We’ve all been there – whether it was during a run or in the middle of the night – our muscles can tighten up very suddenly and incredibly painfully. Cramps commonly occur in the calf or hamstring muscles, although any muscle can be affected. Cramp is caused by the muscle suddenly contracting (over-shortening) and can last from a few seconds to around 10 minutes, with the muscle remaining tender or sore for hours afterwards. With that in mind, your muscles cramping up is the last thing you want during a training session or that planned event. Follow these to avoid it:
Hydrate Properly
Losing electrolytes during exercise can be the cause of muscle spasm so staying hydrated to replace lost fluids should be a key focus for anyone suffering, sports drinks containing electrolytes will go a long way in maintaining this balance. Salt lost through sweat is most often cited as the main cause here, so why not make your own sports drink? Top Tip: Simply add a pinch of salt, 200ml squash and 800ml water and keep it in the fridge so it’s always ready to go!
Eat The Right Foods
In addition to replenishing fuel through liquids; your diet needs to be built up on the right foods. Consume lots of carbohydrates and starchy vegetables (e.g. potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears etc). These are great as they contain plenty of potassium. Also try foods that are rich in calcium and magnesium such as salmon, broccoli, spinach and cabbage. In extreme cases, magnesium supplementation has been shown to aid in preventing ‘night cramps’.
Stretch It Out
If one particular area tends to cramp up regularly, then ensuring you get a full stretch to that muscle group will aid in future prevention. Stretching elongates the muscle and encourages the muscles and joints to stay loose rather than go into involuntary contraction. To stretch your calf muscle, stand about half a metre away from a wall. Keeping the soles of your feet flat on the floor and your legs straight, bend forward and lean on the wall, you will feel your calf muscles stretch. Perform this several times for around 20 seconds each time. Go easy if this is painful. Top Tip: Consider a foam roller to ease sore muscles. Simply roll it over the muscle to ease the pressure.
Warm Up
A proper warm up before training will promote blood flow around the body allowing the proper nutrients to reach the muscles. A light jog followed by some dynamic stretches will loosen up the whole body and promote elasticity in the muscles, making over-shortening less likely to occur. Top Tip: muscles are like elastic bands and are more stretchy when warm! Alwasy take advantage of the free pre race warm up. Boosting circulation to the muscles always helps. Try to avoid standing around too much during the race.
Get Shoes With Grip
If your running footwear is incorrect for your physical needs then you could be creating undue stress on certain muscles or joints, this will cause the muscle to be placed under unnecessary pressure and will make cramping more likely. This can be easily avoided by having your running gait analysed to have a more anatomically correct shoe, or by simply buying some new trainers if your old ones are worn out! Top Tip: Wear shoes with grip to reduce extra strain on the lower legs in the slippy mud. Check our top 10 shoes guide here
Train Correctly For Your Event
Cramp usually strikes at the end of an intense workout or during long, endurance based activity due to muscle fatigue. Beginners are more likely to experience cramp than those who are more experienced, so any exercise programme should develop gradually with carefully planned progressions. Top Tip: Aim to run at least 80% of the event distance before race day. Look for our beginners training plan here and Tough Mudder plan here
Always Rest
Knowing that muscle are more likely to cramp when fatigued, it is important to allow 48 hours rest between training a muscle group to allow time for recovery and muscle repair. Top Tip: Consider ‘active recovery’ when you’re really sore after events or a hard session. Just go out for very easy jog to allow the blood flow to remove waste products in your muscles. Or just do some light stretching in the morning.
Don’t Go Off Too Fast
Setting off too fast with no time spent on any pre-training preparation is a sure-fire way to give you a stitch. If this does happen, slow your pace and take long, slow breaths until the pain has faded. If you have a sharp pain in your side then pushing your fist in as you take deep breaths can also help as well as remembering your warm up next time! Top Tip: Consider a negative split, and running the first slower and then building up. This will reduce cramp as it allows the body to ease into the required pace.