Muscle Endurance

Personal Fitness Report causes and avoiding muscle cramps Muscle cramps can be one of the most painful things when playing sports and can sometimes feel like you can't avoid them sometimes. The cause of muscle cramps is when muscles contract or lengthen in response to electrical signals from nerves; electrolytes such as sodium, calcium and magnesium, which surround and permeate muscle cells, play a key role in the transmission of these signals. Imbalances in those electrolytes -- as well as in certain hormones, body fluids and chemicals -- or malfunctions in the nervous system itself can foul up the flow of electrical signals and cause a muscle to cramp.

        You are most likely to eperience muscle cramps during physical overexertion which depletes fluids and electrolytes and can lead to cramping, particularly in people who work or exercise in conditions that overheat their bodies. Activities like working in the garden on a hot summer day, if you are not careful to drink plenty of fluids, may cause heat cramps.

And if you do not take steps to alleviate them, heat cramps can progress to much more serious heatstroke and heat exhaustion.

        I my self have had many muscle cramps and notice that mainly them will "attack" after I have contracted a muscle from a long period of time such as when swimming you tend to point you toes and which causes you to contract your calf muscle. Cramps come about when I'm exerting my self top the fulless. Other activites I have experienced cramps is in weight lifting and running, you may also experience them after working out a one muscle hard and they can show up later that night or next day.

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