Cramps - too much water?

[cjacobs]

I went to a practice today at Ace in district 34, it was my first time on a motocross track in 2 years. On the way there, I drank a RedBull, when I got there it was pretty humid and, being out of shape, I probably drank another 3 bottles of water plus a Gatorade after my first stop. Later I stopped again and had a Sobe Adrenalin and some more water, but never ate anything. On my next set of laps, my fingers curled up and I could *barely* uncurl them, then my legs started to cramp. I rode a little while longer and left for home, on the way, my left leg as cramping up bad, I didn't know if I would have to stop. Has this ever happened to anyone else? I admit RedBulls, Gatorade, Sobe's and water probably isn’t the ultimate Mx diet

How do I prevent this? I’m pretty sure I could win my division in the district if not for the claws for hands… hehe, just kidding Ron, Dave… I’m telling you, today kicked my BUTT. I was exhausted. What makes Mx so friggin hard? Looks pretty easy on TV

[Chadm89]

It's important to stay hydrated out there, but you need to have more fuel than just liquids in your body. When you get up the day of a ride, eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast. Drink plenty of water from the time you get up until the time you're at the track. When taking breaks from riding, drink Gatorade or Powerade, something like that - but stay away from the caffeinated "energy" drinks, they're not as good for your body as Gatorade is. When you're sweating like that, your body is losing water and electrolytes. That's what a sports drink like Gatorade provides. You don't need all of the extra junk in those other drinks.

Take a break to eat something, too. Take a sandwich and some fruit or whatever. Something nutritious. Rest for a little while after eating, rehydrating while you do it, then go at it again. You'll probably have better results than what you just talked about.

Of course, eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water on a consistent basis, not just when you're riding, is the best thing to do to stay in good general health, which you help you a lot when you do make it out to the track for some riding.

[chris99]

if i drank that many energy drinks i would be tweekin! up for like 2 days lol

[207racerface]

eat bananas!!! haha the potassium helps stop the cramps and cramps jus come with workin out u kno they will go away tho

[Red Rider 943]

Originally Posted by Brian Jennings

eat bananas!!! haha the potassium helps stop the cramps and cramps jus come with workin out u kno they will go away tho

You're gettign cramps from the energy drinks.. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!! all they'll do is give you cramps and make you more tired later on in the day.

drink water and gatorade.

[207racerface]

i did not kno that.. see i learn somethin new every day..

[Mainjet2001]

Sorry cjacobs, your drinking junk (except for Gatoraid) on an empty stomach and you are out of shape for riding a dirt bike, plain and simple.

[Michael Parker]

Originally Posted by Brian Jennings

eat bananas!!! haha the potassium helps stop the cramps and cramps jus come with workin out u kno they will go away tho

i did this at my last race and i didnt get a bit of armpump after 2 practices and 2 races. im a believer in the bannanas

[Reuel]

Whoa Dude, thats a lot of energy drinks. Too many IMHO. Just eat right and start hydrating the day before you ride. Gotta give that water a chance to get to where it needs to go and not wait til the last minute. I have had noticable improvements drinking gatorade as oppossed to water. At 46 I need to pay attention to what i eat and drink or i will be wasted at the track.

[DPW]

Stay away from the "trendy" energy drinks....they are poison...

Water ..Water...and drink it all week not just the day before riding.

[cjacobs]

Ok, I'm going to eat bananas and drink water! Out with Redbull! I might start running daily again, I bet I would be at least twice as good at Mx if I was in better shape and could practice the harder stuff while I wasn't tired. I'm not in bad shape, but compared to what you have to be to ride Mx, I'm definately not there. Problem is that I spend 3 hrs every day on a commuter train, makes it hard to find time to exercise.

Thanks for the help!
Craig

[99kx250rules]

I drank one of those energy drinks today and it knocked me for a loop. I got jittery and very tired. Never again.

[KX02]

Yeah, the running will help allot. Doing something like mountain biking is better still but running is still very good. I finally got a treadmill last winter, because I never have the time or weather to bicycle as much as I need to. I am so sorry I did not get the treadmill much sooner. Now I can "go for a run" anytime, it really made a difference in my endurance on my bike this year!

[MxSean393]

Originally Posted by Chadm89

It's important to stay hydrated out there, but you need to have more fuel than just liquids in your body. When you get up the day of a ride, eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast. Drink plenty of water from the time you get up until the time you're at the track. When taking breaks from riding, drink Gatorade or Powerade, something like that - but stay away from the caffeinated "energy" drinks, they're not as good for your body as Gatorade is. When you're sweating like that, your body is losing water and electrolytes. That's what a sports drink like Gatorade provides. You don't need all of the extra junk in those other drinks.

Take a break to eat something, too. Take a sandwich and some fruit or whatever. Something nutritious. Rest for a little while after eating, rehydrating while you do it, then go at it again. You'll probably have better results than what you just talked about.

