Have you ever gotten a painful muscle cramp while working out?
Sometimes your muscles can literally lock up and the pain can be excruciating. Not only that, but in sever cases you could also run the risk of pulling or tearing the muscles when they cramp and tighten up.
Bodybuilders, athletes, and hardcore fitness enthusiasts who are in the gym working out on a regular basis run the risk of having an electrolyte imbalance.
One of the main problems is that we lose a lot of sodium through heavy sweating. Then when you combine this with drinking lots of water to quench your thirst, this can dilute your blood sodium levels to the point of getting muscle cramps, weakness, dizziness, and shakiness.
Another part of this problem stems from the fact that people who workout regularly, also tend to eat the “healthiest” and are more likely to purposely avoid consuming excess sodium in their diets. Most main stream doctors and health experts will tell you to avoid eating salt like the plague. But you have to realize that this advice is targeted towards the average sedentary couch potato, not hard training bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts.
If you are very active they you run a greater risk of consuming too little sodium, rather then too much.
Watch The Video Below To Learn A “Sneaky Trick” To Avoid Muscle Cramps In The Gym…
Note: if you can’t watch the embedded video clip above,
you can watch it right on my YouTube Channel by Clicking Here
Have you ever experienced painful muscle cramps while training?
If so let me know in the comments below and tell me what you did to get rid of them…
32 Comments
Sam
Great tip Lee, i’ve had to do this a few times (not very nice). I’m a Royal Marine in training and all the physical training we do cramp is something that occurs very often and a lot of people don’t realise salt is the answer as many people treat salt as a bad thing now.
Anyway great tip, and keep ’em coming!
Elliott Hulse
Good tip Lee.
I carry some crack packs in my gym bag, just in case I’m down in energy and need some crack to get me crushing it again! 😉
No really, I use Celtic Sea Salt.
(not crack)
-Elliott
val
thanks lee. i have never needed salt,how about having a handfull of salted peanuts before a workout would that do the trick.
leehayward
I know of several police and military guys who have had to use this salt trick during their “boot camp” training because of the extra demands they were putting on their body. Bottom line it works.
leehayward
There is nothing wrong with just increasing your sodium intake in general by adding salt to your food, etc. And if you fancy some salty nuts then go for it…
That just sounded wrong didn’t it? “Salty Nuts” LOL 😉
mac brackin
Great tip! I would of already bought your blast your bench but i just dont got the money atm. We have rotations at our school for lifting and having bench last sucks since i already kill myself from everything else. I know during max outs tho is when its coming!
Andy
Thanks lee for the information.
Crazy Bear
how about a salty beef jerky that way you can get some protein as well?
leehayward
Simply adding a few shakes of salt to your food is a good idea, especially if you are sweating a lot while training, etc. But you should still keep a half dozen salt packets on hand just in case you do cramp up while training. It works, it’s simple, it’s free, and it’s not going to take up any space in your gym bag.
moon
thanks for information lee its a great tip lee
Shaun
Hey Lee. Would supplementing with glucosamie HCL be adequate for increased salt intake? I take 1.5-2g per day, divided into three doses. It does contain sodium as far as I am aware. Cheers.
Mark
I put a scoop of Electrolyte drink mix into my workout drink. I like Ultima Replenisher which uses pretty natural ingredients.
leehayward
There are all kind of sports drinks and electrolyte drinks that will work as well, but plain old salt works and it’s a lot cheaper than any of these other alternatives.
Don
I sweat alot during my workouts, would adding salt to my diet throughout the day have the same effect or should it be just during workouts?
leehayward
Increasing salt in general will help, but having it on hand during your workouts helps if you get a muscle cramp while training.
George
Lee:
Thanks for the tip about salt and when to use it.
Another point would be that with increased or high protein diet, especially from meats, that calcium is required. If salt doesn’t stop the cramp, calcium will.
For non workout cramps, calcium works 100%
George
Helena
I am a medic and work venues like Spartan Race – we have small packets of salt (the ones you get with a fast food meal) and bananas at hand when participants come into the first aid tent with cramps. After a few minutes of massaging the afflicted appendage (usually the legs) and this little packet of salt with some water, they’re up and running.
Sherri
Great tip, Lee. I drink some dill pickle brine/juice when I get muscle cramps during or after a work out. It works within a minute or two.
