Having a muscle cramp up on you in the middle of a ride sucks. And it hurts. But mostly it sucks as you have to stop and hope that it goes away long enough to let you ride out.
You can't come into a ride in a chronically dehydrated state and expect to perform consistently.
It sucks even more if you're out in the middle of nowhere with no idea exactly how far away you are from civilization and only half a bottle of water left.
Which is exactly what happened to me on my first mountain bike ride.Now, at the time I didn't really think of it as mountain biking. I was just riding my old Nishiki Bravo fully rigid bike around some old jeep roads when visiting my grandparents in Oklahoma. While I had only used the bike to commute around town, one day I was bored and decided go pedal around the woods. Long story short, I was grossly under-prepared for the summer heat and how much I was going to sweat. ]I found myself severely dehydrated and suffering from the worst quad cramps ever – I literally couldn't get them to bend and they hurt like hell. Luckily, I had half my bottle of water left and drinking it got my quads to relax. I was able to get moving again. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I cramped like that again with no more water left but luckily I found a short cut back to my grandparents house and didn't have to find out.
When I got into mountain biking for real a few years later I remembered that episode and swore I'd never let it happen again.
This is why I take my hydration pretty seriously. More than just cramps...Even if you don't suffer from cramping, if you allow yourself to get dehydrated you'll hurt your performance. For example, a loss of only 2% body weight causes a reduction in performance by 10% or more. [A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% body weight reduces performance by up to 30% while also impairing reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making – not good things to start losing in the middle of a hard ride.A quick search on Google will reveal more nasty results from even minor dehydration. If you want to learn even more about the effects of dehydration
check out this more in depth article. Either way, hopefully you're starting to see why staying hydrated is so important.
How much water should you drink?So now the obvious question becomes how much water should you drink? You'll get a lot of different answers to this one, ranging from the standard 8 glasses of water a day to a gallon or more. Believe it or not there isn't a really solid answer to that question. I personally shoot for 2 liters of water a day, which is a little more than 8 glasses but not as much as a gallon. On the days I sweat a lot from riding or training I will drink more water but don't really track how much more, I just try to avoid getting thirsty. I don't count what water I drink during riding/ training towards my 2 liter goal, it is just used to replace what I sweated out.
While I've always been pretty good about my hydration I've recently started doing two things to help me be more consistent with it and improve my results from it.
Two simple hydration tips...First, I bought myself a 2 liter container that I fill up each morning and put in the fridge. I know that by the end of the day I have to have at least drank that container. It gives me a brainless way to keep track of it instead of trying to count how many times I've refilled my water bottle.
Second, I've started adding 1 pinch of unrefined sea salt per liter of water. Adding a pinch of unrefined sea salt is supposed to help your body better absorb and utilize the water you drink. This means you pee less of it out so you can get more out of the water you do drink.
Obviously the sea salt advice doesn't apply to riders who still look at fast food as a food group. They need to work on cutting out sodium from their diets and adding more may not be the best idea.
Adding a pinch of unrefined sea salt to your water while you're pounding down a Big Mac and fries is missing the point.
But for those of us that have our diet under control then this is something I'd suggest checking out. You can get unrefined sea salt at any natural foods store and it is pretty cheap.
Just make sure you get unrefined sea salt – which contains 50-70+ minerals and trace minerals – and not plain table salt, which is just plain sodium chloride.Hydration matters more in the heat.If you're one of the many riders dealing with cramping as the weather heats up then make sure you are drinking at least 2 liters of water per day (more on the days you ride) and add a pinch of unrefined sea salt to each liter of water you drink. You can't come into a ride in a chronically dehydrated state and expect to perform consistently. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water on the trail and don't lose too much sweat before you start drinking to replace it. Have a re-hydration strategy when you ride and don't just wait until you get thirsty. Once the effects of dehydration have set in you'll have to work even harder to maintain the same pace, making early hydration critical to late ride performance.
Making sure you have your basic hydration needs down is the first step to being a consistent performer on the trail. Plus, it is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your performance. Try these two simple tips and if you have any that you've found helpful please post a comment sharing them, I'd love to hear it.
-James Wilson-
MTB Strength Training Systems is the world leader in integrated performance training programs for the unique demands of mountain biking. As the strength and conditioning coach for World Cup Teams and 3 National Championships, his programs have been proven at the highest levels. James has helped thousands of riders just like you improve their speed, endurance and skills on the trail. Visit
www.bikejames.com to sign up for the free Trail Rider Fundamentals Video Mini-Course.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHVpJGXZ21o
the dehydration factor. maybe a bit.. and only with strong stuff..
It's a joke. PHeller knows.
