Say no to muscle cramps! 5 tips to prevent cramps
The most important thing to prevent cramps is to strengthen muscle endurance. Muscle endurance refers to the ability of the human body to continue to work muscles for a long time, that is, the ability to resist fatigue. If muscle endurance is insufficient, cramps are likely to occur. In competitions, athletes usually need to put in more effort than usual training, and high-intensity power output can easily exceed the muscle's tolerance, which is why cramps occur frequently during competitions. Usually pay more attention to leg training, simulate riding according to the distance and time of the competition, so that the leg muscles can better adapt to the intensity, so that it is not easy to "freeze" due to cramps at the critical moment of the competition.
Reduce the intensity. If you find that your muscles begin to tremble slightly, stiffen, and react slowly during riding, it means that the muscles are almost unable to bear it. At this time, if you continue to exercise at the current intensity, it will aggravate muscle fatigue and cause cramps. At this time, you need to reduce the intensity of riding, change your posture slightly, move the tendons and bones of your limbs, and relax the tense muscles appropriately to avoid the bad situation of muscle cramps.
Replenish water and electrolytes. During exercise, the human body sweats a lot, resulting in the loss of electrolyte elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. If these electrolytes are not replenished in time, they will cause dehydration and cramps. In long-distance riding, if you only replenish water, it is easy to cause fluid imbalance and cramps. If the riding distance is long or the intensity is high, you can take salt pills, energy supplements or sports drinks containing supplements. Timely hydration is also very important. When you feel thirsty, it often means that your body has begun to dehydrate.
Warm up and stretch. Warm up before exercise to fully stretch your body. Before the formal ride, you can ride slowly for a few minutes, and do dynamic stretching from slow to fast pedaling. This can not only improve the state of exercise, but also reduce the risk of muscle strain and cramps. After exercise, do static stretching to stretch the quadriceps and calf muscles used in riding, and relieve excessive muscle tension. This will not only enhance the effect of this exercise, but also help recovery and reduce the risk of injury in the next exercise.
Correct vehicle settings. Wrong vehicle settings, such as too high a seat cushion causing overstretching of the legs, or too low a seat cushion preventing the legs from stretching normally, will cause some muscles to be overtightened and increase the probability of cramps. Factors such as seat tube height, front-to-back distance of the saddle, stem length, cleat position setting, etc. may all lead to cramps. At this time, it is particularly important to do a bike fitting and set the correct riding posture, which can not only reduce the probability of cramps, but also avoid sports injuries caused by incorrect settings |
