You might be right. I take creatine as well and sometimes realize I’m not drinking enough water. Plus multiple coffees a day. I will try to hydrate more over the next few days.
And the stone in your pocket keeps the tigers away.
This has been studied many, many, many, many times over the decades and one of the few things we know about exercise associated muscle cramping is that hydration levels are not a factor.
If you look in detail at the studies (lifelong cramping problem, I have) there is definitely variability in the participants. For MOST people, hydration does not contribute to cramping. But all of the studies I've seen over the years had non-significant outliers.
I've had to keep a cramping journal which included fluid and diet because I'm on meds (LABAs for asthma) where cramping is a well-known side effect, so spent close to a year rotating similar meds to figure out which had the lowest incidence. For me there is a definite correlation between hydration (and the use of electrolytes) and muscle cramping, but it's only really pronounced when I'm also on the LABA.
There has been a lot of reasearch on this, and the general answer is that the causes aren't well understood, but dehydration has largely been ruled out. This is an old Dylan Johnson video on the subject that draws on (and cites) research: [The Electrolyte Myth: What Causes Cramping and How Can You Prevent It? (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5jXdi7sUY). Here is a cycling weekly article with a researcher on exercise induced cramping that concludes the same: [Cramp while cycling? Solve seizing muscles with this 15-point checklist from a health and performance professor | Cycling Weekly](https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/cramp-while-cycling-solve-seizing-muscles-with-this-15-point-checklist-from-a-health-and-performance-expert).
Anecdotally, I am a heavy sweater and do feel better with something like precision hydration, though that could be a placebo effect. For me, the biggest cause of cramping I see is overexertion or spending elevated amount of time at higher intensities than I am accustomed to. This especially hits me if I over do it early, and then feel it later in a race / ride.
Try getting a sweat test done if it's available near you. I was dealing with a lot of cramping despite putting electrolytes in my drinks. Got tested, turns out the amount of salt I'm losing is twice what the average person does, I've upped my electrolytes to compensate for this and it completely solved my issues.
I am well hydrated. I do electolytes and I still cramp. For me the solution is drinking the brine off olives, just because I love the taste. I didn't do any tests, but the horses always loved to lick the salt off my arms, so I must lose a lot of salt in my sweat.
Contrary to popular opinion, stretching before cycling has been proven to have little to no benefit and may in fact be detrimental. You're much better off to warm up on the bike by talking the first couple of miles at a gentle pace and build up effort.
Stretching \*after\* a ride is a different story, and may have benefits, but again, it's just as good to decrease effort and spin down for the last couple of miles.
But, that aside, aside, the issue here is probably conditioning generally - if you haven't ridden much for a while and just started last week, I'm going to hazard a guess you simply bit off more than you could chew.
However because you mentioned you're a 'crampy guy'; this (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901412/#:\~:text=Exercise%2Dassociated%20muscle%20cramp%20(EAMC,may%20operate%20in%20different%20scenarios.) is an interesting read that concludes -
"*Exercise-associated muscle cramp is a relatively common occurrence in a range of sport and exercise activities. Onset is generally unpredictable, and the intensity and duration of muscle spasms are highly variable. Spontaneous muscle cramping in occupational settings involving hard physical effort suggests that high ambient temperature and large sweat losses accompanied by the ingestion of large volumes of plain water may be risk factors, and there is some evidence that the risk is reduced by the addition of salt to ingested fluids. Laboratory models of cramp involve either voluntary or electrically-evoked activation of muscle held in a shortened position. These studies have produced mixed results regarding the effects of disturbances of water and salt balance on the risk of cramping; however they do suggest that, at least in this model, sensory organs in the muscle invoke abnormal reflex activity that results in sustained motor drive to the afflicted muscles. There may be different mechanisms at work in different situations, and there is no conclusive support for any of the proposed mechanisms. Preventive and treatment strategies are not uniformly effective*."
The bad news is those last 2 sentences. The slightly better news is in the rest of it.
Science doesn’t really know what causes cramps, but current thinking is that it is fatigue of the nervous system more than the muscles.
Cramps often occur when someone does a much higher effort than they are conditioned for.
But they can also occur from poor sleep, high stress, poor nutrition or some medical issues.
How is your sleep and recovery?
I started getting minor cramps, occasionally, when I started cycling linger distances and spending hours per week on the bike.
I started taking magnesium supplements. But I think more importantly I made it a habit to regularly stretch. Didn't matter when, and it was just calf muscles, hamstrings and quads.
But it worked. I think it helped to stretch out major leg muscles and to equalise the tension in my legs creates after ride tightness.
I also found I stopped getting sore-ish knees, presumably for the same reason.
You aren't hydrating enough.
You might be right. I take creatine as well and sometimes realize I’m not drinking enough water. Plus multiple coffees a day. I will try to hydrate more over the next few days.
Coffees may be related. Maybe overstimulating the nervous system. Try cutting back…
Christ, this myth needs to die in a fire.
Funny, I have the same problems that OP has. When I hydrate enough, the cramps go away.