2) 1 litre of sweat = sodium 1.15g, calcium 0.02g, magnesium 0.05g, chloride 1.25g and potassium 0.23g
3) Rehydrating with pure water dilutes the concentrations of these electrolytes.
4) Electrolytes will aid absorption of fluid and glucose in the intestines.
5) Sodium is one of the main electrolytes lost in sweat but an individual will unlikely be sodium depleted whilst riding, sodium increases the sensation of thirst increasing voluntary fluid intake promoting hydration.
6) Blood is largely made up from water so increased sweat rate = increased blood viscosity = lower stroke volume = increased heart rate = increased cardiac strain so... Increased dehydration = decreased performance.
7) Acclimation and fitness = less dehydration through more efficient sweating.
8 ) Individuals sweat rate can vary on the individual, the environment and the intensity of the activity aim to match sweat rate with fluid intake. Nude body mass pre and post exercise - fluid consumed during will give an accurate indication of sweat rate and how much fluid to intake to achieve a rehydrated state and future reference for similar exercise bouts.
9) Cramping is the failure of a muscular contraction to relax, this is due to numerous factors effecting the delivery and transport of certain electrolytes into the muscle cells (in very simple terms).
10) Cramping is mainly caused through poor diets lacking in minerals such as zinc and iron rather than specific fluid intake during a ride.
11) It is important to be hydrated before, remain hydrated during and hydrate post exercise to aid reabsorption of glucose and recovery.
12) A Big Mac is not a balanced meal whoever said that!
May I add that sea salt is sodium. One needs a balance of sodium and potassium. Its too easy to have too much salt in your diet.
Cramping is caused by a poor diet. That would explain why I have never experienced cramps during a ride.
Water is not some magical cure. It is one of many requirments our body needs to function properly.
I don't eat McDonalds (food?)
It is scary what a haematologist can tell you, just by analysing your blood.
Richie Im sure he temperature is close to here in japan!
What do you do in Korea?
Wakaba, Im just a normal person however I was saying you need to hydrate your body and the article had some great ideas.
Today I went though 5 liters of water with no problem.
However Im sweating like crazy.
I teach English here in Japan have 7-9 classes a day.
So, Im talking, explaining and using tons of energy.
ahahhahahhaah
Maybe I have diabetes but, Im pretty sure Im healthy at the moment, ahahhahahha
What exactly seemed odd to you about my first comment?
This odor-less clear toxin can be found everywhere; including our houses, playgrounds, mtb trails, and even our oceans!
the best way to to know when your hydrated is the colour of your urine, if its clear your hydrated and if its yellow, your dehydrated.
I tell you what, you definitely drink shit loads of water after knowing what you have to go through in post operation recovery, don't wish it on my worst enemy!
SO DRINK UP BOYS AND GIRLS.
I didn't drink enough water for how much I sweat. If you're even mildly dehydrated and training or riding hard, minerals in your system and protein from supplements or broken down muscles collect there and harden. Our bodies are designed to flush that out, but if you ride frequently in a state of dehydration then your kidneys become a time bomb just waiting for a rough ride or hard sprint to throw one out and send you to the floor crying and rocking in fetal position (it feels like your junk is stuck in a vice while you're being sawed in half).
It's very hot here. So, even if I don't ride daily, I still drink 3-4 liters of water s day. From that type of hydration foundation, performance supplements, drinks, and vitamins can make their way around your body without collecting in your system.
Also, I found that I can ride so much further by simply carrying and drinking more water before an during rides.
Phillywa, do you have your kidneys under control now?
I have never tried salt, because if you think about what you eat daily, Im very sure mostly everyone 90% of the population is actually eating and consuming too much salt if too little.
However now that summer is here, its a fun experiment.
I read an article recently saying a teaspoon of baking soda to half a gallon is very beneficial to overall health and post exercise as its helps with the break down of lactic acid in your muscles.
I too drink easily 4-5 liters a day if not more as Im actually taking track, ahhahahhahah
MTB Strength Training Systems is the world leader in integrated performance training programs for the unique demands of mountain biking. As the strength and conditioning coach for World Cup Teams and 3 National Championships, his programs have been proven at the highest levels. James has helped thousands of riders just like you improve their speed, endurance and skills on the trail.
> Has NO IDEA how hydration affects electrolyte levels, doesn't understand how the body absorbs minerals or water. lol.
I agree more with some of the more educated comments that I do with the actual article, as the article contained little to no proven evidence and relied on hearsay and anecdotal stories. James should have gotten someone QUALIFIED in to talk about this and posted it as an interview, my opinion as an Exercise physiologist PhD.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vw2CrY9Igs
For average 75kg person, that's 1.5l. Weight before and after a ride, and you will get a good estimate of your water loss
(Fat/glycogen loss are way more less so doesn't matter here).
