Aerobics is a class of exercises that produce improvements in your heart and lung function by forcing you to repetitively use your body's large muscles. In certain circumstances, performance of aerobic exercises can trigger involuntary contractions in your muscles called muscle cramps. You can take a number of steps to ease these cramps or prevent them from occurring.
Basics
While you can develop a muscle cramp in any part of your body, they most typically appear in the large muscles in your legs, including the quadriceps and hamstring muscles in your thighs and the gastrocnemius muscles in the backs of your calves. When you perform aerobic activities such as walking, running, jogging, jumping and swimming, you rely on these muscles to support and propel your body. Individuals most likely to develop cramping include inexperienced exercisers, endurance athletes, athletes in off-season condition and people who have reached middle age or beyond.
Cramping Factors
You can develop a muscle cramp during the performance of aerobics or almost any other form of exercise. While the exact cause of cramping is unknown, likely contributing factors to the condition include inadequate pre-exercise stretching, poor muscle conditioning and the combined effects of heat, dehydration and the loss of essential minerals called electrolytes. You can also develop a muscle cramp if you work your muscles past their current capacity. In addition, some individuals have inherited susceptibilities to cramping.
Prevention and Self-Care
If you're going to perform aerobics or any other form of continuous exercise, you can reduce your tendencies toward cramping by warming up your body and stretching your affected muscles both before and after your main activity. You should also maintain a proper daily fluid intake and increase your intake before and during heavy exercise. If cramps occur, you can usually ease their effects by stopping your activity and stretching and massaging your affected muscle. You can also use a cold source to ease muscle contraction, then use a heat source to reduce any residual pain or tenderness.
Considerations
If you don't get relief from self-treatment, have severe cramps or experience frequent cramping, see your doctor for a proper assessment of your condition. Be aware that cramping can be unrelated to your exercise habits. Medically serious potential causes of muscle cramps include chronic infection, hardening of your arteries, compression or irritation of your spinal nerves, and liver scarring or cirrhosis.
