Cramping Prevention?

[JimPerkerson]

Just because you are drinking plenty of water does not mean that you are "getting" enough. That is to say that if you train and sweat a lot, you will have low levels of electrolytes, which will make it difficult for you to regain and hold the correct amount of water. Many people suggest bananas because of their potassium content. The fact is that there are lots of other ways to get potassium. Kiwi actually has a high concentration of potassium by weight and coconut water is also a good source. Potassium is just a useful electrolyte. Also, if you are low-carbing, it makes it difficult to take water into the muscle because this is done along with glycogen; something which is depleted with a low carb diet. Fruit carbs (fructose sugar in general) is useless for reloading glycogen into muscle, so stick with starches. You may try a gatorade and half a roll of sweet tarts a half hour before training and see if that helps to remedy the cramping. Stretching a cramp can be bad news, btw (stretching a "dry" muscle or a cold muscle is generally a bad idea). I hope that this helps.

[Joe Friday]

Ill throw my paramedic 2 cents in. The coconut water and the electrolytes are all excellent advice. The only thing I would add is that dehydration dosent start the day you have symptoms. It started a couple days before just not keeping ahead of the curve with the electrolytes and fluids. If you're training in a gym thats hot like you said you'll lose water/ fluids super quick, coupled with the weather getting hotter, you gotta hammer the fluids! If you're properly hydrated your urine will be clear and you should be peeing about once every 45 minutes to an hour. I know its alot! But believe me. I live in central Texas and its ungodly hot. I run this type of environmental emergency all the time. Also you lose fluid over night as well so I would say start hitting the fluids first thing in the morning. As a side note if the cramps come back, get the electrolytes on board and a little Ibuprofen because unlike Tylenol, Ibuprofen is an anti inflamitory. Also I would be more than happy to come up and place a 14 guage IV cath in your AC and rehydrate you that way! Who dosent love having a McDonalds straw stabbed in their arm??!!

14 gauge?! Really?? wowzers! You could be a little nicer and use something a bit smaller...

[Sean Marshall]

Caffeine makes me cramp up. I could drink something like coffee early in the morning and it will still mess with me training in the afternoon. Milk also makes me cramp up. Might be some kind of lactose intolerant thing.