Halt Muscle Cramps

Don’t get sidelined by workout muscle spasms. Here’s how to put the kibosh on cramps so you can go strong and long.

- Kristin Mahoney

YOU’RE MIDWAY THROUGH a run, workout, or CrossFit session when suddenly it strikes — a debilitating muscle cramp that stops you cold. Nothing kills a workout quite like the pain and tightness a cramp brings on. And whether you’re lifting weights, running sprints, or doing laps in the pool, you can cramp up. “A cramp is when the muscle unit itself contracts and doesn’t have enough resources to release that contraction”, explains Jennifer J Beck, MD, an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UCLA’s Orthopedic Institute for Children in the USA. Muscle cramps typically strike whatever area you’re working the hardest. “Runners are likely to get lower-extremity cramps, while rowers and swimmers might be more prone to upper-extremity and chest-wall cramps”, Beck says.

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