How to avoid muscle cramps while running?

In order to avoid muscle cramps while running, you should adhere to the following rules:

• warm up well before the race
• only use comfortable running shoes
• drink plenty of water before and after running ( muscle dehydration is one of the causes of cramps )
• run in low day temperatures ( early morning or evening )
• try to run at the same pace, without sudden accelerations

First, eliminate external factors (unsuitable shoes, frost outside, poor running surface), then internal ones (warm up and cool down, keep the same pace, drink water before and after training). If you still have spasms, contact your therapist and temporarily stop exercising.

Our body, fortunately, does not obey the laws of linear behavior. That is, by doing A, you will never get 100% B! Muscle spasm is no exception. There are too many reasons why this might be happening. But according to research, the exact mechanism remains unclear.

Here are some possible reasons:

• violation of water-salt balance,
• hypothermia,
• low carbohydrate diet,
• poor recovery (overtraining)
• bad dream,
• problems with internal organs,
• problems with the musculoskeletal system,
• it can also be associated with disorders in the central nervous system.

If we talk about the most common cases that I have met over 18 years of coaching practice, these are:

• dehydration - people stopped drinking clean water. Lots of diuretics (coffee, tea, alcohol, energy drinks, etc.);
• intense and super intense workouts without adequate recovery. Unfortunately, many people forget that recovery is a major component of any workout. There will be no development without it;
• unbalanced diet;
• "incorrect movement patterns". Let's call this a posture problem. Yes, yes, it greatly affects the work of your body. Some muscles are constantly tense, some are constantly "stretched", as a result, the muscle loses a lot of energy, trigger points are formed in it. For example, the most common muscle groups that fall under this item are: calf muscles, foot muscles, back of the thigh, intercostal.

At the moment there is no single scheme for "dealing" with this problem.

The most obvious recommendations:

1. The body needs to be restored. Stretching, yoga, meditation, massage, sauna, myofascial release, good sleep and nutrition. Everything is trite and it works! Find stretching and yoga lessons on the Nike Training Club app. And also create a balanced training program!
2. If physical activity lasts more than 1 hour, you simply cannot do with water. The body loses many useful micro and macro elements. Special supplements are required (saline solutions, drinks with electrolytes, etc.).