Cramping

Ackland

chats d'élevage
My advice - Eg "it works for me"

Ditch Maximus/Gatorade/Anything you can buy in a servo fridge! (Except coke....Coke in the last few hrs of any endurance event is the best)

Go to Chemist Warehouse and get their bulk pack of three tubes of Hydralyte Tablets for $25, they will be in the gastro section.
Loads of electrolytes with no sugars. Really gentle on your digestive system.
Try and eat something 1HR before a long ride that will have slow release carbs - Museli/oats are good, also bananas
For the first few hrs, try and consume 1g carbohydrate/kg of bodyweight - Cliff bars are good, as are Hammer Bars. I have also discovered Dutch StroopWafels (Coles - in the international section, $2ish for 4)
After the first few hrs, you should be able to survive on what your body is processing.

As people have said, it's good to try and work out any particular triggers.
It's not ALL Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium are also important salts.

 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
Any reason why you say fibre? Everything I've read and heard from Pro athletes is to ditch the fibre the night before and day of.

Most energy drinks contain sodium chloride to replenish salt stores from sweat. The problem with that is that we don't need the chloride and excess chloride leads to gastric distress. Try as find an electrolyte mix that contains just sodium.



Sktratch is one of the better ones. Natural ingredients and all.

I started to cramp towards to the of my last race after a hike a bike section up a steep fireroad. Managed to stave it off but I put it down to lack of sodium replenishment plus hiking a bike (different muscle recruitment. I estimated I'd be done in a touch over 2hrs looking at the course guide (50kms, 800m vert), but they stuffed up and it was actually 1500m of vert and a bit over 3hrs. My nutrition for the day reflected this and I only had a carbohydrate mix on me (2x SIS beta fuel - 100g of carbs in reach bottle) thinking I'd preloaded enough the night before and morning of to be fine without sodium.

Anyway, cramping is one of those things that in all our research we still don't know exactly what causes them. But it seems overuse, hydration and tiredness are major factors. The use of hot sauce or pickle juice is also interesting. The idea is that a cramp is a neuromuscular condition so taking a shot of hot sauce can "distract" or "reset" the neurological pathway.

Anyway, it looks like this could be a once off, but keep track of what you take in during and before a ride and then hopefully you can find a pattern if it does reoccur.

Oh and stay away from Maximus and Powerade . Get some proper hydration mixes!
I feel bad that everyone thinks I drink a lot of energy drinks now. It was purely due to what my wife had been told to drink pre 24hr before she got onto Infinit so I drank it too. Normally I only drink Infinit, Endura or something similiar. But I might look at a Skratch as I really like their bars. Sue hoping it's a one off but I'm planning another 5 hr ride next weekend with plenty of climbing so we'll see.
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
i would have thought 8-10 hrs should be plenty, you getting in a 4-5hr ride with that, or heaps of just 1-1.5hr rides?

afaik if your hamstrings are worrying you your saddle height may be too low -usually lower saddle for lower back pain and or quad problems, if your seat is too low your hamstrings are engaged more, thus needing it to be raised to equalise the work between the hammy's/quads

PS if increasing saddle height your hamstrings will have to be quite flexible, lay on back & pull raised foot forward with resistance band

the other thing i did to help hamstring cramps was to slam my saddle forward - also steepens seat angle which i like for climbing
Definitely trying to get in a 3-5hr ride a week too. But I'll look at seat height and seat position. I do have it quite far back. And stretch much more. I don't gym or run so everything is riding so I utilise the same muscle groups in the same way constantly.
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
What have you tried with the Mag tablets ? You usually need to load up on them for 2 weeks before you notice any difference and that's if they're going to work on you. The foam roller before and after rides also helped me but I don't get them that often these days, Cramps is one thing that there's really no remedy answer to per individual and many times none at all, you just got to keep on trying different things after you've covered all the basic stuff.
I've tried a few different types. Mag oxide from what I've read is noteasily assimilated so I try to get a high dose blend of Mag citrate from what I read is the best form to take? I've taken them for months. At normally double what is the recommended dose. But like you say cramps are a funny thing and very personal on what causes them in individuals.
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
After riding I always used to have cramps when trying to sleep and one panadol would be enough to get rid of them but now I dont get them at all.
I'll have to give some of the Infinit a go. Is it just from health food shops?
You get it online. https://www.infinitnutrition.com.au/
They do up specific formulations based on your needs but I just use the GoFast and GoFar formulas
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
My advice - Eg "it works for me"

