks, also. They sure go down easy.

[mtnbykr]

some are really "salty sweaters". The latter group is the most prone to cramps if they don't monitor their fluids/electrolytes.

i'm in this group but, i eat right, drink tons of liquids [no alcohol] and never get cramps. do 6+ hr rides up here w/ the hills and humidity. i don't believe any of those extra things help or are needed. jmo...

kl

[soupboy]

I agree...if you're eating right. I think many of us like to take in the sexy maiden that is alcohol and, taken to far, she can have seriously negative impacts on sustained efforts.

When I was in CO/UT this spring I was hard pressed to have a 2nd beer at dinner. I was all about the hydration and it paid dividends for me.

i'm in this group but, i eat right, drink tons of liquids [no alcohol] and never get cramps. do 6+ hr rides up here w/ the hills and humidity. i don't believe any of those extra things help or are needed. jmo...kl

[Pete Hamer]

i'm in this group but, i eat right, drink tons of liquids [no alcohol] and never get cramps. do 6+ hr rides up here w/ the hills and humidity. i don't believe any of those extra things help or are needed. jmo...

kl

I think it's funny when people make uneducated remarks then finish it with "just my opinion". But that's just my opinion.:D

[Pete Hamer]

Pete, where can I get some of these Hammer pills? I need some for the 24hr race. Thanks, Magic.

The last shop I worked for seemed to have them in stock spurratically but any shop can order them from QBP.

[steef]

Is spurratically related at all to spurious? ;)

[Pete Hamer]

After checking out the link from Soupboy I searched for some more info on hyponatremia. Here are some of the more useful limks I found. The conclusion is that you should eat salty foods if you are exercising for more than 1.5 hours, especially when it's hot.

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/salt.html
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/hyponatremia.html

[stoneage]

There is a school of thought that believes cramps are not caused by dehydration, but by neuromuscular fatigue:

Exercise-associated muscle cramps (EMAC)

The belief that dehydration and the concurrent electrolyte imbalances, secondary to heat stress, cause muscle cramps is prevalent. However, if this were the case, one would expect widespread, as opposed to localised, muscle cramps. EMAC are usually localised to a specific muscle group, rather than globally affecting all skeletal muscles. A recent study of ultra-marathon runners found no differences in hydration status or blood electrolyte concentrations between runners who suffered cramps and those that did not. Similarly, a study of cramp-prone athletes found that the incidence of cramps was not affected by hydration status. An alternative explanation for EMAC, is that neuromuscular fatigue causes the muscle to become 'hyper-excitable' so that the muscle does not relax, but remains contracted. Regardless of the cause of cramps, dehydration and sodium depletion negatively affect performance.

[Paul Swenson]

There is a school of thought that believes cramps are not caused by dehydration, but by neuromuscular fatigue:

Exercise-associated muscle cramps (EMAC)

Once again cyclingnews comes through with some really good information on cramps from Wenzel Coaching:

When you move, your brain sends signals to your muscles requesting a contraction. The central nervous system receives feedback on the strength of the contraction that has occurred, from which it can make fine adjustments so that you can make a controlled movement. If the feedback says that the contraction is harder than expected, the brain can send instructions to contract less. If the feedback says the contraction is weak, the brain can send a signal to contract more. As a muscle fatigues, the brain sends more signals to tell the muscle to contract to get the same strength of contraction. When the muscle becomes too fatigued to do what is asked of it, the brain sends a continuous contraction signal, which initiates a cramp....Anything that fatigues a muscle can bring on a cramp, and anything that keeps a muscle fresh helps prevent cramps. Talk to your coach about which of these might be your particular problem.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2006/letters08-14

[soupboy]

Good read. Take aways - hydrate, spin vs. mash, ride more, stretch. KISS.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2006/letters08-14