A Look At The Role of Sweating, Drinking, and Electolytes in Muscle Cramps

Drink more or to thirst? Drink water or sports drinks? Image by Marcos Vasconcelos via flickr

Read Muscle Cramps 4.5

image by zzeller via flickr

Theories and Fallacies of Muscle Cramps Part IV: An explanation of the evolution of science

Check out this excellent video filmed at Body Worlds, Edmonton science Center with Dr. Brian Abelson and Dr. Tarveen Ahluwalia.

The figures used in this video are not sculptures, they are actual "plastinated" cadavers. So if you are squeamish about such things, don't watch the video.

Among the topics discussed:

• Sciatic Nerve and Sciatic Nerve Compression
• Kinetic Chain Relationships
• Antagonistic Relationships
• Manual Treatment for Low Back and other Soft Tissue Pain

Brian Abelson, as you may know from the last posting, is the author of Release Your Pain: Resolving Repetitive Strain Injuries with Active Release Techniques®

Resolving Low Back Pain: A Kinetic Chain Approach

Two new video pages with explanations: ART^® or "Active Release Techniques^® and Rolfing or "Structural Integration"

Active Release Techniques®

Rolfing Introduction

The third in Ross and Jonathans excellent Series: Theories and Fallacies of Muscle Cramps.

In this one they discuss A Novel Theory for Exercise-associated Muscle Cramps

Check out this post by Joe Weir: House of Cards in which Joe describes a trainee who's beliefs about his training are nothing more than one or two key cards that, when removed, well..you get it.

Here is part two of the series on muscle cramps by the Science of Sport writers.

Theories and Fallacies of Muscle Cramps Part II: Electrolyte Depletion Model of Muscle Cramps

I'm sure you've been told before that the reason for your muscle cramp is "pottasium" or salt. Now, consider the science behind that proposal.

Now, we begin Ross and Jonathan's follow-up to their series on Fluid Intake and Hydration: Muscle Cramp Theories and Fallacies. You will probably discover that you don't know what you thought you "knew" about muscle cramps..and as Ross and Jonathan show, the fallacies and misinformation surrounding cramps may be even worse than those surrounding hydration.

What do we expect, when most of our information comes from, or is "funded by" companies trying to sell us something…

Theories and Fallacies of Muscle Cramps Part I

Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide nutrition advice aimed at promoting healthy dietary choices for life-long health and reducing risk of chronic diseases. With the advancing age of the population, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines confront increasing risks for age-related problems of obesity, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, heart disease, and sarcopenia.
New research demonstrates that the meal distribution and amount of protein are important in maintaining body composition, bone health and glucose homeostasis. This editorial reviews the benefits of dietary protein for adult health, addresses omissions in current nutrition guidelines, and offers concepts for improving the Dietary Guidelines…

Continue Reading >> Dietary Guidelines should reflect new understandings about adult protein needs

In this fourth part in the series Ross and Jonathan tackle the thirst myth. This myth is embedded in diamond hard stone and I have no doubt that even this excellent article will break it out…but it will darn well expose it to the air where it can begin being removed once and for all (don't make fun of my analogies, now!) I've have been patiently explaining to people and debating with people about the fact that you can trust your thirst but I lacked the scientific chops to do it justice. Enter Science of Sport.

So, if you have been listening to the guru talk on strength or bodybuilding sites and drowning yourself in gallons of water a day you need to read this and stop torturing yourself. I cannot even believe that people are doing this even when they are sitting around doing nothing…let alone when doing the cardio bunny routine or lifting weights.

This article is aimed at endurance athletes…and not just that but ULTRA endurance athletes. So listen up because if it applies to them it darn well applies to you.

Fluid Intake, Dehydration and Exercise Part IV: Why Waiting Until You Are Thirsty is NOT Too Late

In the next series of articles Muscle Cramps Theories and Fallacies will be discussed.

Welcome back for Part III in this series on fluid intake and dehydration during exercise! Thus far Ross and Jonathan have examined a brief history of fluid replacement during endurance exercise in Article I, and in Article II they explained how some of the lab research has perhaps been over-interpreted, and how that has lead to a false belief that ingesting fluid during exercise will keep you cool. In that article they reported the findings of earlier researchers who concluded the following:

• The core temperature is maintained at a higher level during exercise
• It is the metabolic rate (or in other words, how hard you are exercising) that predicts the core temperature

Now, in Part III, they will compare the research that has been done in the field versus that from the lab, and show you the evidence of what really happens when people exercise in a variety of conditions.

Continue Reading >> Fluid Intake, Dehydration, and Exercise Part III

This is the second article The Science of Sport series on fluid intake, dehydration and exercise. In the last article, Ross and Jonathan looked at the history of fluid intake and how radically our beliefs on the subject had changed. Today they turn their attention to the evidence that has accompanied this shift, beginning with the contention that runners who become dehydrated are likely to develop heat stroke.

Continue Reading Part II: Fluid Intake, Dehydration, and Exercise