Muscle cramps

These notes combine advice from 17 reviewed passages across 14 workouts.

Overview

Coach’s advice

A cramp is a strong contraction in which the muscle tightens on its own. It can hit suddenly, and the contraction can be hard, involuntary, and outside conscious control. This kind of tightening can happen in the body, even in professional walkers, so there is no need to panic.

Coach’s advice

A cramp is a high-level contraction of the muscle. The feeling comes from the muscle tightening hard, and in severe cases it can be intense enough that a person writhes in discomfort for several minutes before the muscle releases.

When cramps occur

Coach’s advice

Cramps occur especially in planche work. Weighted abdominal work can also trigger them; a couple of incidents are known from that movement. Plain sit-ups are unlikely to cramp, and you can do them comfortably.

Coach’s advice

Sit-ups are safe from injury. Even with a heavy plate, the worst outcome is a cramp in the abdominal muscle that stops you from continuing. A contraction from holding a position too tight is also not an injury. If you did not load the area, the tightness is a cramp.

Coach’s advice

A calf cramp is an instant contraction of the muscle.

Handling a cramp

Coach’s advice

When a cramp hits, stay calm and do not panic. Move the affected area through several directions: push it forward, pull it back, flex, point, draw it inward, extend it forward, and make circular movements with the hand.

Coach’s advice

Stretching also helps. Do a bridge or stretch the body upward. For a contraction that lingers, rest the area briefly, then, if you like, stretch lightly and slowly against a wall.

Coach’s advice

For an abdominal cramp, do about ten push-ups to loosen the muscle. For a cramp in the calf, sit down on the ground, because standing keeps the muscle tense, and rub the area slowly, using a cream if you like. When a foot cramps, do not squeeze it hard; just keep the foot from lifting.

Preventing cramps

Coach’s advice

Hydration plays a role in cramping. Drinking plenty of water can lessen cramps. On a normal day, reach about two liters and do not cut below that, so that cramp risk does not build up.

Coach’s advice

In a false grip, you can exaggerate the grip to increase the contraction in the forearm, but do not overdo it, because an exaggerated grip can cramp the area.

Coach’s experience

In his own training, the coach once developed a contraction in his back after skipping rest. He noticed it because he could already feel it. He rested the area thoroughly and slept, used a lying position that a doctor had shown him, and then kept the area warm.

Related pages

• Massage and soft-tissue work: Supports