Wednesday 10 August 2016

WTF Is Happening When You Get A Cramp While Working Out

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One minute you’re crushing your workout, and the next, you’re blindsided with a tight, pinching, what-the-hell muscle pain. Yup, muscle cramps are pretty much the worst, and they can bring your workout to a screeching halt.

In the moment, all you’re thinking about is the agony, but there’s a lot more going on. “The main culprit is running out of the fuel that helps muscles contract and relax, and they wind up stuck in an ‘on’ position,” explains exercise physiologist Dean Somerset, C.S.C.S. That’s why a cramped muscle feels hard to the touch—it’s in full-on flex mode, to the point of pain. 

Muscle cramps are still a bit of a medical mystery, but science has explained a few things about why they happen, how to prevent them, and what to do when one strikes. Here’s what you need to know.

Muscle cramps can happen to anyone, anytime—but there are a some things that increase your risk.

running

Cultura RM Exclusive/Edwin Jimenez / Getty Images

Cramps seem to hit without warning, and the electrolyte balance in your body is often to blame. “All of your muscles contract and relax based on electrical impulses from the nervous system,” explains Somerset. “The nervous system sends an impulse to the muscle to cause it to contract, and then it sends another impulse to cause it to relax…and that’s all guided through potassium and sodium.” If your muscle is cramping, that means it’s not getting the signal to relax, often because it doesn’t have enough of either or both of those electrolytes available to send the message.

There are a few conditions that increase your odds of running low on electrolytes. One is exercising in the hot, hot, heat, since you’ll probably get extra sweaty as your body tries to cool down. “If you were running outside in 100-degree heat, your body is going to be sweating more than it would in 40 or 50 degree heat,” says Somerset. “Because of that you’re going to lose a lot more water and sweat, and your sodium and potassium are going to be affected.”

This electrolyte imbalance can also happen if you haven’t fueled up properly—Somerset recommends eating something before a long workout (ideally something with sodium and potassium), or having a drink with those electrolytes mixed in if you don’t want to upset your stomach.

Muscle fatigue can also be a factor. In addition to electrolyte imbalance, there are some other physiological causes of cramping. “Overtraining can cause some issues, primarily due to the fact that if the muscle is really beat up and damaged, then it’s not going to be able to absorb nutrients and get rid of waste quite as easily,” says Somerset. This can happen over longer periods of time (here’s how to tell if you’re overdoing it) or even in the span of one long workout, like a marathon, so be sure to refuel during an hours-long sweaty workout.

A lack of blood flow can also create cramps, since your muscles won’t be getting the oxygen they need to function, explains Somerset. In many cases, it’s simply that your clothing is too restrictive—say, the elastic at the bottom of a pair of bike shorts is cutting off your circulation (many athletes actually love compression gear, just make sure it’s not so tight it restricts blood flow). In other cases though, this could a sign of something called claudication, which can be a symptom of vascular issues or a heart condition, says Somerset. If you frequently experience cramping in your lower limbs (like your calves), check in with a doctor.

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