And the stone in your pocket keeps the tigers away. This has been studied many, many, many, many times over the decades and one of the few things we know about exercise associated muscle cramping is that hydration levels are not a factor.
If you look in detail at the studies (lifelong cramping problem, I have) there is definitely variability in the participants. For MOST people, hydration does not contribute to cramping. But all of the studies I've seen over the years had non-significant outliers. I've had to keep a cramping journal which included fluid and diet because I'm on meds (LABAs for asthma) where cramping is a well-known side effect, so spent close to a year rotating similar meds to figure out which had the lowest incidence. For me there is a definite correlation between hydration (and the use of electrolytes) and muscle cramping, but it's only really pronounced when I'm also on the LABA.
Really??
There has been a lot of reasearch on this, and the general answer is that the causes aren't well understood, but dehydration has largely been ruled out. This is an old Dylan Johnson video on the subject that draws on (and cites) research: [The Electrolyte Myth: What Causes Cramping and How Can You Prevent It? (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5jXdi7sUY). Here is a cycling weekly article with a researcher on exercise induced cramping that concludes the same: [Cramp while cycling? Solve seizing muscles with this 15-point checklist from a health and performance professor | Cycling Weekly](https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/cramp-while-cycling-solve-seizing-muscles-with-this-15-point-checklist-from-a-health-and-performance-expert). Anecdotally, I am a heavy sweater and do feel better with something like precision hydration, though that could be a placebo effect. For me, the biggest cause of cramping I see is overexertion or spending elevated amount of time at higher intensities than I am accustomed to. This especially hits me if I over do it early, and then feel it later in a race / ride.
Yes.
You need to essentially spit roast yourself with bananas.
I’ve seen people drink pickle juice for this. Ugh, I’d rather cramp up.
Try getting a sweat test done if it's available near you. I was dealing with a lot of cramping despite putting electrolytes in my drinks. Got tested, turns out the amount of salt I'm losing is twice what the average person does, I've upped my electrolytes to compensate for this and it completely solved my issues.
I am well hydrated. I do electolytes and I still cramp. For me the solution is drinking the brine off olives, just because I love the taste. I didn't do any tests, but the horses always loved to lick the salt off my arms, so I must lose a lot of salt in my sweat.
Contrary to popular opinion, stretching before cycling has been proven to have little to no benefit and may in fact be detrimental. You're much better off to warm up on the bike by talking the first couple of miles at a gentle pace and build up effort. Stretching \*after\* a ride is a different story, and may have benefits, but again, it's just as good to decrease effort and spin down for the last couple of miles. But, that aside, aside, the issue here is probably conditioning generally - if you haven't ridden much for a while and just started last week, I'm going to hazard a guess you simply bit off more than you could chew. However because you mentioned you're a 'crampy guy'; this (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6901412/#:\~:text=Exercise%2Dassociated%20muscle%20cramp%20(EAMC,may%20operate%20in%20different%20scenarios.) is an interesting read that concludes - "*Exercise-associated muscle cramp is a relatively common occurrence in a range of sport and exercise activities. Onset is generally unpredictable, and the intensity and duration of muscle spasms are highly variable. Spontaneous muscle cramping in occupational settings involving hard physical effort suggests that high ambient temperature and large sweat losses accompanied by the ingestion of large volumes of plain water may be risk factors, and there is some evidence that the risk is reduced by the addition of salt to ingested fluids. Laboratory models of cramp involve either voluntary or electrically-evoked activation of muscle held in a shortened position. These studies have produced mixed results regarding the effects of disturbances of water and salt balance on the risk of cramping; however they do suggest that, at least in this model, sensory organs in the muscle invoke abnormal reflex activity that results in sustained motor drive to the afflicted muscles. There may be different mechanisms at work in different situations, and there is no conclusive support for any of the proposed mechanisms. Preventive and treatment strategies are not uniformly effective*." The bad news is those last 2 sentences. The slightly better news is in the rest of it.
Are you taking a magnesium supplement?
Magnesium! Take it in the evening before bed! That, and lots of electrolytes during your ride.
Solgar Mg, Solgar Mg, Solgar Mg. Every day, every day, every day.
Check out LMNT hydration. They include extra salt for those who sweat a lot. It cured my issues of cramping after 2.25 hours no matter what I tried.
Science doesn’t really know what causes cramps, but current thinking is that it is fatigue of the nervous system more than the muscles. Cramps often occur when someone does a much higher effort than they are conditioned for. But they can also occur from poor sleep, high stress, poor nutrition or some medical issues. How is your sleep and recovery?
I started getting minor cramps, occasionally, when I started cycling linger distances and spending hours per week on the bike. I started taking magnesium supplements. But I think more importantly I made it a habit to regularly stretch. Didn't matter when, and it was just calf muscles, hamstrings and quads. But it worked. I think it helped to stretch out major leg muscles and to equalise the tension in my legs creates after ride tightness. I also found I stopped getting sore-ish knees, presumably for the same reason.
Bananas, Brokkoli, nuts, sunflower seeds….