[abuubakhan]

I have been riding for 11 years. Recently after either an intense short ride or an epic all day outing, it matters not, my legs develop the *worst* charley-horses I have ever had in my life. What's worse is my upper arms...ie bi/tri-ceps will get the same feeling after I have a "stretch while yawning" episode...and it hurts to straighten them out. It's rather painful. I hate going to my doc and wanted to see if anyone else has these symptoms and maybe had some inkling of advice for me. It almost feels as if my muscles are shortening...a very strange feeling.

Help an old crippled guy out.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

do you warm up and then stretch? then do you cool down and stretch again?

 

[zibbler]

Originally posted by abuubakhan
I have been riding for 11 years. Recently after either an intense short ride or an epic all day outing, it matters not, my legs develop the *worst* charley-horses I have ever had in my life. What's worse is my upper arms...ie bi/tri-ceps will get the same feeling after I have a "stretch while yawning" episode...and it hurts to straighten them out. It's rather painful. I hate going to my doc and wanted to see if anyone else has these symptoms and maybe had some inkling of advice for me. It almost feels as if my muscles are shortening...a very strange feeling.

Help an old crippled guy out.

If your electrolites are not balanced it can cause muscle cramping. Also, if you don't eat enough carbs it will cause muscle fatigue. If that doesn't help, you should go to your doc and get it checked out as it could be a serious condition such as Lupus, MS or MD. I'm not trying to scare you, it could be nothing, but don't ignore it.

 

[rstrange1]

Go to the gym and swim. That should be your before and after workout. I love that workout. Start light and make it work for you.

 

[abuubakhan]

Thanks, all!

I do try to stretch *after* I ride....but here lately I have reason to believe that it's not helping. It's as if I need to stretch all the time to avoid feeling tight.

I try to keep my carbs up. Perhaps I should reassess my diet, AGAIN. I've always had a hard time keeping my fitness level consistent. I can either go all day, or have to bag it after the first mile because I'm spent. Perhaps it's a stress thing.

Re: Lupus, MS or MD....I am well aware that this may be in the background lurking. Yes, it does scare the hell out of me. Anyone out there know of the procedures that are used to test for the above conditions? I do know of one local rider that has MS and she uses mtn biking as her form of therapy....so there is hope....

I have to add that the pain in my knees has recently become worse as well, to the the point of damn near crippling me. I wonder if everything is correlated.

Thanks for the support and reponses everyone. I thank you all. This is what mtn biking is all about.

I think I'm going to go to my doc anyways and get a look see. Couldn't hurt.

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

First thing I thought was diet. Just sounds like something is missing. If you really think your muscles are getting shorter, its time for yoga.

As for MS, how old are you? There is a window when MS usually shows up. You refer to yourself as "old crippled guy" so I'm guessing you've passed the 20-40 window.

 

[abuubakhan]

Actually, I'm 29....in the window.

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

Originally posted by abuubakhan
Actually, I'm 29....in the window.

Please refrain from refering to yourself as "old crippled guy". I turn 29 this year and your gonna give me a complex.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Originally posted by abuubakhan
Actually, I'm 29....in the window.

the answer: You are old.

so am I

seriously though - I've noticed some of the same symptoms - the casual stretching feeling like you've pulled something for a minute or two..... I really think it comes from not properly conditioning... while I know what I need to do, doesn't mean I always do it. And of course, as we get older, our bodies change. It sucks.

 

[abuubakhan]

Sorry to hear you're old too,
MtnBikerChk. From what I've read at age 30, males (don't know about females) begin to lose muscle mass. I realize this. But hobbling around does suck! My friends all tell me that I'm too young to be as rickety as I am. Course, my mother tells me to quit riding....uhhh, no. I've ridden with riders twice my age that are in better physical shape than I, and they don't seem to live any different than I do.

Ugh!

To combat the inevitable muscle loss, I found an article in Bicycling mag that had some tips on combatting such woe. I actually gained some mass to my upper body...in looks, not on the scale. This seemed to help a few months ago, but as of late I seem to not be able to do as many reps as I used to simply because of what my body has been giving me in feedback.

Perhaps this is a symptom of overtraining, nah, couldn't be. Here lately I spend around 10-15 hours riding a week.

Calgon take me away!

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Originally posted by abuubakhan


Calgon take me away!

lol!

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

I think you should see your doctor, and I feel your pain on not wanting to go.

You could start some weight training to help out with the muscle loss. I lift all winter just to get my body back in balance from all the summer riding.

I'm 28. I never really feel that thrown when I go out and ride. Maybe you have that thing that makes the 5 year old kids look like they're 70 year old midgets, remember "Thats Incredible" in the 80's? Just a slower version. You should see a doc to make sure you don't have some degenerative affliction of sorts, cause if you do, you may be able to stop it in its tracks if you catch it early enough.

It's just not something I (a no-asprin, no-antibiotics, naturalized hippie) would put off if I thought something like that would be going on with my body.

 

[abuubakhan]

Oh jeez! I remember that child. No, I don't think it's that mrbig...our receptionist at work thought I was 22-23. Really.

I try to avoid any drugs, but if that's what it takes, then so be it. I'm going to have to throw in the towel on that one. I'm somewhat of a hippie too, and the thought of being chained to a medication for the rest of my life brings me down. Then again, this crap I'm feeling is bringing me down....not only my riding is suffering, but tapping on this keyboard hurts, and walking around feeling shooting pain all the time sucks. If a regiment of meds will improve my life, then so be it. I'm at the mercy of modern medicine at this point.

Thanks all for the advice and support. This is a great forum. I'm glad I signed up. Back to work for me. If I get a chance I'll post an update for anyone interested.

Maybe a ride will cheer me up.

 

[zibbler]

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk


the answer: You are old.

so am I

Alright all you "old farts". Quit whining. I would love to be 29 again. Geez, I'm gonna be 39 next month!

 

[mario]

Tapping on the keyboard hurts? Sounds like a real problem that you should get checked out ASAP. Your symptoms go WAY beyond cramps...

 

[abuubakhan]

You know what?

I'm a fool. Since I've been feeling sickly, I've taken a step back and looked at my eating habits. I haven't been eating nearly enough. I've been upping my intake gradually, and watching the intensity of my rides. I've been feeling so much better. I basically eat when I get hungry, which is often. I try to do 3 main meals and snack during the day. With my metabolism it seems to work. I'm 6' and weigh anywhere from 145 to 155 lbs. My body fat is no where in sight. Sorry if those numbers and images make some of you PUKE out there...but I've been this way for all my life....EVEN through college.....nothing but sinewy, solid, Iggy Pop muscle.

Also, I've recently discovered Endurox. I sip on it during my ride, and ingest more afterward. I ride with my Hydrapak too, for good ole H20. Never have I felt more poised, less beat down, and ready to get busy in my life. Too bad I'm single.

Thanks to all who showed concern for me out there. It means a whole lot. Hope everyone can hit the trails soon. If you ever make it too Huntsville, AL, maybe I'll see you on Monte Sano. I'll be the one overhead ;-)