Plagued with cramps once again....
#51
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I got a calf cramp twinge this week doing a 20 min FTP test after a month of pretty sporadic and unstructured riding in preparation for winter trainer time. Was well hydrated, good amounts of electrolytes and carbs in the system all day, and was only ~40 mins into the ride. Yep definitely lack of fitness and pushing too hard, even with the signficantly lower threshold power output compared to my peak in the summer.
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Cramping may be about fitness, but I'm fully confident it's also highly genetic. As I've noted in previous posts of my own, I have spent six years training well beyond the point of cramp onset, both in distance, intensity, and both at the same time, and reached a wall where the onset of cramps did not extend. Mine sets in far earlier and at far lower intensities than most cyclists, and no amount of training, nutrition, salt intake, electrolytes, pickle juice, mustard, or anything changes it. But there are examples the world over of casual riders who undertake rides that are longer, harder, and higher than they've trained for, and while they may finish, or may get tired and bonk, they don't cramp. It's fitness and genetics.
Last edited by Dreww10; 12-10-18 at 10:02 PM.
#53
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Yup, fitness, genetics and too many variables.
As I wrote in post #45 , multi-champ Manny Pacquiao has experienced intermittent leg cramps for years. Team Sky's 2015 budget was estimated at just under $40 million. Pacquiao grossed $160 million against Mayweather alone.
If cramps could be cured with "fitness", pickle juice, Gatorade and $10 worth of potassium and magnesium supplements, it's a safe bet one of the highest paid and best trained athletes in history would have figured it out already.
Training to or beyond exhaustion to cure cramps is like the old high school football coach mantra to push exhausted teenagers beyond exhaustion with two a days in summer, no water allowed. It "cured" weakness by killing players. It defies recent years of scientific, methodical research. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Improper training only leads to injury and further debilitation. Once muscles are exhausted and cramping we lose coordination and resort to poor skeletal alignment that destroys joints.
"There is always an easy solution to every problem - neat, plausible, and wrong." - H. L. Mencken
As I wrote in post #45 , multi-champ Manny Pacquiao has experienced intermittent leg cramps for years. Team Sky's 2015 budget was estimated at just under $40 million. Pacquiao grossed $160 million against Mayweather alone.
If cramps could be cured with "fitness", pickle juice, Gatorade and $10 worth of potassium and magnesium supplements, it's a safe bet one of the highest paid and best trained athletes in history would have figured it out already.
Training to or beyond exhaustion to cure cramps is like the old high school football coach mantra to push exhausted teenagers beyond exhaustion with two a days in summer, no water allowed. It "cured" weakness by killing players. It defies recent years of scientific, methodical research. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Improper training only leads to injury and further debilitation. Once muscles are exhausted and cramping we lose coordination and resort to poor skeletal alignment that destroys joints.
"There is always an easy solution to every problem - neat, plausible, and wrong." - H. L. Mencken
#54
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I heard today on the radio of someone quitting statins, saying they caused debilitating leg cramps. Supposed to be a possible side effect.
A search showed as follows:
A search showed as follows:
Leg cramps are a side effect of cholesterol medications. If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, your physician might have prescribed a statin drug to lower your cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, one of the common side effects of statins is leg and muscle cramps. While these should be mild, some patients can experience severe of painful cramps.
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Bump . . .
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#56
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