What foods help prevent cramping due to physical activity?

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M

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
This weekend I was in a gaelic football tournament, and ended up playing in five games during the course of one day. I have found via sports and working construction that I can get muscle cramps no matter how hydrated I am. Making sure I keep hydrated helps delay the onset/severity, but like I said, I can be chock full of water to the point of needing to piss every 15 minutes and still cramp up. One thing that does prevent/stop them is bananas (due to the potassium, I think). But there is a practical limit as to how many bananas it is advisable to consume when you are running around a lot, which for me seems to be around three bananas. Any more and I'm not going be running, however my bowels will. Yesterday I had my three bananas spaced thoughout the day, and everything was fine until a couple hours after the last game, when my calves and hamstrings started cramping. Half a dozen pints of Guinness cured that, but that isnt a good idea for general use.

So, besides bananas and alcohol, what other foods help prevent cramps after physical activity?
 
S

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
2
0
are you stretching properly and getting the needed amount of rest...i know marathon runners that do not get as much cramps as you do....


anyways every body is diff and have diff tolerances to calf knots ect...
what you can do is..

1. stretch for a while before each execise, then a little before each one after that...work the areas where you have problems...
2. keep drinking a lot of water..
3. eat bananas..
4. sprinkle salt on your fruit (or just buy gatorade for the sodium)
5. i would recomend getting a good daily stres tab vitamin with pottasium as a supplement...


EDIT: also very important, you need to keep moving like 15 minutes after your workout/game...just walk around so you keep circulation and diffusion in and oput of the muscles up...also your less likely to contract them suddenly afterwrards instead of just flopping down
 
M

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: Son of a N00b
are you stretching properly and getting the needed amount of rest...i know marathon runners that do not get as much cramps as you do....

anyways every body is diff and have diff tolerances to calf knots ect...
what you can do is..

1. stretch for a while before each execise, then a little before each one after that...work the areas where you have problems...
2. keep drinking a lot of water..
3. eat bananas..
4. sprinkle salt on your fruit (or just buy gatorade for the sodium)
5. i would recomend getting a good daily stres tab vitamin with pottasium as a supplement...
Click to expand...

Well, first of all I am just getting over a cold. I wasnt actively coughing yesterday, but I still had plenty of crap stuck in my chest that needed to get cleared out. I'm sure that didnt help. I was stretching prior to the games, and while I was on the sideline resting. Cramping like this isnt a constant problem for me, it just crops up every now and then. Also, your stereotypical marathon runner isnt carrying around nearly as much mass as I am (5'11", 207lbs), and they aren't sprinting flat out and fighting for a ball like you do in Gaelic football. However, I'm sure all that "training" and "conditioning" they engage in may have something to with them not cramping up, too ;).

I think part of this is that I need to train my hamstrings harder, as they've fallen quite a bit behind my quads. Training my calves directly wouldnt hurt, either, but it's hard to do with the equipment I have avilable to me. My deep squats have given me great results for my quads, but I think they've been inadequate for my hamstrings/calves.

Originally posted by: PHiuR
doesnt marijuana help relax your muscles?
:p
Click to expand...
I've already rejected muscle relaxants for this.

Originally posted by: Landroval
potassium
Click to expand...
Do they actually sell that in powdered form? Because that would kick a$$.
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: Mookow
Originally posted by: Son of a N00b
are you stretching properly and getting the needed amount of rest...i know marathon runners that do not get as much cramps as you do....

anyways every body is diff and have diff tolerances to calf knots ect...
what you can do is..

1. stretch for a while before each execise, then a little before each one after that...work the areas where you have problems...
2. keep drinking a lot of water..
3. eat bananas..
4. sprinkle salt on your fruit (or just buy gatorade for the sodium)
5. i would recomend getting a good daily stres tab vitamin with pottasium as a supplement...
Click to expand...

Well, first of all I am just getting over a cold. I wasnt actively coughing yesterday, but I still had plenty of crap stuck in my chest that needed to get cleared out. I'm sure that didnt help. I was stretching prior to the games, and while I was on the sideline resting. Cramping like this isnt a constant problem for me, it just crops up every now and then. Also, your stereotypical marathon runner isnt carrying around nearly as much mass as I am (5'11", 207lbs), and they aren't sprinting flat out and fighting for a ball like you do in Gaelic football. However, I'm sure all that "training" and "conditioning" they engage in may have something to with them not cramping up, too ;).

I think part of this is that I need to train my hamstrings harder, as they've fallen quite a bit behind my quads. Training my calves directly wouldnt hurt, either, but it's hard to do with the equipment I have avilable to me. My deep squats have given me great results for my quads, but I think they've been inadequate for my hamstrings/calves.

Originally posted by: PHiuR
doesnt marijuana help relax your muscles?
:p
Click to expand...
I've already rejected muscle relaxants for this.

Originally posted by: Landroval
potassium
Click to expand...
Do they actually sell that in powdered form? Because that would kick a$$.
Click to expand...
Potassium supplements? Not in pure form. :D
 
O

Ophir

Golden Member
Mar 29, 2001
1,211
4
81
Gatorade. All promotional hype aside, it is a great source of potassium, sodium, and glucose.

Use the powdered form (higher glucose content) and drink about 8oz per hour or half hour depending on level of exercise. Keep drinking plenty of water, but substitute 8oz of gatorade when necessary. The idea is to keep your electrolytes and insulin levels up, but not enough for the insulin spike to make your blood-sugar crash.

Eating something like a Clif Bar before exercise helps too.

Edit: I usually dilute my gatorade by 4 (8oz amount in 32oz water), so I can just drink it like water, though I wouldn't recommend it 'cuz it tastes awful.
 
M

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
0
0
Originally posted by: Yossarian
garlic football? do you live in gilroy, CA?
Click to expand...

Nope, I live in Ohio. And it's Gaelic, not garlic :p

Although, may I ask why you thought I lived in gilroy, CA?
 
Sphexi

Sphexi

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2005
7,280
0
0
Marathon running is different from football and whatnot. Marathon running tends to be consistent activity, while football is a lot of explosive activity followed by periods of low activity and rest, which can mess with muscles. I'd recommend keeping slightly active during games, bounce in place or keep walking, not enough to tire you but also not enough to let your muscles cool back down.
 
J

jalaram

Lifer
Aug 14, 2000
12,920
2
81
Another :thumbsup: for Gatorade. One can actually drink *too much* water. At some point, it stops helping. You need more electrolytes.



 
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