I don’t know if this is a problem for other cyclists, but I have some information on leg cramps that I thought might be worth sharing.

I have suffered from leg cramps for at least 10 years (I just hit 70 years old).  They intensified in 2020 when I began working with a cycling coach.  I’m still working with that coach 5 years later.  I do several workouts per week on a home trainer in addition to riding on the road once or twice a week.

My leg cramps tended to strike during the night while sleeping or occasionally when sitting with my feet up on some kind of footstool.  They could be in my calf muscles or even under the soles of my feet, but most often were in my quads or hamstrings.  I would qualify them as extremely painful, but since I’ve never given birth, I don’t know what kind of validity my opinion deserves.

The cramps were having a serious impact on my sleep, since I was waking up 1 to 3 times each night in agony.  They were also impacting my wife’s sleep, since I would be hopping around the room trying to stretch the offending muscle and trying not to scream in pain.  Not a good thing.

I have found 2 solutions that work for me.  

The first is a product called “SportLegs”.  I find that 3 of these pills before going to bed will keep the cramps away for at least 4 hours.  This product appears to be available only in the US.  I imagine that one could synthesize the ingredients from other sources.

The downsides of this solution are:  First, the cost, and secondly the fact that after 4 hours I would get cramps again.  A second dose of 3 pills was required in order to get me through the night.  Not optimal.

The second and better solution is to sleep with a small pillow under my knees.   That’s it!   It's amazing how it has made the cramps disappear.  Literally unbelievable.  Miraculous! 

My sleep is better, and I haven’t had a serious leg cramp in months since adopting this solution.   When we're touring on the bike, I take a small inflatable pillow along that does the trick.   All I need to do is elevate my knees by about 10cm.

I recognize that this is probably only a solution for those who sleep on their backs.  But it's worked so well for me that I felt it was worth sharing.

So there you go.  Anecdotal, but possible solutions to explore if you are a fellow leg cramp victim.

I hope this proves useful to someone else in the future.

Rich this recent ABC Radio National episode might be of interest if it’s available online to you, and not geo blocked. 

The series is a health & medical show called “What’s that rash?” and this episode is specifically about muscle cramps.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/whats-that-rash/muscle-cramps-magnesium-pickle/104978276

I am guilty of taking a number of supplements. Most seem to be of the preventative nature. I don't want to develop that problem (whatever that might be), so I take the advertised cure. The one supplement I take that I see a definite result from is magnesium malate. If I miss 2-3 days, I get legs cramps. They are most unpleasant. There are several types of magnesium, some cause emergency bathroom trips. Others are supposed to be good for memory issues. 

Whenever we tour, I make sure to count out exactly enough magnesium tablets to see me through. I might run out of the other supplements, but this one isn't a choice. 

I'm tucking the pillow idea away for future use. You never know when the information will come in handy.

How does the magnesium supplement compare to eating foods that are high in magnesium like bananas, nuts, and spinach?

I don't suffer from chronic muscle cramps, but I mostly just eat a banana when I feel a hamstring tighten up. I also regularly stretch hamstrings with a resistance band. Interestingly, the left hamstring is the tightest, but the right hamstring is more prone to cramps.

How does the magnesium supplement compare to eating foods that are high in magnesium like bananas, nuts, and spinach?

I don't suffer from chronic muscle cramps, but I mostly just eat a banana when I feel a hamstring tighten up. I also regularly stretch hamstrings with a resistance band. Interestingly, the left hamstring is the tightest, but the right hamstring is more prone to cramps.

I eat nuts and a banana daily, so for me that must not be enough magnesium. I can’t say I’ve noticed one leg cramping more often than the other. I’ve also reached the age where daily stretching is a necessity.

Hi Wayne -

I tried several things that DIDN'T work, but I was hesitant to say anything about that because every body works differently.  I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from trying something that has worked somewhere, sometime, for somebody.

But, here's what didn't solve cramping problems for me:

1. Pickle Juice
2. Stretching (I do stretch and believe in it - it just didn't fix my cramps)
3. Massage (self-massaging my legs before bed, at least)
4. Nuts (I eat a lot of almonds and pistachios)
5. Magnesium-only supplements (interesting that they work for Kelly...)

I am probably the only person in the world that doesn't like the taste of bananas.  So I can't comment on their effectiveness against cramps.  I'm glad they work for you!

Thanks for this, Rich.  My experience with leg cramps sounds very much like yours.  They’re really agonizing, and when I’m under attack I’ll sit on the edge of the bed groaning, more or less paralyzed trying to find some position that brings relief.  And of course, it’s as disruptive for Rachael as it must be for Robin.

The ones I’m dealing with now seem to be a symptom of my high prednisone dosage so hopefully that will pass when it gets reduced; but it’s been a problem off and on for several years.  Hydration and electrolytes help, but haven’t been a cure-all.  I’ll definitely give the knee pillow idea a try.

I have woken with bad leg cramps when on tour, usually after a long hard day in the sun when I drank lots of water (like 200 ounces plus!) and didn't eat enough salty food.  In my case, the very simple solution was to consume more electrolytes the following day; drink Gatorade or similar sports drink and snack on a salty food like potato chips throughout the day.  

FWIW, assuming I am have trained for a tour and reached my minimum training goals beforehand, it is very rare for me to get leg cramps - it takes an extremely long hard day in the sun for it to happen.  However, if I haven't trained and then attempt to do longer mileages in hard conditions, well then leg cramps are more common.  That's just my experience, YMMV. 

For me the solution is to drink a lot of water and eat a banana during the ride. The water part is where I fall short, especially in the winter when I wear a face covering that impedes drinking.

A couple of other things that work are Nuun tablets. These are electrolyte tablets that my friend Mark Ferwerda took while we were riding across the country. Most electrolyte drinks taste nasty or have to be stirred in. These tablets fizz, taste okay, and don't leave a nasty mess in your bottle.

Mark also used a massage roller every night during our tour. I don't really know if this works but he swears by it.

Finally, for me and my wife, pickle juice seems to work during a cramp. I have read that it isn't the juice that helps but the nasty taste which diverts your brain from focusing on the cramping. The only problem is getting to the pickle juice while the cramp is happening!

Good luck.