Muscle Cramping: Is it hydration or race pacing?

Muscle cramping:  Is it hydration or race pacing?

Watch a triathlon or any endurance event; you will likely see someone having a rough day due to muscle cramping.  Maybe that someone - is you.  It’s a really unsettling and uncomfortable experience, for sure!  While tradition leads us to believe that exercise-associated muscle cramping (EAMC) is related mostly to hydration and electrolytes, the evolving research on this area points out a different trigger.

The paper described HERE is one of those! So, what did the study examine, and what can we take away?

 The study looked at:

• 210 IronMan distance triathletes were used in the study.  The athletes were assessed prior for cramping history and electrolyte levels.  Post-race repeat assessments/tests were performed.

• There were no differences in serum electrolyte levels or body weight between the 43 athletes who suffered EAMC, or the 166 athletes who did not!

• What are the things most associated with athletes suffering from EAMC or not based on this paper? They have faster total times, faster bike time, and a history of having cramped at some point during their past 10 races.

How can we apply that to ourselves?

• Realistic race planning.  If you want to minimize risk of cramping, make sure you are laying out your race planning (strategy) on your current fitness.  What does that mean?  What kind of speeds/power/HR/effort are you using when doing workouts of similar intensity to the races you are doing?  How about during your long workouts?  If your race plan targets a finish time much faster than you can use in similar workouts, adjust the plan so that it’s based on your actual fitness and not solely on what you HOPE you can do on the course.

• Smart race pacing.  It’s fun to go fast.  It’s fun to hammer.  Races are exciting and lure us into going for it from the gun.  But as you can see from this paper - cooking yourself with an overspeed bike or trying to meet an aggressive goal is a great way to have your day end with EAMC.  To avoid that, base pacing on current fitness and aim to negatively split the day.  This means that while you may be able to go a bit faster or tolerate more exertion early in a race, holding back a hair can pay off as you increase your odds of finishing strong and fast.

 Other considerations:

• There is some evidence that increasing your tolerance for “eccentric” loading can help reduce cramping during races/tough workouts.  Eccentric is the term that describes your muscles lengthening under tension - think deceleration when your foot hits the ground with each step or while going downstairs.  Sensible strength training as part of your training program and modest use of downhill-specific training are both solid options to consider in your broader training plan – if it is safe for you to do.

• Incorporating training that includes extensive use of race-pace-like work and race-like durations can help reduce EAMC risk.  This is best done infrequently and is a better tool for more advanced athletes.  If you are new to endurance training, this is one to file away for next year!

By focusing on sound pacing and race planning and performing a well-rounded training plan, you can significantly reduce the risk of cramping on race day!

Will Kirousis, MS, CSCS, CISSN
Tri-Hard | Director
USA Cycling Certified Coach

USA Triathlon Certified Coach
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Certified Sports Nutritionist

508.633.2708 | will@tri-hard.com | www.tri-hard.com | @willkirousis

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