Ditch Maximus/Gatorade/Anything you can buy in a servo fridge! (Except coke....Coke in the last few hrs of any endurance event is the best)

Go to Chemist Warehouse and get their bulk pack of three tubes of Hydralyte Tablets for $25, they will be in the gastro section.
Loads of electrolytes with no sugars. Really gentle on your digestive system.
Try and eat something 1HR before a long ride that will have slow release carbs - Museli/oats are good, also bananas
For the first few hrs, try and consume 1g carbohydrate/kg of bodyweight - Cliff bars are good, as are Hammer Bars. I have also discovered Dutch StroopWafels (Coles - in the international section, $2ish for 4)
After the first few hrs, you should be able to survive on what your body is processing.

As people have said, it's good to try and work out any particular triggers.
It's not ALL Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium are also important salts.

I'll try the Hydralyte too. I already know about StroopWafels. Dangerously tasty.
 

Ackland

chats d'élevage
I'll try the Hydralyte too. I already know about StroopWafels. Dangerously tasty.
Yeah if I get them from the supermarket ready for the weekend and keep them in my office drawer, they often disappear...
 

Kerplunk

Likes Bikes and Dirt
What have you tried with the Mag tablets ? You usually need to load up on them for 2 weeks before you notice any difference and that's if they're going to work on you. The foam roller before and after rides also helped me but I don't get them that often these days, Cramps is one thing that there's really no remedy answer to per individual and many times none at all, you just got to keep on trying different things after you've covered all the basic stuff.
I agree on the magnesium, you can also crack open a capsule and dissolve it under your tongue if cramps hit during a ride. A bloke in nz told me about it, it seems to work but I reckon it’s more to do with the bait and switch psychology than actually fixing the cramps. Just like all the other cramp hacks out there.
One thing that does absolutely work is doing enough of the right training. Long distance events require long distance training. Muscle overuse is the main cause of exercise induced cramps. The fitter you get the less cramps you get. I am a shocking cramper, and that is only thing that helps reduce them. As soon as I go over about 30-40km of hilly riding, it’s cramps galore. During and for then for 8-12 hours after..
 

Ackland

chats d'élevage
Also...

What form of Magnesium are you taking?

I was recommended Mag Opti by Orthoplex or Ultra Muscle Eaze by Bioceuticals.
Apparently there are many "gimmick" Mag tablets that are in a chemical for that your body won't uptake properly and you just make some very Mag rich urine
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
Also...

What form of Magnesium are you taking?

I was recommended Mag Opti by Orthoplex or Ultra Muscle Eaze by Bioceuticals.
Apparently there are many "gimmick" Mag tablets that are in a chemical for that your body won't uptake properly and you just make some very Mag rich urine
[/QUOTE]

I'd have to check at home but it's a Mag Citrate over an oxide which is supposedly able to be taken up the body better as opposed to oxide.
 

kiwiinmelb

Likes Dirt
I take ZMA , not so much for cramping , but that is a handy bonus ,

its a sports supplement , high in zinc , mag and B6

But a weird side effect is what it does to your dreams , they get weirder and really vivid
 
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DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
I take ZMA , not so much for cramping , but that is a handy bonus ,

its a sports supplement , high in zinc , mag and B6

But a weird side effect is what it does to your dreams , they get weirder and really vivid
Sounds cool and potentially frightening..
 

nzhumpy

Googlemeister who likes bikes and scandal
But a weird side effect is what it does to your dreams , they get weirder and really vivid
F#@k that, sounds like the Larium I was on while travelling, the nightmares that shit gives you is next level.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
F#@k that, sounds like the Larium I was on while travelling, the nightmares that shit gives you is next level.
Larium... I remember a Gambia trip which required that. My wife has vivid memories of the nightmares and hallucinations it gave her!
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
Larium... I remember a Gambia trip which required that. My wife has vivid memories of the nightmares and hallucinations it gave her!
I suppose vivid dreams of being chased by blood sucking zombies is one way to take my mind off cramping....
 

nzhumpy

Googlemeister who likes bikes and scandal
Larium... I remember a Gambia trip which required that. My wife has vivid memories of the nightmares and hallucinations it gave her!
We were in Africa as well, it started off ok but it seemed to have a cumulative effect where the longer you took it the worse the symptoms got. Once back I looked into it and read some pretty horrible things it's done to peoples heads.
 
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