Preventing cramps.
 

Hey guys just after a few ideas in regards to an issue i have with mainly my legs cramping up. I eat pretty well and i drink heaps of water but after an hr or so of riding hard i get the feelings of cramps starting to take off. Which usually ends up with me trying to push on but nurse my legs as much as possible so it doesn't get too harsh. Any ideas how to eliminate this? Perhaps i need to hit the gym to work out my legs? Cheers nato.

Try using Magnesium phosphate tablets.
I got put onto them somehow and they seem to help.
Cheers Mark

Just asked other half for you (shes a nutrionist)
She concurred with wence, magnesium and potassium.
She said look up food with high content of above and add them to your daily diet.

E-Lyte Sport. it is a mix that I used when riding the forest 40 mile loops. you can put a few ounces per liter and it has both potassium and calcium, so you had both sides of the chemicals needed for muscle to work and to reduce cramps. Well, the label said that anyway. I am diabetic so I wanted to get away from the sugar drinks like Gatoraid. G2 used to be low in sugar, but the GA folks fixed that when they bought the compnay - i think they have since backed off on the sugar somewhat in G2.
Rob

Somebody turned me onto "sportlegs" as an exercise supplement. I have not added them to my training regimen yet, as they are somewhat pricey, but I might look into another sort of supplement as suggested above.

boogieman- What foods would you (or the other half) recommend as a starting point for adding magnesium and potassium?

Pickle juice works well also.
Drink lots of water during your ride.

Magnesium works wonders for muscle spasms and cramping. I'd personally go for a good once a day multi vitamin and then preload with the magnesium oxide days leading up to the event. Don't go too hard the morning of as one of the side effects of large doses is tap ass! Last thing you want to be doing while riding around is trying to hold in an explosive turd.

bread with yellow mustard,, sounds odd.. but helps with muscle cramps.. its along the same thing as mentioned a few replies ago.. its high in magnesium and potassium and absorbs into the body quick as does the pickle juice.. Bicycle racers use this as a supplement to the diet daily before a big event.

Midol usually works for my wife! Sorry, couldn't help myself.

I used to have the same problem even though I made sure I was well hydrated before a race, but then I found this stuff http://new.eletewater.com/

Elete water....magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium. Add it to anything you drink.

I promise it works! At least it does for me and my wife. I started putting it in my water a couple of days before a race, and I use it the morning of the race and in my camelback. I don't have leg cramps any more while racing.

My wife has woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night with sever leg cramps that she couldn't shake, and I made here drink some. The leg cramps went away almost immediately. She is also convinced.

BTW, I don't have any ties to the company, it's just a product that I really believe in, and I've been using it for a few years now.