Curtis Uyeda
I spent all day at the drag strip on a summers day racing my motorcycle. That night, my neighbor and I cruised over to donut stand where all the car guys meet. When we were leaving, I noticed I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t buckle my helmet and I couldn’t start my motorcycle. Next thing I know, I laying on the ground. My neighbor, who was a para-medic, thought I was going into a diabetic coma. Long story short, I was transported to the hospital. When I came to, the doctor said my potassium count was too low. He recommend Gatorade when ever I was out in the heat and sweating. My wife has us on a low sodium diet. I notice that if I push hard, sometimes I get dizzy. I drink lots of water, but based on your tip, I’ll try salt packets.
Franky goes to Hollywood
what if i throw the packet of salt in a bottle of gatorade to try to kill the taste a bit would that be even better?
Ian S.
Pedialyte or its generic brand are another great way to alleviate muscle cramps and restless legs at night. Drink it before, during, and/or after workouts…you will feel the effects immediately.
kishan
Great tips lee, i try and its works, thnx again
George Alford
This is interesting in that, I used to get server cramps while working, not working out! I would be in the middle of an emergency repair at the airport where I worked for four years, when right in the middle of the job, my legs would cramp-up so intensely that I would have to stop the work, to try and relieve it, and most times, it would only start again almost immediately. Then I started thinking back to when I was in the US Navy, and working in the ships boiler room, where it was often upwards of 120 deg. F. It was important then to take salt tablets, which were stationed in various places in the room, to insure we didn’t get cramps, from being dehydrated. So, getting back to my job at the airport, I started taking a pinch of salt, during my work shift, and it sure did do the trick.
Mike
Interesting how nothing’s ‘new’ under the sun. The company I work for has been in business since 1883, and there used to be salt tablet dispensers on the walls years ago (the paint was peeling off them when I started there in 1974), but they kept salt tabs in ’em for some years after then …
Bo
I took 5 bootcamps in a row after work from jan ’12 to jun ’12 and by the end of february i was just getting really fatigued. I couldn’t understand it because i thought exercise was supposed to improve your conditioning not make it worse. I used this tip and it really works.
From 2:08 on i could really hear your Newfie accent! lol
Never really noticed it before.
Hi from Alberta
ralph
what about the cramps at night after a workout day? for me, they wait untill i go to bed on a hard workout day and wake me up. thanks, and God bless…
Leo
‘One of the main problems is that we lose a lot of sodium through heavy sweating. Then when you combine this with drinking lots of water to quench your thirst, this can dilute your blood sodium levels to the point of getting muscle cramps, weakness, dizziness, and shakiness’.
Interestingly enough Lee I had some blood tests done a couple of months ago and the Doc pointed out that my sodium levels where quite low and could I suggest why. I did a bit of research and this is what I came up with as you have now stated.
I did source an ‘ electrolyte drink’ which has done the trick but I will follow up on your advice once it’s gone.The cramps, although not often to begin with, have now gone completely.
Tom
It’s not just sodium!
I have been in long endurance adventure races and use a product called “Endurolytes”. They consist of a combination of electrolytes that have an impact of muscle action. Potassium, calcium, magnesium and others.
When experiencing an exceptionally tight cramp, you can receive virtually immediate relief by opening a capsule and pouring the content into your mouth, add some water, don’t swallow and allow it be absorbed thru the mucosa of the mouth, for a minute or so. Then swallow. A little difficult to do, but provides relief within a minute or so because it gets into the blood stream immediately.
Tom
ralph,
Taking an Endorulytes prior to bed can help prevent nighttime cramps.
Tim Rudd
Thanks a million Lee, when I do real heavy B.P. I get terrible leg cramps in the back, I been asking everyone what to do and to no prevail. Now I have the answer. Thank you so much.
leehayward
Thanks for all the comments. Glad you like the tip. The cool thing about salt / sodium is that this is the main electrolyte and when your sodium levels are in check it helps to balance out everything else. So if you are experiencing cramps focus on sodium first and more often than not it will solve the problem.
Andy
Here’s an extra article on how to prevent and treat muscle cramps if they do happen: http://bulkingmode.com/muscle-cramps-and-how-to-avoid-them/
I guess there’s two major things to look at. Staying hydrated and warming your muscles up properly before a workout. Also, with creatine, make sure you drink even more water.