Cramp whilst racing/sailing

What could possibly go wrong?

   If you do find a cure for cramp, keep quiet about eating/drinking it! 

You need an excuse for the next time you get overtaken....

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MerlinMags Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Admin Group Joined: 19 Mar 04 Location: UK, Guildford Online Status: Offline Posts: 588	Post Options Post Reply Quote MerlinMags Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Cramp whilst racing/sailing Posted: 16 May 14 at 9:29pm
	If you do find a cure for cramp, keep quiet about eating/drinking it! You need an excuse for the next time you get overtaken....

sargesail Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 14 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1459	Post Options Post Reply Quote sargesail Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 May 14 at 10:43pm
	Training hard (going to be running on the Three Peaks yacht Race) at the moment and have just started using some carb gels and electrolyte tablets. Seems to make a difference, certainly got through 20miles easier this afternoon. AndI'm getting less cramps afterwards. and that's not the really expensive stuff at all. Lot's of sailors experience calf cramp: I'm told that this is not just beacuse of teh silly hiking or trapexing positions but because of the role the calfs have in helping adrenaline distribution.

PeterG Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 12 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 822	Post Options Post Reply Quote PeterG Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 14 at 7:23pm
	Yes, I get cramp in my legs. Mostly the thighs, not the calves. During racing it tends to happen in the 3rd race - so after I've been stewing in a wet suit for a while, and more on the Contender than the Laser, so probably connected with trapezing. Water and foul "sports" drinks at lunch might help a bit, but also I think keeping my legs warm. So when beach launching - and getting my legs wet at the start of the day I tend to wear polypro leggings pretty much regardless of the weather - that seems to help. I also get night time cramps, sometimes, in my thighs after sailing - mostly after the first windy sail in a Laser of the year - though I had them after a fairly gentle sail in a Devon Yawl the other day - so maybe I'm just getting older! Taking Crampex tablets before bed seems to help with that (and I hadn't though to take them after my sail the other day).
	Peter Ex Cont 707 Ex Laser 189635 DY 59

dohertpk Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 28 Sep 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 172	Post Options Post Reply Quote dohertpk Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 14 at 7:35pm
	I cramp up really bad if I've been in the gym the evening before a sail. If you're doing anything like deadlifts in your resistance routine, you'll find your calves get very tense very quickly. It's nothing a solid 10 minutes of stretching after each workout wouldn't cure...but one does get lazy.

Daniel Holman Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 17 Nov 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 997	Post Options Post Reply Quote Daniel Holman Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 14 at 7:47pm
	Cramps can generally be attributed to hydration issues, cold and fatigue. More fluid, more salts (both sodium and potassium - the former from table salt, the latter from bananas) A posh rehydration beverage will have that all sorted, so then its just keeping warm. Suspect stretching won't do any harm either.

winging it Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958	Post Options Post Reply Quote winging it Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 17 May 14 at 8:49pm
	Which is why you will see tennis players on TV eating so many bananas. Stretching the cramped musxle can be dangerous. The muscle has contracted really tightly, and stretching can tear the muscle fibre. Better to massage the cramp away if you can.
	the same, but different...

NickM Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 27 May 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 328	Post Options Post Reply Quote NickM Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 18 May 14 at 11:48pm
	I used to get cramp in the back leg when clamped into windsurfing straps and a doctor friend suggested taking an aspirin to thin the blood before going on the water. Seemed to help a bit. Rehydration salt in a water bottle is good too.

iGRF Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6499	Post Options Post Reply Quote iGRF Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 19 May 14 at 10:03am
	Bananas? That's a new one on me as a suggestion for cramp, I've always been a great believer in digestion issues when travelling and the need for a daily banana, I shall equip the EPS with a bunch from now on.. As to being a finely tuned athlete and or my competitive days which have been long since gone, we never had any of this sort of advice, other than carb loading and I used to use a lucozade derivative called 'dynamo' back in the water ski racing days. The phrase 'Sports nutritionist' or psychologist never really occurred back in the seventies. Edited by iGRF - 19 May 14 at 10:07am
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Dougal Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 23 Sep 09 Location: England Online Status: Offline Posts: 556	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dougal Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 19 May 14 at 11:25am
	Isn't there quinine in tonic water that makes it good for malaria. Apparently it is possible to drink tonic water without gin but personally I have never tried it. I can tell you re-hydrating with white wine doesn't work very well. Edited by Dougal - 19 May 14 at 11:26am
	What could possibly go wrong?

iGRF Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6499	Post Options Post Reply Quote iGRF Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 19 May 14 at 12:17pm
	So what are we looking at here then Dougal, Banana& Tonic? I'll try anything once..
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