Leg Cramp Training - Coaching Yourself to be Cramp Free

Conditioning and strength does play a very important role in the onset of cramps. It’s thought that a muscle that’s not properly conditioned will have an earlier onset of fatigue and this may lead to increased nervous stimulation and cramping.

Typically physical trainers for ball teams know that in the pre-season games and particularly the games played in hotter conditions and over extended periods (especially in the case of extra-time) will result in a ‘deluge’ of cramps.

In fact, as athletes and coaches well know, delaying the onset of cramps or preventing them can make the difference between winning and losing or getting a top three finish.

And that’s where physical conditioning along with the techniques of nutrition, adequate energy reserves, hydration, stretching and massage all come into play.

Understand your body, look after it and then work on your weak spots – those calves or quadriceps or hamstrings that are cramping. Get a Plan!

Here’s how you begin:
• Train to a Plan – Initially you can do this by starting a regular and committed training program. Plan your training sessions, plan your meals, take time to stretch and massage. Develop a better and regular means of delivering water and electrolytes to your body. Begin a supplement program if you can’t get enough of the right fresh foods to support your activities.

• 10% Per Week - don’t increase your exercise by more than 10% from week to week as this can induce cramping.

• Hit The Gym - The main benefits of working out lie in the prevention of injury, strengthening and conditioning of the muscles and in rehabilitation following an injury.

• Train Specifically – The best training routine will more closely resemble the body posture and muscle mechanics you have as you are running. You can find exercises in the gym that resemble what you do when you run or perform your chosen sport.

This last point leads us to the next stage of your training plan. You need to understand that training a particular muscle to be more powerful won’t make that muscle more powerful in competition, unless the precise movement patterns used in training are very close to those used in competition – and for that reason you must start to focus on exercises and training plans that resemble your focus sport.

In the case of running, for example, most of the leg exercises you find in the gym get the muscle moving in the vertical direction. But to build up your running performance, you need to simulate moving horizontally. The same is true of other sporting disciplines.

I’ll talk about this in more detail in another article, however the place to start is to take an outside look at your training program regularly and start creating routines that get the muscles into action.

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Paul Newland is a health and nutrition consultant, trainer, martial arts instructor, commercial helicopter pilot and author. His Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide is one of the internet's leading health information books and is the definitive guide to preventing, treating and curing cramps associated with exercise. In the Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide Newland speaks with 6 health, sports, nutrition, medical and complimentary health care professionals and explains why you get cramps, the best ways to treat them and how to prevent them from happening again.

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What Causes Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome or shortly RLS, is a health condition in which legs feel very uncomfortable while sitting or lying down, especially at night. Usually it makes one feel like getting up and moving around. When doing so, the unpleasant feeling of restless legs syndrome might go away, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Restless leg syndrome affects both, men and women and can begin when you're young or as you get older. Restless legs syndrome can disrupt sleep thus leading to daytime drowsiness.

So, what causes restless leg syndrome?

Nobody actually knows the real cause for restless leg syndrome. Some research has been done and the researchers suspect it might be due to an imbalance of the brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends messages to control muscle movement.

It has also been noticed that restless leg syndrome runs in families and that stress tends to make things even worse. If there is any changes in hormonal balance, that may worsen restless leg syndrome symptoms. Also, some women experience restless leg syndrome during their pregnancy and it disappears soon after the delivery.

However, restless leg syndrome is not related to some serious medical problems, but sometimes it accompanies other conditions and some of them are peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy damages the nerves in hands and feet and sometimes it is due to chronic diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism. Also, iron deficiency might cause restless leg syndrome, it might cause or worsen restless legs syndrome.

Researchers assume that kidney failure might be the cause too, at least to some degree. This is when the kidney does not function properly, iron stores in blood can decrease and cause some of the rls symptoms. All these and some other changes in body chemistry may cause or worsen restless leg syndrome.

Some other, known causes of restless leg syndrome include muscle overexertion, prolonged sitting, dehydration, decreased potassium levels, neuromuscular disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications, also alcohol use.

If you find this article helpful, but need more information, you are welcome to visit this very informative website, where you can find a lot of information about restless leg syndrome and help yourself with this annoying health condition. There are many different ways to combat restless leg syndrome and you can find some excellent information about restless leg syndrome, simply by visiting the website below.

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