Cramping during hunts

[Dezjuan.shields]

Anyone have any tips on not cramping up after packing out an animal beyond 8 miles?!

 

[mtjimbo]

Get horses

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[Marble]

Be in shape and hydrated. Doing that you should be drinking electrolytes,eating carb based food and probably a gallon of fluid.

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[Bubblehide]

Gatorade makes a powdered product specific to cramp prone athletes.

 

[P Carter]

Be in better shape, if a cramp hits then stretch it out and rest. No magic to it.

There has been a lot of new science in this area; I believe the old thoughts about cramps being caused by dehydration and Electrolyte imbalances have been proven false, or at least have not been proven true. (But obviously staying hydrated and maintaining nutrition is important.) I believe some “traditional” remedies, like a salty drink, pickles, spicy stuff is clinically effective but the mechanism isn’t known. I’ll try to search up some links.

For me, personally, I struggled a bit with cramping, but weight training and salt capsules (sucked on, not swallowed) were the answer.

Edit: Or get horses, but then you’re subjecting yourself to different pain!

Summary links: https://www.outsideonline.com/2416514/muscle-cramps-research-2020

Holy Cramp! The Science Of Exercise-Associated Cramping

New ideas in the science behind exercise-associated cramping.

www.google.com

 

[EastMT]

Drink till you can’t, drink when you don’t want to, sunup to sundown.

If I don’t drink like a maniac all day I get back spasms, so I’ve learned to just pound water to prevent it or end up belly up for a day or so

 

[Dezjuan.shields]

Be in better shape, if a cramp hits then stretch it out and rest. No magic to it.

There has been a lot of new science in this area; I believe the old thoughts about cramps being caused by dehydration and Electrolyte imbalances have been proven false, or at least have not been proven true. (But obviously staying hydrated and maintaining nutrition is important.) I believe some “traditional” remedies, like a salty drink, pickles, spicy stuff is clinically effective but the mechanism isn’t known. I’ll try to search up some links.

For me, personally, I struggled a bit with cramping, but weight training and salt capsules (sucked on, not swallowed) were the answer.

Edit: Or get horses, but then you’re subjecting yourself to different pain!

Summary links: https://www.outsideonline.com/2416514/muscle-cramps-research-2020

Holy Cramp! The Science Of Exercise-Associated Cramping

New ideas in the science behind exercise-associated cramping.

www.google.com

Awesome! Thank you

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Salt pills work every time for me and drinking 1-2 gallons of high quality h2o a day like mama says

 

[NJDiverDan]

I used to suffer from cramps almost nightly on hard hunts. A few things I have done that have helped. One, being in better shape. Although this makes me able to push harder each day so..... Two, stretch. Both in the morning and before hitting the rack. Just a little on my cramp prone muscles seems to have helped. Three, I drink an electrolyte drink at least once per day. Drinking nothing but water every day flushes out your system. These are the things I’ve done that have reduced, but not totally eliminated my cramp issues.

 

[.204smokechaser]

Along with proper electrolyte ratio in my pack, I carry potassium pills if I do not have a banana and mustard packets. Usually grab a handful of mustard packets on every hunting trip as when a cramp sets on, you get instant relief if you down some mustard. Learned that trick in my line of work where cramping after a hard day is very common.

 

[280Ackley]

Slow down. I walk to fast and cramp up. If I let my buddy lead I can go all day. He just has a naturally slower pace.

 

[ManyBullets]

Wilderness Athlete hydrate and recover seems to help me along with lots of water. I'll usually have some before bed and mix some up in the morning. I was skeptical at first but it's worked well for me.

 

[Blockcaver]

Emergen-C packets help me avoid cramps. Without an electrolyte, just drinking water I cramp when packing.

Also helps me to avoid caffeine, specifically coffee, and to a lesser degree tea. Also alcohol.

Good luck, cramps are a real pain!

