It Worked: Pickle juice stopped my leg cramps(merged)

My girlfriend was complaining of cramping in her legs and I had just read this post the day before , So I told her to try pickle juice , Well dam if it didnt work for her , The leg cramps went away in minutes .

Problem is:
Now Ive got two big bottles of dill pickles in my frig... I hate dill :lol:

 

us slow guys are always getting the blame! :?:

 

Pickle juice is just so nasty

 

I used it again this weekend on a long road ride.
It was in a flask mixed with water and either I diluted it more or else I'm getting used to the taste because it was much less bad.

I kept waiting for that little kick that makes you shudder like Cosmo Kramer but it never happened.

 

Tried it with a friend last night. He was cramping bad and was walking his bike. He thought I was kidding, but he finally tried it. 15 minutes later all cramps were gone, but he was still slow as a snail. Stuff works.

 

Damn. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... my riding buddy Treadhead threw this at me today:

"Research indicates that the most likely reason electrolytes are eliminated in sweat is to compensate for rising concentrations in the bloodstream. This fluid / electrolyte balance arises after drinking less than is eliminated in sweat and urine or used by other metabolic processes. Supplementation with electrolyte-containing sports-drinks adds to this imbalance and can hasten fatigue by increasing volemic (as opposed to osmotic, or intra-cellular) dehydration."

Read the whole article here: http://www.roble.net/marquis/competitive.nutrition

Not sure who the writer is, but it's pretty convincing rhetoric. So, now I may not be taking all the Endurolytes -- I may be relying on PICKLE JUICE??!!?! Ye gods. I suppose I hafta give it a go now.

Shuddering the thought...

shud

 

I heard that Coconut Juice also works for cramps...gotta admit it'll be a lot tastier than a jar of pickle juice.

 

Another vote for SportLegs. That stuff is awesome.

So how is one supposed to carry an emergency ration of pickle juice anyway?? Water bottle?? Jar in the Camel Bak??

 

Hammer gel flask... or Surley makes a cool shiney one

 

Come on guys.

Beer is the cure all.

 

Beer is the cure and cause of all of life's little problems.

- Homer Simpon.​

 

Found this on digg.com

 

I found it also worked on a sideache I got yesterday.

 

Not sure who the author is either, but check out the date of the article, 1989; I don't even trust the style of the 80's, let alone the research (so many more studies done from then on).

Here's a more recent article on heat/dehydration: http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/dehydration.html
(though it's still dated 1995).

Here's one from 2003: http://au.health.yahoo.com/041101/25/1uwq.html

And, finally, a nifty article including the study done on 2002 Boston Marathoners in relation to hyponatremia: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7491948/

You have to know yourself and find your fluid balance in training, daily weights can help with that (damn scales, they don't help self-esteem though) :lol:

As for the pickle juice/mustard, I witnessed it working on our newbie ride to Beek's. Mustard packets (like from sandwich shops/cafeterias) are easier to carry than jars of pickles

 

I swear by Hammer Endurolytes which are electrolytes in capsule form. That in combination with Hammer fuels Heed or Pepetuem for longer 3+ hour rides and I don't get cramps. I use Hammer gel for extra bursts of carbs.

Last year I rode the entire VQ using a liquid-only fuel regimen consisting of Heed, Perpetuem, Hammer gel and Endurolytes and did not feel crampy at all.

You also need to be properly hydrated and full of electrolytes/glycogen well before the ride begins.

For more info see my riding nutrition page especially the links at the bottom of the page.

KeepsWhatHappens

 

It Works!

I've used it, and it WORKS!

I hydrate the days leading up to rides, and I also use the Hammer products, Head and Perpetum, and do not cramp very often during rides.
It's after my rides when the cramps set in.
As soon as it starts I'll drink an 8 oz glass of nice cold pickle juice, and eat a couple of pickles themselves, and within minutes the cramps are gone. I'll also freeze a Hammer Gel flask full of pickel juice the night before a ride if I know it's gonna be hot, and use it during a ride when I feel like a cramp is comming on.

Here's the link to a cool article that covers the causes of cramps, how to deture them, and how to do the pickle juice when they start. http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/tc/tc1009/cramps.htm

And here's a link to that Pickeljuice Sport drink; http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/
Although I think going to Costco and buying it by the jar is probably cheaper, plus you get to eat all those yummy pickles!

I went through a whole big jar durring the Bend Big Fat Tour. I'd get done with the ride for the day and eat a couple of pickels and down a couple of glasses of the juice, and I had NO CRAMPS the entire weekend!:clap:

So, here's to the JUICE!!:beer:

 

I took a hammer gel flask of pickle juice with me when I ran the Long Beach marathon a couple weeks ago. Hamstrings and quads started cramping 17 miles in, so I drank the whole flask of juice (undiluted). yummy! 8-[ Cramps stopped dead within 3-4 minutes, and didn't come back.

I had been hydrating as much as possible at every mile, btw.

I'll be carrying pickle juice on all my long (all day) rides and runs now.

 

Use anything with vinegar

Vinegar (acetic acid) is the magic in pickle juice. As someone else said fast food mustard packets are a source of vinegar (don't litter)!

 

I'll second all of that...

 

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but someone linked to this one.

Anyways..looks like you can buy pickle juice without the pickle now.

http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/

I don't know if it's sold locally though, but I'd be willing to carry one just in case..