Help with severe Calve Cramps

Hi Guys,

As long as I can remember I have been having issues with calve cramps, but it has always been manageable. It has however always stopped me from getting in proper calve sessions.

I started playing ice hockey about 6 months ago and at the moment I barely make it an hour on the ice before I have to limp off, so I need to try and fix this problem now (And my calves are small :whistle:)

My solution at the moment is the following:

1 x Multivitamin e/morning
1 x SlowMag e/morning
1 x Slow-K (potassium chloride) 600mg e/morning
2 x Bananas before exercise
At least 2 liter water per day (This is by default, but some days I don't get there)


I know diet is a factor as well so here is what it looks like at the moment. Please let me know if there is anything I can add that will help with my calves.

*I know my diet is not great, but I physically can't eat any more at the moment, as my eating habits was ruined with a month of vacation. Want to get to 3000 calories before the end of the month.

Breakfast
40g Oats + ts butter and a bit of low fat milk
3 full eggs
5 Egg Whites

10:30
2 x slices low-gi brown bread
150g-200g chicken
2 x scoops nutritech whey
*Will add apple with peanut butter soon

Lunch
300g chicken
100g rice
Veggies

Pre-Workout
2 x Banannas (1 hour before)
Pre-Workout (15mins before)

Post-Workout
50g corn flakes
2 x scoops nutritech whey

Dinner
Fish/Chicken (Amount depends on how much I can eat)
Salad

Before bed
Casein (If I can afford the month)
Else a tablespoon peanut butter.

Do you use salt at all ?

Oupa wrote: Do you use salt at all ?

I do put some salt on my chicken when I braai it, and if the GF makes dinner she adds salt and whatever she wants.

How much salt should I get in per day?

Was also wondering if it would help if I warm up calve muscles and stretch them a lot before any exercise?

And I assume it would also help if I drink a lot of water while exercising? I am very bad at this at the moment.

Also your water intake seems very low. Are you on cycle ?

Oupa wrote: Also your water intake seems very low. Are you on cycle ?

Not on a cycle at the moment. Haven't been on one for more than a year.

Before you turn to medicine and other chemicals, first up your water intake, add slightly more salt to your diet and give it a few days and see. Stretch before and after your training. It should be sorted, if not lets chat again.

Oupa wrote: Before you turn to medicine and other chemicals, first up your water intake, add slightly more salt to your diet and give it a few days and see. Stretch before and after your training. It should be sorted, if not lets chat again.

Thanks.

I read a quite bit about the reasons for calve cramping now and I see one of the reasons for cramping is overheating because of dehydration. This would explain why it happens while playing ice hockey with a full kit while I am sweating my ass off, but not happening when I go public skating for 2 hours straight.

Will get some water and energade/lucozade/powerade or even rehydrate to drink in practice sessions. Think a lot of water should be fine for gym.

Thanks Oupa.

tramacet wrote:

Oupa wrote: Before you turn to medicine and other chemicals, first up your water intake, add slightly more salt to your diet and give it a few days and see. Stretch before and after your training. It should be sorted, if not lets chat again.

Thanks.

I read a quite bit about the reasons for calve cramping now and I see one of the reasons for cramping is overheating because of dehydration. This would explain why it happens while playing ice hockey with a full kit while I am sweating my ass off, but not happening when I go public skating for 2 hours straight.

Will get some water and energade/lucozade/powerade or even rehydrate to drink in practice sessions. Think a lot of water should be fine for gym.

Thanks Oupa.

Yes, like Oupa said. Try the more natural approach by increasing the water intake. I suffer from the same problem playing rugby. Absolutely hated water until it worked it's magic on me. Haven't had them for a while since I started drinking water regularly. Staying hydrated is key, and the stretching before workouts/training/practice and then again afterwards really works.

Just an update.

I Upped my water intake to at least 2 liters a day. But most days I will do 3-4. It helped but didn't work 100%.

Next I reduced daily caffeine intake, got Slow-mag and Slow-K (Potassium) to drink with my daily MultiVit. Can now get through hard leg workouts without a calve cramps. Just can't gym calves after legs, so I leave that for a day or 2 after leg day.

Before Ice Hockey I drink Rehydrate and eat 2 banannas. This gets me through even the hardest sessions.

Planning to finally gym calves this week. If everything goes well I plan to stop taking the Magnesium and Potassium in a month or 2 to see how it goes.


Thanks everyone for their input.

*Edit: Also got a skipping rope to warm up with. Skip, jog, stretch, repeat x 4

supplement with creatine! this might sound weird but coming from a scientific background.

(CA+ is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum thus making it possible for muscle contraction. when contraction/ exercise is done the CA+ still floating around returns to the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
when there is a deficiency of ATP-PC the re-uptake of calcium my be hindered and then causing involuntary muscle cramps.)

as far as magnesium goes its a very GREY area and for some people it might takes away muscle craps and for others not.

this is my 2cents.

I second oupa. water, salt and stretching. I suffer when i forget to salt my food. But I find stretching to help the most, especially if you train calves often

Taurine + potassium