 

[Rich M]

Be in better shape, if a cramp hits then stretch it out and rest. No magic to it.

There has been a lot of new science in this area; I believe the old thoughts about cramps being caused by dehydration and Electrolyte imbalances have been proven false, or at least have not been proven true. (But obviously staying hydrated and maintaining nutrition is important.) I believe some “traditional” remedies, like a salty drink, pickles, spicy stuff is clinically effective but the mechanism isn’t known. I’ll try to search up some links.

For me, personally, I struggled a bit with cramping, but weight training and salt capsules (sucked on, not swallowed) were the answer.

Edit: Or get horses, but then you’re subjecting yourself to different pain!

Summary links: https://www.outsideonline.com/2416514/muscle-cramps-research-2020

Holy Cramp! The Science Of Exercise-Associated Cramping

New ideas in the science behind exercise-associated cramping.

www.google.com

I get cramps when dehydrated. Not necessarily during the activity but at night. Vinegar and or magnesium reduces the frequency.

 

[Brooks]

Use a good horse and enjoy the ride. I’ve heard dill pickle juice works too.

 

[Voyageur]

I suffered debilitating cramps for years. I eventually figured out that just drinking lots of plain water actually made things worse. Once I started dissolving one or two salt tablets/quart of water (ALL my drinking water) the problem was solved. Other than times I've been without enough water and/or had no salt tablets with me I am no longer a victim of cramps.
I like the salt tablets because they are simple, inexpensive, and don't require fancy packaging. I keep mine in a small ziplock when on the trail. For those times I desire some flavor with my hydration I dissovle a salt tablet or two in my Gatorade.
It works for me. Hope this helps.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

A guy in camp this year brought mustard packets for when he was cramping. He said it was an old college wrestling remedy and he used them several times on the mountain and shortly thereafter, was good to go.

I'd never heard of mustard helping out prior to that trip.

 

[Poser]

I’m going to venture that experiencing cramps outside of the context of explosive movements, which is something that you’ll likely never encounter on a hunting trip, is due to lack of appropriate strength and lack of specific conditioning. Obviously, hydration is a factor, but unless there is a shortage of available water, that shouldn’t be an issue. It would also seem that any typical backcountry diet should be providing sufficient amounts of salt. The key to not cramping on a 8 mile pack out is to be physically prepared for an 8 mile pack out.

 

[LaHunter]

In the mountains and in the heat & humidity of the Deep South summers I cant drink / retain enough plain water to avoid cramps on long strenuous packing or training days when I am really fatigued. The Emergency-C+ helps me keep the cramps away

 

[GotDraw?]

Those above that said you were undertrained are spot on. This is a demanding (sport) and very few folks reach a level of training where they won't suffer badly on a fully loaded elk or moose multi-trip, multi-hour packout.

Stretching for the several months leading into the hunt can be a huge assist and lessen a predisposition to cramping. You don't need to be a maniac about it, but 15-20 minutes 3x or so a week will help a lot.

BTW- several folks here recommended that you pound massive amounts of water. Just keep in mind that excessive water w/o proper electrolyte balance can lead to hyponatremia. This can be fatal, rare but it happens. You must balance the electrolytes in your body.

Spent years as an ultra endurance athlete, a buddy of mine came down with hyponatremia on a 1200k, 90 hr (max time) non-stop event we entered. No bueno. Knocked him down for eight hours. Then he got back on his bicycle and finished the ride in 70 hrs, well with in the time limit. Dude is a stud. We drank almost half our body weight in water in that race. I was once hospitalized with cramping and worse from extreme dehydration during a 600k non-stop event in mid summer. Paramedics were so concerned they had dual IV's running, one in each arm. 4 liters later, I was ready to ride.

1) train harder than you ever have 2) train appropriately, much of which is strength training 3) regular stretching program 4) electrolytes in water (note that Gatorade is far too heavy w/sugars and salt in my mind).

JL