Avoid Muscle Cramps Forever

Turns out, cramps aren't caused by dehydration. Try this instead

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Conventional wisdom says that your muscles cramp because you don’t drink
enough water and electrolytes before your run or ride. That’s why most cardio
junkies chug mineral-spiked H2O like frat boys quaff discount lager.
But a new article in the Strength and Conditioning Journal explains that the 
cause of cramps is much more complex. “The idea that dehydration causes
 your muscles to seize up started about 100 years ago, when scientists 
noticed that miners would often cramp while sweating heavily underground,”
 says author Andrew Buskard, C.S.C.S. “But research has never
 backed that idea up.” In fact, a study in the Journal of Sports Science
 found no difference in electrolyte or hydration levels between marathoners
 who cramped or didn’t cramp during a race.

“We now think cramps occur when the Golgi tendon—a part of your muscle that reduces muscular
tension—stops
 functioning mid-exercise, which causes surrounding muscles to over fire and then seize up.”

The reason your tension-governing Golgi tendon shuts down? Because you overworked it, usually by running or riding significantly harder than your body is used to. So to avoid cramps when it counts, don’t run a race at a pace significantly faster than the top speed you trained at. “You often have to figure out your finishing time goal, then determine how fast you should run or ride in your race training plan,” says Buskard.

And if your muscles spasm mid-ride or run, hit the afflicted area with one of The Best Stretches for Every Body Part. “But instead of holding the stretch for time, think about holding it for breaths,” says Buskard. “Gently oscillate between pushing into the stretch for 3 to 5 seconds as you fully exhale, then lightly ease off during the inhale. That increases the range of motion of the stretch, and essentially ‘resets’ the Golgi tendon, restarting it so your other muscles don’t over fire,” says Buskard. 

Your calves and hamstrings are most susceptible to cramps, so keep the following two stretches in your arsenal.

Wall Calf Stretch

Stand facing a wall. Place your toes up into the wall as  high as you can, your heel on the floor. Now lean into the wall, feeling the stretch in your calf. Breathe out, leaning into the stretch. No wall? Perform this stretch with your toes on a curb.

Standing Hamstring Stretch 

Stand with your feet hip width, a slight bend in your knees. Push your hips back and keep your back straight as you bend over and try to touch your toes. You should feel the stretch in your hamstrings—breathe out leaning into it.