Of course, eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water on a consistent basis, not just when you're riding, is the best thing to do to stay in good general health, which you help you a lot when you do make it out to the track for some riding.

you know... i drank gatorade 1 time i went riding and by the end of the day i kept getting cramps while riding... haha not fun at all. the next day we went riding again and all i drank was water. i dunno what it is but i think it has something to do with sugar and gatorade has sugar which was giving me and my brother cramps when riding and after riding. so when i drank just water i didn't get cramps at all that day. i know gatorade is supposed to be good for u but i dont know if ill keep drinking it when i go riding. i can't stand cramps when riding. it really pisses me off.

[SirFallsALot243]

Another vote for the bananas here!

They really help, especially midway through the day.

[Mainjet2001]

Look gang, before you all assume the same you need to understand that everyone does not react the same to given drinks or food.
Search out what is best for you. There are a bunch of you that have problems because you are just out of shape.
I have a very close friend who is an off road champion and he drinks a lot of Red Bull when competing. He does not get cramps. You know why? He is in shape, very good shape. He can ride a dirt bike from Ensenada to La Paz in 16 hours and that is not on pavement.

The point is learn what your body reacts to and understand that your body is not the same as someone else. There is some very good advice on these boards and the best is to drink a lot of water the week, not the day but the week before competing. If you are not peeing (sorry to be crude) you do not have enough water in your system. That also goes for the ladies.

In 1968 I rode a 2-day 500 mile enduro in the SoCal desert in the middle of June when there was a heat wave (113 Deg's in the shade). The heat and a long sand hill (at that point) took out 60% of the field of 430 starters. I was one of the 68 finishers and trophied.
In those 2 days, my riding partner and myself went thru 2 cases of a brand new product called Gatorade and it was what pulled us through. Gatorade may not work for you but there is a product out there that I bet will. Search it out. I use Gatoraid today even when I ride the bicycle, but only if I feel I need a boost.

So to end this windbag story : remember, first is to be in shape which includes riding a lot, lots of water and correct food intake and some supplement drinks. All this is a learning curve and you all are not the same, so try different things because a lot of it is an experiment of what is best for you.

Or to shortcut the process....you can find yourself a trainer who knows what he (opps, or she) is doing.
Updated for you Sheila and welcome to ATM.

[cjacobs]

I have had RedBull before when riding (I actually drank three in about 2 hrs and lots of water my first race), but yesterday was my first time having gatorade. I had "Strawberry" and some kind of blue gatorade that my wife buys for my kids, I actually like the original better, but the wife and kids do the shopping

Anyway, I've read that in severe cases, water can actually kill you because your elecrolytes get out of balance and your cells expand, so it would seem gatorade would be good to mix with the water if you're really hot or dehydrated. Anyway, had the blue and pink stuff yesterday for the first time and got cramps. I think it is all about common sense and getting more fit.

[RICHIE500]

I ALWAYS make sure I dont do riding on a empty stomach. I`ve rode on a empty stomach a few times and everytime I suffered with bad cramps especially in my throttle hand/wrist which is dangerous because my hand just locked on ...dont think I`ve ever had cramps because too much fluid intake and I always drink loads.


Sirfallsalot:- I vote Bananas too

Later

[sassymxchic]

Things that make you cramp:

Lack of water..which seems not to be a problem for you
Lack of nutrients
Lack of oxygen to your muscles-meaning make sure you are not shallow breathing, get that air to your diaphram.
Lack of being in shape
and last but not least eating to soon before exercise or riding.

The amount of electrolytes lost during an afternoon of riding is not great enough to worry about replenishing with a sports drink. With proper diet your body should get enough potassium and sodium that it needs. Many sports drinks are sweetened with fructose or high fructose corn syrup. Fructose is one of the worst forms of sweeteners produced. It contributes to a lot of diseases and also will effect endurance in a negative way. What I am trying to say is water is the best thing to drink. It is the single most critical nutrient for our bodies.

________________________
~Sheila (physical trainer/nutritionist)
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[cjacobs]

Sheila,
"Lack of being in shape" - Who, me?

The MX school looks great! I went to High School in Denton, Texas. In fact, I used to ride after school with Doug Polen who was AMA Super Bike champ in '91 and '92. Now I live in NY, but would certainly like to spend three days learning MX. Do you have classes for over 40 novice riders?

I woke up early and did ten minutes on the treadmill until it siezed with a faint smell of burning rubber, then I did five minutes on a stairmaster. 15 mins doesn't seem like much, but after the stairmaster I was pretty tired. Anyway, I know my problem is lack of fitness and lack of practice. I realize the only way I can get enough out of a practice day at the track is to get in shape. I cannot get any better until I have the fitness to try doubles and double whoops. Today, I feel like I want to do them, but by the time I'm warmed up on the track, I'm just too tired to properly control the bike if I get into trouble and I've learned my share of lessons the hard way, so I won't ride over my head. Thanks for your reply Sheila!

RICHIE500, the same hand lock happened to me with both hands, but at first I barely noticed since I could close my fingers to brake and clutch, but eventually I realized something was wrong and I pulled off. When I tried to uncurl my fingers, all I had were two "eagle claws".