Backcountry Recovery

[tttoadman]

2 Aleve + 1 sleeping pill + 1 muscle relaxer = 4-6 hrs of decent sleep
I try to really hydrate before bed

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Magnesium supplements will take a bite out of cramps.

Yup! And magnesium will help ya sleep too. I also carry Benadryl, Motrin, RX pain meds, NUUN tabs and Amodium for longer Mt. House periods. Coffee is a necessary drug as well.

 

[5MilesBack]

It costs about $10.00 for an 8 oz bottle, and is available at some health food stores, or direct from StopsLegCramps.com - Home Page - Amish Formula to Stop Leg Cramps
I keep the bottle next to my bed and I sip it straight from the bottle when needed, but the directions say you can put it in 2 oz of juice or water to drink it. It can also be taken before bedtime to prevent the cramps.

You should try just old plain dill pickle juice from the jar and see if it does the same for you. It's a lot cheaper.

 

[Laelkhunter]

You should try just old plain dill pickle juice from the jar and see if it does the same for you. It's a lot cheaper.

no thanks I will stick with what works. If you have ever had muscle cramps (thigh, calf, etc), you would agree it is well worth $10 to get relief, and the bottle lasts a long time.

 

[KMT]

No supplements for me. Water and food and sleep.

 

[5MilesBack]

no thanks I will stick with what works. If you have ever had muscle cramps (thigh, calf, etc), you would agree it is well worth $10 to get relief, and the bottle lasts a long time.

Pickle juice works too.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Pickle juice works too.

Thanks, I'll remember that. I always have a jar of pickles in the fridge.

 

[frankrb3]

Started using wilderness athlete products this summer. Hydrate and Recover seems to work well so far as well as their other products.

 

[camping1601]

Mountain Dew. If I have any left at the end of the day.

If they could just make this in a little pack of powder.

 

[Mike7]

Magnesium 200-400mg nightly can be a big help, but be sure to try it before you go, since the common OTC magnesium oxide can cause loose stool/diarrhea in some. If that occurs for you, then magnesium glycinate is a good alternative without that potential side effect.

 

[justinspicher]

If they could just make this in a little pack of powder.

I've hope for this to happen for a couple of decades now!

 

[5MilesBack]

I have always sworn by the WA Hydrate & Recover, but this last case I got almost seems like a placebo. Haven't seen any of the benefits I used to see from it. Makes me wonder if they've changed it. Will be searching for something new.

 

[mtwarden]

I use Hammer Recoverite before bed- I put two scoops in little baggies and multiple by the number of nights out. I use this on multi day adventure races and after long runs as well. Just mix with water and drink- easy schmeasy.

 

[idcuda]

I always use SaltStick capsules before/during/after long runs, hikes, hunts, etc. Super easy and it's like guzzling gatorade, but without the sugar.

 

[colonel00]

dotman turned me on to Hyrdate and Recover. Since I'm fat and out of shape I tend to get some good cramping after a day of hiking. Like those fun, your hamstring balls up into the size of a softball and you whimper and cry like a trapped rodent (bonus points if both legs fire off at the same time). Now, I can't say that I've done any empirical tests proving its value but I can say that I drink a "dose" at the end of each day while my food rehydrates and I haven't had any major cramping issues that I can recall.

Funny side story but on the recent Packraft Rondy the cramp thing came up (after we hiked 7-8 miles and were paddling across a 3 mile lake). For those that don't know, if you are rafting with your "other", your room in a PR-49 is quite limited and it would be very difficult to stretch a leg if a cramp set it.

 

[Beendare]

Its pretty obvious but worth mentioning....a guy doesn't want to change it up too much on a hunt....best to use what you use at home so you know its not messing with you.

BUYER BEWARE

i'm not a fan of hitting these supplements hard....taking straight magnesium? I had the good fortune to talk to the scientists that developed the Cyto products back when my buddy still owned the company and the right proportion of these ingredients is crucial. These are guys that were blood testing extreme athletes before and after triathalons, etc to evaluate the effects.

In a nutshell; they were saying that too much of one element can neutralize or react with other important elements...... as the body takes these up better in proper ratios. There is no way I would put a supplement in my body that doesn't have this level of scientific testing behind it.

Cytosport and Hammer nutrition for example have been testing their formulas for years and have a proven track record. There are hundreds of small "Supplement" companies that mix up some concoction without any long term scientific research to back it up.

Then there is manufacturing; MANY OF THESE SMALL SUPPLEMENT COMPANIES FARM OUT THEIR MANUFACTURE. I know Cytosport used to make a dozen different mixes for other companies that paid to use their production lines. Crazy stuff can happen with the ingredients in these supplements; Cyto staff scientists have caught 'inconsistencies' [nice way of saying it] in supplier ingredients many times in their testing before production; [once some go through and cost them millions] Hey, the sources of these products are food based....they should go through rigorous testing or watch out.

Companies that farm this stuff out don't go through that level of testing. I like the fact that a couple of these companies like Cyto test every batch of ingredients before manufacture. I can only imagine the crap that gets into some of these small supplement/vitamin company products.

Bottom line; Be educated as to what you are putting in your body- who makes it, where its made and what level of quality control and scientific research they have makes a difference.