I tend to be quite sensitive to water loss, but no cramps, it's gives me headache. Especially after hot long ride where I did not drank enough.
_________________________________________
What Causes Muscle Cramps
The exact cause of muscle cramps is still unknown, but the theories most commonly cited include:
Altered neuromuscular control
Dehydration
Electrolyte depletion
Poor conditioning
Muscle fatigue
Doing a new activity
sportsmedicine.about.com/od/legpainandinjuries/a/muscle_spasms.htm
My personal hypothesis is this:
Muscles contract and relax on a cellular level, with thousands of nerve impulses communicating when to do what. When some can relax others must continue contracting for balance etc.
Nerves use sodium channels to communicate those impulses. The solutes in our systems (such as sodium) are transported efficiently according to the level of our hydration so when you aren't drinking enough water and you don't have enough solutes you are inhibiting that communication system that tells your muscles what to do. The message may still get through, but not completely and not at the right time. The end result is muscles working out of sync. Some are told to contract when they shouldn't. Others never release. Your body then reacts with a flinch that tightens up more out of sync making an annoying problem worse.
One reason stretching helps is it distributes the tension and fluids in your muscles, making communication work a bit better.
All of this is based on what I remember from my neuro-anatomy class and helping my wife with her physical therapy homework. it may be wrong but it makes sense to me. If it makes sense to me chances are somebody else can fill in the gaps I don't know and clear up the rest.
I've never been one to consume much water during a typical day where I'm not involved in a physical activity. I do drink two cups of coffee a day regardless of what I'm doing (endurance MTB race, sitting on my arse or whatever in between). I've been active my entire life. Played football/soccer for three decades and only drank water during the games... not an excessive amount; only what quenched my thirst.
I started cycling multiple times per week about 5 years ago and found that my water consumption went down dramatically after a year or so of weekly high exertion 2-3 hour rides (~15-16 MPH average speed on urban assault mountain bike rides). The only times I carry water on my back now are for all day rides or when it is near/below freezing outside (for a place to stow warmer clothing if I get hot and carry extras if it gets colder or precipitates).
I consumed quite a bit less water than the three of them (carried 100oz and drank probably 50 and donated the rest before we filled up). Total I drank maybe 150oz and another rider also consumed about the same- we both had zero cramping issues.
Also noteworthy: I did not consume cycling performance bars, goo, etc. as the others did. I had two orange shot blocks ~85% of the way through the ride and otherwise ate other items that I brought on the ride (peanut butter & jelly sandwich, 8 salted crackers, a couple of fruit snacks).
I honestly think a lot of people drink too much. 8 glasses of water a day if you sit on your ass at a desk, then on a couch watching TV is too much and you will just pee out vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
I don't think there is a magic formula, just try different things and get to know your own body's needs.
Making a a feedback to this: "Try these two simple tips and if you have any that you've found helpful please post a comment sharing them, I'd love to hear it." I'd like to say that some drinks are just better than water in hydration. I mean drinks that are called isotonic drinks. I think Oshee offers them and they used to be offered by Isostar, but there is a lot of companies offering them. They are also available in pills that together with water make an isotonic solution. Second good advice is to drink in excess a bit of something (like water or some isotonic) before a ride, even if there is no a tiny need for this. This is individual to find how much can be drunk before, not to make a rider stop somewhere unscheduled for a private moment. The fact is water or drink is our fuel, as it all looks this way. So fuel before, during and after to keep the tank full before it shines a thirsty warning.
and at the top of the advertisement on the right says BUD LIGHT ?
Everyone is different. Some sweat like a bastard (like me), some don't sweat much at all.
if you are cramping during rides try different approaches to find out what works for YOU! Your body is one big chemical reaction, you just got to find the right balance.
I have absolutely no confidence in what some guy from world leading MTB Strength Training Systems tells me about hydration and dehydration, a false or scientifically weakly founded theory does not become less false or more founded by being repeated often, especially not by a sports consultant
So far, more people have died from overhydration (dilution of electrolytes) than dehydration in ultra endurance events, all thanks to the falsehoods told by companies who earn money on you buying their special blend.
> Has NO IDEA how hydration affects electrolyte levels, doesn't understand how the body absorbs minerals or water. lol.
www.bmj.com/about-bmj/article-clusters/truth-about-sports-drinks
Pinkbike, stop spreading false "truths" and myths.
endurorider.pl/2010/06/nutrend-reg-ge-unisport white grapefruit, pink grapefruit, Ice fresh and green fresh are very tasty
Comments: Useful stuff
1: Cramps have nothing to do with hydration.
