Muscle Cramping while Hunting

[Geezer]

I've suffered from severe leg muscle cramps since I was a kid.  Last October (2011) while on a mountain biking trip to Moab, UT with my youngest son I stopped in at a well-stocked bike shop and noted they had a large display of vitamins, supplements, energy drinks, etc.  I asked what they would recommend, if anything, for muscle cramps.

Three guys working there all came to where I was standing and recommended Sportslegs.  Long story-short, I bought a bottle and now before I work out I take the recommended dosage.  The impossible to believe news is that I have had only one minor leg cramp since October 4, 2011!!  

This fall, if you suffer from leg or other muscle cramps after exerting a lot of energy, do yourselves a favor and order this product (I am NOT a company representative - I'm just a guy who found something that has changed my life and I want to share this with you).  My workouts are harder, I can do more longer and I don't have excessive soreness the next morning...plus - NO CRAMPS!

 http://www.sportlegs.com/about/welcome.asp

[snag]

Thanks for the info....going to REI to buy some right now!

[Bladepeek]

You might want to check for a potassium shortage. I was having calf and foot cramps every night. Started stocking up on bananas and no more cramps.

[Pete McMiller]

From my experience the biggest cause of cramps is dehydration.  You absolutely MUST drink water.  I see so many guys going up the mountain for the day with just a 16 oz bottle of water and then at night they wonder why they are all cramped up.  I have a MINIMUM of 64 oz of water with me and sometimes more.  Dehydration is one the biggest causes of fatigue as well.  Your body needs alot of water.  All the vitamins or supplements in the world won't help if you are dehydrated.  This isn't to say that the supplements aren't required at times but make sure you are plenty hydrated before taking them.

[Archie]

I have developed some muscle cramp problems (much more severe than I've ever had in my life) since becoming an insulin-dependent diabetic, and found that they are inversely related to my intake of water and gatorade-type drinks.  As my intake goes up, the cramping goes down.

[Rustic]

Originally posted by Pete McMiller:
From my experience the biggest cause of cramps is dehydration.  You absolutely MUST drink water.  I see so many guys going up the mountain for the day with just a 16 oz bottle of water and then at night they wonder why they are all cramped up.  I have a MINIMUM of 64 oz of water with me and sometimes more.  Dehydration is one the biggest causes of fatigue as well.  Your body needs alot of water.  All the vitamins or supplements in the world won't help if you are dehydrated.  This isn't to say that the supplements aren't required at times but make sure you are plenty hydrated before taking them.

X2

[awbowman]

Yep, dehydration is the main cause.  Poor circulation will cause it also.

[Bjorn]

Drink more (water) and take Potassium like others have said. Unfortunately Coffee and alcohol deplete your body's

[deaddoc4444]

Potassium and Vitamin C    BOth will help

[Brock]

lots of fluids and bananas are what I take when hunting or hiking....also if have to be still for extended periods on stand I do isometric exercises where you just flex muscles and use against themselves...minimizes movement but helps keep them from stiffening up.


from SERE school many years ago...learned that if you feel thirsty or start feeling effects...that you are already dehydrated....muscle cramps, vision impairment, elevated heart rate as body tries to cool down and if you stop sweating you are in serious trouble.  If sweating you need to be drinking almost continuously to keep up with it....if you dont have to pee after drinking 16oz or more...then you are behind the curve already.

You can go weeks without food but only days without water...I think they told us 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food before your life is threatened....add extreme heat and sweating and it could be advanced.

Hydrate the night before and take a bottle to drink while on stand....save an empty to empty into if you are hydrated and the rest is waste.  Just dont drink the yellow bottle later... LOL

[Geezer]

Thanks for the tips gentlemen, but I've tried a lot of those with no success.  Potassium, bananas, lots of energy drinks but nothing worked until I found Sportslegs.  BTW, the only place I've found them is at bike shops or the internet.  I'm not sure that REI has it...good if they do.  I also bought a Camelback which I carry with me at all times.

[Bud B.]

Thanks for the tip, but I too suffered from cramps while mountain biking and after going to a Camelbak with more fluids available along the ride I rarely have them.

Hydration is key.

Supplements help. Bananas are my go-to supplement.

[Caughtandhobble]

This summer I got dehydrated at a two day shoot. That night I cramped bad and it was suggested that I drink some pickle juice and let me tell you all, it worked great!!!

[Flinttim]

I have the same problem after a day of long walking, especially in the Winter when we tend to not drink enough water. I make it a habit of having a few quarts of sports drink (Gatorade)in camp if camping and if a day hunt I always stop at the first convenient store to get some Gatorade. No problems then. As an aside my doctor turned me on to a trick. Keep a bottle of Tonic water in the fridge and if you feel some tightening in your leg muscles take a good swig of the tonic water. Kills it almost instantly . Something to do with the Quinine in it.  A caveat though. The FDA  has come out against quinine drugs for leg cramps. I'm talking over the counter drugs. The amount of quinine in tonic water is small but it does the trick. It is still used in mixed drinks at bars.

[joe skipp]

You need Potassium in fairly large doses. I always carry a couple bananas with me when hunting all day we're climbing and moving.

Might not hurt to carry a few salt tablets and some Gatorade. Cramping will definitely put a "cramp" in your hunting....      :rolleyes:

[Sam McMichael]

A lot of this advice is very helpful. As already mentioned, if you are diabetic be even more careful as many of the drinks that give energy also can seriously spike your blood sugar. Then all the cramping, vision issues, and dehydration problems are greatly compounded. I can't think of anything that has affected my hunting more adversely than problems caused or aggravated by diabetes.

[Archie]

You got that right, Sam.  I don't touch energy drinks unless they are carb-free.  But those electrolytes are great for relieving normal cramps due to dehydration.

[Geezer]

I am not diabetic, though it does run in the family.  This has been an on-going issue since I was a teen (I'm 56 now).  I've eaten up to 1/2 dozen bananas before activities, have taken just about every potassium supplement I can find, drank different drinks, carried 3-4 bottles of water at a time.  Sometimes it helps, other times not so much.  These cramps are pretty debilitating; I can recall standing along the highway for an hour until both my hammies and calf muscles relaxed.  Hurts like h#ll!!  Like I said, Sportslegs have been a life changer.

[gordydog]

Yes water+++++Geezer check that drink to see if it has magnesium in it, I take a magnesium supplement to ward off leg cramps and plain water with NO sweetner or sugar.

[Terry Green]

For those that don't want to carry around bananas(Like me cause they would be a big destroyed MESS)....stay hydrated and take a half dozen of these two at a time through out the day.

   

Luckily I found a drug store one afternoon and they saved me another sleepless night!!!
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