Muscle Cramps During Exercise: Causes, Risks, and Prevention Tips

Feeling a sudden muscle cramp mid-workout? You’re not alone. Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMCs) affect even seasoned athletes, causing pain, tightness, and lingering soreness. Discover why cramps happen, the athletes most prone, and practical, science-based tips to prevent them and keep your performance strong.

Table of Contents

1. What Are Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps?

2. Why Do Muscles Cramp During Workouts?

3. Who Is Most at Risk for Exercise Cramps?

4. How to Prevent Muscle Cramps While Training

5. What to Do When a Muscle Cramp Strikes

What Are Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps?

EAMCs are sudden, painful, involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles that occur during or immediately after physical activity. These cramps most commonly affect the calf, triceps, hamstring, or quadriceps muscles and can last from a few seconds to several minutes (1,2,3). Soreness from EAMC’s can often last for several days (4).

Why Do Muscles Cramp During Workouts?

The exact mechanisms underlying EAMCs remain controversial with most hypotheses being backed by observational studies. Studying cramps is challenging because they occur involuntarily, making it difficult to trigger them in athletes and then analyse what happens at the cellular level. Below is what the current evidence suggests causes EAMC’s.

Neuromuscular Control → When a muscle gets tired, the nerves that tell it to contract become over-active, while the signals that normally help it relax become weaker. This imbalance makes the muscle tighten up on its own (1,5,6,7).

Muscle Fatigue → Fatigue disrupts the normal relaxation phase of contraction. Studies show that cramps often occur in muscles that are tired or poorly conditioned (7).

Dehydration & Electrolyte Imbalance → Interestingly strong experimental evidence for the dehydration–electrolyte imbalance theory is lacking. Most of the evidence is based mostly on anecdotal or observational evidence (8,9).

Who Is Most at Risk for Exercise Cramps?

Athletes With a History of Cramps → If you’ve cramped before, you’re much more likely to cramp again during or after exercise (8).

Endurance Athletes Pushing the Pace → long, intense efforts such as ultra marathon runners are at higher risk (10).

Muscles That are Fatigued & Already Shortened → Cramps often strike muscles that span multiple joints (calves, quads, hamstrings) when they’re tired and squeezed into a shortened position (8).

Periods Right After Finishing Exercise → The time up to about 8 hours post‐exercise is known as the "cramp-prone state", a period where cramps are common (8,11).

How to Prevent Muscle Cramps While Training

Train Smart, Avoid Sudden Overload → Cramps are strongly linked to muscle fatigue. Building up intensity and duration gradually helps condition the muscles and nerves to cope with higher loads (10).

Stay Hydrated → Cramps aren’t only caused by dehydration or salt loss, but big fluid losses can raise cramp risk and heat illness (5,8). Aim for 30-35 mL/kg/day and add appropriate electrolytes. For everyday use I recommend Pure Low Carb Electrolyte or Dr Hydrate All-In-One Drink. For endurance activity I like Tailwind Rapid Hydration, Fixx Fuel X Endurance Drink Mix Bag or UnTapped Mapleaid Hydration (12,13).

Pace Yourself → Starting too fast in long events raises cramp risk. Pacing yourself early helps muscles last longer (10).

Previous Cramp History → If you’ve cramped before, you’re more likely to cramp again. Tracking when and where it happens can help find your triggers (5). 

What to Do When a Muscle Cramp Strikes

Stretch → Stretching stops a cramp by calming the nerves that make the muscle tighten (8).

Use Pickle Juice → Pickle juice, such as CrampFix , may help shorten the duration of muscle cramps, but current evidence is limited and more research is needed (1).

Gently Massage the Muscle → Light massage or rubbing the cramped area can increase blood flow and help the muscle relax faster.

Move or Walk It Out → If possible, gently moving the muscle (like walking with a calf cramp) helps reset the nerves controlling the muscle.

Hydrate if Needed → While not a quick fix, sipping fluids can help prevent cramps from coming back.

Ash Miller
Dietitian and Nutritionist (Masters)
Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
Instagram: @ashthomo_nutrition

References:

1. Miller KC, McDermott BP, Yeargin SW, Fiol A, Schwellnus MP. An evidence-based review of the pathophysiology, treatment, and prevention of exercise-associated muscle cramps. J Athl Train. 2022;57(1):5–15. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-0696.20. PMID:34185846; PMCID:PMC8775277.

2. Qiu J, Kang J. Exercise associated muscle cramps - a current perspective. Arch Sports Med. 2017;1(1):3–14.

3. Sports Medicine. Exercise-associated muscle cramps: epidemiology and pathophysiology. Sports Med. 2019;49(Suppl 2):S115–S124. Available from: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40279-019-01162-1.pdf

4. Maquirriain J, Merello M. The athlete with muscular cramps: clinical approach. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2007;15:425–431.

5. Schwellnus MP. Cause of exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC)—altered neuromuscular control, dehydration, or electrolyte depletion? Br J Sports Med. 2009;43(6):401–8.

6. Minetto MA, Holobar A, Botter A, Farina D. Origin and development of muscle cramps. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2013;41(1):3–10.

7. Schwellnus M, Derman E, Noakes T. Aetiology of skeletal muscle “cramps” during exercise: a novel hypothesis. J Sports Sci. 1997;15:277–285.

8. Miller KC, Stone MS, Huxel KC, Edwards JE. Exercise-associated muscle cramps: causes, treatment, and prevention. Sports Health. 2010;2(4):279–83. doi:10.1177/1941738109357299. PMID:23015948; PMCID:PMC3445088.

9. Stone M, Edwards J, Stemmans C, Ingersoll C, Palmieri R, Krause B. Certified athletic trainers’ perceptions of exercise associated muscle cramps. J Sport Rehabil. 2003;12:333–342.

10. Schwellnus MP, Allie S, Derman W, et al. Increased running speed and pre-race muscle damage as risk factors for exercise-associated muscle cramps in a 56 km ultra-marathon: a prospective cohort study. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45:1132–1136.

11. Dickhuth H, Rocker K, Niess A, Horstmann T, Mayer F, Striegel H. Exercise-induced, persistent and generalized muscle cramps. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2002;42:92–94.

12. Maughan RJ, Merson SJ, Leiper JB, et al. Fluid and electrolyte balance in marathon runners. J Sports Sci. 1989;7(3):229–40.

13. Maughan RJ, Leiper JB. The effect of hydration status on performance during prolonged exercise. Sports Med. 1999;28(3):159–70.

Disclaimer:

The content in this blog is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always speak with your doctor or allied health team before changing your diet, exercise, or taking supplements, especially if you have a health condition or take medication. Please use this information as a guide only. Aid Station doesn't take responsibility for individual outcomes.