Diagnose this: sensations kind of but not exactly like cramping

[jwb96]

Trying to figure out what's going on with my legs . . .

I've be relegated to commuting only this summer and have not been riding hard. Except the last two weeks, I've done the local fast group ride. On both rides, my legs started . . . seizing? Not a violent, painful, typical cramp. It happened in both calves and 1 quad, maybe even into the hip flexor. It felt like extreme tightness - it slowed me down and I was peddling squares. It comes on slower than a cramp. Standing up and dropping my heels stretched it out and let it relax a little. Some soft peddling and it mostly subsided, except it was definitely still there under the surface and I could not get back up to a decent pace.

Last week I felt it before the half way mark. Eased up and then we had a re-group . . . it was almost entirely gone after that. Even had a stretch where I was bridging a group at 35mph and was fine, then it started happening again.

So it seems to be triggered by intensity, but any ideas on the underlying cause? I went through 2 bottles on both rides (1 drink, 1 water over <2 hours) - don't think it's a hydration issue. I saw one tip to eat Tums for the calcium, but I eat 2 servings of yogurt a day - not sure how much more calcium I need.

Thanks,
Jim

[laupsi]

hate to ask but how old are you? it could just be a case of weary older muscles taking longer to adapt to the increase in your intensity recently

[jwb96]

hate to ask but how old are you? it could just be a case of weary older muscles taking longer to adapt to the increase in your intensity recently
Oh man, I'm not ready to get old yet. But I'd guess it's a possibility. Soon to be 37 . . . not old, but starting to go downhill. :(

There were a few "masters", including a state champ, on that ride. They can make a young guy feel old . . . maybe it's just psychological?

[thwart]

I'd get cramps too, if I was riding with a very fast group (bridging at 35 mph... :rolleyes: ) during hot weather and hadn't adequately trained for it.

That's sure what it sounds like to me... a variation of (electrolyte/volume depletion induced) muscle cramps.

[biker72]

My problem was low potassium. I have to increase my potassium intake during the hot summer months. Bananas or Fig Newtons work for me.

[laupsi]

JWB97, you are not old. getting older is a good thing, you're alive as they say, but in no way are you old. Still don't take your fitness for granted, it does take time to ramp things up. Some are just gifted genetically, they seem to go hard forever!

[67-59]

As others say, it sounds like electrolytes, even though your one sports drink would usually be plenty for a ride like this. Might not be a bad idea to have a simple blood test to check your elecrolytes, then eat/hydrate accordingly....

[false_Aest]

hey,

i'm gonna suggest something other than hydration/electrolytes (even though they're probably part of the solution).

plain, simple, intensity.

Here's my thought process:

I'm in the gym 3-5x a week from Sept-Feb. Then I'm strictly on the bike. After 8 months off I go back to the gym. Week 1 is absolutely embarrassing and painful. 3x12s on everything with ridiculously light weight? How light? I maxed out squatting 300lbs in Jan. My 1st week back (I started early this year) I had trouble squatting 60lbs 12 times.

I experienced a similar sensation in my legs my first two weeks back at the gym. Not-exactly-a-cramp-but-close able-to-be-stretched/shaken-out and definitely slowing my reps down. In a month 60lb x 12 jump squats will be no problem. Thinking back, the first times I started riding more than 40 miles, my legs would do the same thing. It took 2-3 weeks for the sensation to completely go away.

It couldn't hurt to try the electrolyte/hydration idea. You gotta replace that stuff anyways. But I'll put $10 down on neuromuscular adaptation.

If you go the route of supplements, also check into magnesium. People always talk about salt, potassium and calcium but no one seems to talk about Mg. I've found that my post-workout twitching has been reduced dramatically by supplementing Mg. Yeah, it's all anecdotal.

[Birddog]

Are you by chance taking any statin (Cholesterol) drugs? If so, there you go.

[1centaur]

If it's electrolytes, understand that different people sweat differently, which means the right combination of salt, potassium, calcium and magnesium cannot be discerned from following paths other than your own.

If calcium is the big factor, I don't think two servings of yogurt gets you close to normal needs plus sweated out needs.

If it's potassium, I highly advise a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses morning and night for 3 days before a major exertion - loaded with potassium for low calories and low bulk - it's hard to get a lot of potassium artificially because that could kill you, and natural sources don't tend to provide a ton of it per serving.

Be conscious of the potential for your body to be shedding electrolytes in other ways, particularly if you've recently adopted a high fiber diet.

I had a huge deficiency once after days of hot and humid cycling, felt awful, went to the doctor a few days later and the electrolyte tests were all normal even though at that point I was not good at replacing them and I still felt weak. Don't expect generic tests by doctors who don't deal much with high-load athletes to provide all the answers that you'd get from experimentation.

Tums are calcium carbonate - that can be a kidney stone catalyst. Calcium citrate gets you around that.

A half teaspoon of salt before you go out the door is not a stupid experiment.

Hydrate the night before.

Don't forget self-massage in case that's an issue too - before and after.

Experiment with all this and if you still have the issues then maybe something else is going on. Sports docs who cycle are rare, in my experience, but that's the direction I'd take if forum help does not do it. Above all, it can take days of proper replenishment to get a good electrolyte balance, in my experience, which does not include IVs.