2: Cramps also have very little to do with salt.
3: Weight lose is normal in any endurance sport, such as cross country mountain biking or running.
Most of the information posted here is radically mis-informed and border-line stupid. Do a little bit of research, other then reading the back of a Gatorade bottle, before you write an article.
I frequently race cross country. In April, I went into a race knowing I wasn't prepared and was dehydrated. It was the only race all year I cramped up in and barely finished the race because of it. Learn your shit mr. "long time cyclocross racer." Talk to anybody who knows the slightest big about racing and you will find you my friend, are very wrong. What causes a cramp if it's not about hydration at all then? Just wondering.
With dehydration, a few problems occur:
1. Your blood becomes more viscous, reducing the rate at which oxygen can be transported, as well as reducing the rate that lactate is pumped out.
2. When the body is dehydrated, it also increases the internal heat of the body, this decreases the affinity of oxygen to bond to heme groups, putting your high performing muscles into a state of near hypoxia.
3. Once the muscle reaches a decent state of hypoxia, the pumps that usually push the blood back to the heart via muscle contraction become severely compromised. This leads to the muscle staying in a state of constant contraction, or in some cases, causing a muscle to remain in a state of failure, to where you cannot contract it at all.
4. Once your body sweats out most of the electrolytes, or goes into a demanding physical state where cells need a large supply to control sodium gated/potassium gated channels for cellular transactions, obviously, with low electrolytes, and water as well, the body can't do carry these out...
Sooooo.... basically yeah, dehydration is a massive component of cramping. Maybe YOU should do some homework before you criticize an article that states scientific facts.
Cramps could be caused by dehydration but before that, you have a lot of causes with much more influence.
The majority of Cramps problems, in a typical endurance sport, have a lot to do with lack of magnesium, so you probably should eat something with magnesium , like bananas for instance. Easy...
This article should be removed.
Encouraging people to add salt to their water!!!
I find it funny that even on a 20 mile xc that can be done in 2 hours that many drink 3 litres of water, whilst I can manage to have much of a 500ml bottle left. But then I eat vegetables, those strange things that are basically vitamins and water with sime pesticides thrown in as a bonus. I drink milk.... yes milk before heading out, well all the time actually, the 0.1% fat variant when not riding, the 1.9% organic stuff when riding. Milk is a far better hydration fluid than water.
Many drink lots of water because they carry a pack with a straw on it, and it is there, the pack makes them loose fluid as it sits on a key area for heat regulation whilst riding, the other area is covered by a helmet (as it should be). The answer here is simple, travel light or fit a water bottle (not a water bottle fan as it changes the dynamics of my bike), if you ride and setup your bike correctly, carrying a 3kg variation in mass on your back changes how your bike rides, as well as placing un necessary weight on your arms. The key then is to carry what you need, puncture repair kit patches, not 2 tubes. Light pump not a mini track pump etc.
For food, rolls are of no use to a rider, well to anyone, they are empty calories that take up loads of room. Protein bars and mixed nut trail bars are what you need. No jelly babies, they are just sugar and will leave you feeling down very quickly.
For an all day mountain ride, I carry 3 to 5 protein bars, 2 to 4 eat natural bars and a 300ml compression water bottle which I fill up at streams. I drink 2 pints of milk 1hour minimum before leaving. Then carry my stuff in my cycling top and waterproof gilet.
www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/milk-as-an-effective-post-exercise-rehydration-drink.html
Nutrition is like CCDB shock, you can go with general rules and you can be happy, then you can go into details and either get 5% more or screw it up. That's the way it is.
As a general rule drinking a bit more is better than drinking a bit too little. There is a consensus about it, just as hydration drinks containing salt and minerals like potas or magnessium are better than pure water for 1h+ exercise... There are other consensus - like there is global warming, like eating before and after explosive training is better than fasting. Like interval training is better than volume training for MTBers. Yet every now and then some PhD bitch or dick between 25-35 comes out and tries to make a breakthrough in the world of science by saying: "it ain't really so". Then she sells the story to Men's Health, because "we confirmed it is so" isn't as flashy as "a revolutional research!". And then there will be a guy saying: Men's health, Cycling and all of those stupid mainstream papers are for dumb! I will look for something completely opposite...
So I go by default, and that article does it for you - you guys might tweak and nerd, having 10% chance of success by going against it. If you want to know what REALLY works - get to know some PROs in world best teams - they have no room for "maybe" - they are best at it.
Like fintess-conscious women btchn on Pizza, then pouring 50ml of olive oil over the dietetic salad with cashew nuts and feta cheese.
No need to bother with Google Translate dudes, it doesn't work for this.