Cramping myths debunked: Velonews podcast episode 26 summary

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    Have you ever done a race and when asked how it went you found yourself saying “It was ok, but I didn’t train for it so…..” Was that same race experience accompanied by memories of cramping at some point before the finish line? If so, latest research says it is not a coincidence. A recent Fast Talk podcast episode from Velonews summarizes the latest research on cramping which brings some shocking revelations. Namely, the role that electrolytes play in preventing cramping is much more limited than we thought. Rather, it is largely due to the an altered neuromuscular control at the level of the muscle spindle (excitatory)  and Golgi tendon organ (inhibitory). This imbalance is now thought to be the main contributor to what we experience as cramping. This is not to say that the electrolytes are useless. Proper nutrition, hydration and electrolytes can delay fatigue but are not directly related to the mechanism of cramping in a race. In fact, it is your training preparation which has the greatest impact on whether or not your legs will fail you before you want them to.
        What the research shows us is that your training effort levels (intensity, terrain/hills, volume) must mimic what you will be asking your body to do in a race, otherwise your neuromuscular system will be on high alert and begin to elicit the cramping mechanisms when the effort goes beyond that which you have prepared. Despite what we may have previously thought, no amount of Nuun tablets or GU packs will save you in that scenario.  I can provide a couple of personal examples to bring this to light, which maybe you can relate to.

     Exhibit A:  My husband has done the California Death Ride (a 129-mile cycling event with over 15,000ft. of climbing) 3 times. HIs first year riding it was a cramping disaster. Despite riding many, many miles in preparation he simply did not do enough climbing rides to prepare him for race day and even though he was diligently ingesting electrolytes, food and water the cramps persisted the entire ride.


     Exhibit B: When I compare my first marathon (Austin) with one of my more recent ones (Big Sur) the experiences were so drastically different. Not only was Austin the only time I’ve ever puked after a race but it was also unexpectedly (only because I never bothered to check) hilly in the latter half. I did all of my many, many miles of training on flat ground. So despite my nutrition and hydration efforts before and during the race I hit the inevitable wall-of-cramps at about mile 18.  Fast forward to the Big Sur Marathon several years later. I signed up because it was a bucket list race and had no intentions of running it fast as it has a reputation for being one of the most difficult (and slowest!) courses in the US. But I trained smart and ran so many of my training runs on tough, hilly routes, not so concerned about how those hills were affecting my pace but just putting in the quality effort. This allowed me 26.2 miles of cramp-free running on race day and a Boston Qualifying finish time. I followed similar “nutrition” strategies both times.
      These are just personal examples but whether cyclists or runners we have all battled cramps at some point and puzzled over how to avoid them next time around. If you take the time to listen to the full podcast (highly recommend!) you will see that they are not suggesting that electrolytes have no benefit. Rather, they are  noting how the research expands our knowledge on what role nutrition actually plays as well as other ways we can avoid cramping (hint: train better!)
     In light of that, they provide some insight into the most evidence-based ways to prevent and combat cramping.

-Minimize fatigue (aka: get fitter!): This is perhaps the single best thing you can do to avoid cramping. Muscles cramp as a protective mechanism from the brain’s signal that you are unprepared for the task you are performing. Don’t perform effort levels/races until you have trained properly at those effort levels that will be required of you. And honestly, I've yet to be impressed by someone who tells me about a race they did for which they didn't train. Let's stop making this a badge of honor, folks. 

-Stretch: hold for 45sec! You will eventually feel a release which is the inhibitory Golgi tendon sending a signal to the muscle spindles to chill out and allows the muscle fiber to go back to a relaxed state. One of the early warning signs of muscle cramping is muscle twitching. When this happens, don’t run through it, slow down or stop and stretch.

-Address low back problems: studies show that low back weakness is associated with calf cramping.  Please tell me you're not surprised. The kinetic chain is here to stay. By the way, have you seen your chiropractor lately?

-Pickle juice: Yes, it's still on the table! Researchers think it is actually the acetic acid (NOT the sodium!) that affects a neurotransmitter that balances the excitatory/inhibitory states of your muscle fibers

-Mobility: When a muscle is shortened it causes the Golgi tendon to be less active (making it less effective at calming down the cramp-inducing muscle spindle), plain and simple. 

-Strengthening: Weak muscles fatigue more quickly, plain and simple. 

    As with most things, the crux of the matter is this: there’s no replacement for hard work. You can’t trick your body with products in fancy packages on race day because you didn’t prepare properly. Your body is way smarter than that. Do the work, reap the reward, know the latest: knowledge is power.


**I know I use the word "research" dozens of times here so you're probably wondering where it is. Velonews linked all of the studies on their page so find them there or just listen to the podcast!

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