Muscles can twitch during or after exercise for multiple reasons, including mineral depletion. Dehydration or depletion of simple fuels can also cause twitching. Usually, muscle twitching following exercise remains a short-term occurrence. Should the twitching condition persist consult a physician. Consult your health care provider before beginning any exercise.
Mineral Depletion
Many minerals are responsible for nervous system transmission in your muscles, and the depletion of one or more of them following exercise can result in twitching. Both calcium and magnesium depletion can result in muscle twitching, and this can occur at any time. You will deplete additional minerals when training, making the occurrence of twitching more likely to occur post-exercise. This can be avoided by the routine use of a multivitamin and mineral supplement.
Dehydration
Dehydration can also result in muscle twitching. This results in small scale twitching in the sarcomeres, small units that comprise your muscle fibers. Your muscles are predominantly composed of water, and when you get dehydrated your muscles lose strength and the ability to maintain tone. Tone does not refer to shape but the ability to maintain their proper form while at rest, which requires a certain low-level muscle contraction to occur. Dehydration can interfere with this process, so drink at least 64 oz. of water per day, more if exercising in intense heat or for prolonged periods.
Fuel Depletion
In addition to minerals and water being depleted, the primary fuel for high-intensity contractions in your muscles, adenosine triphosphate, depletes quickly, which is one of the reasons why you cannot continually lift heavy weights. When depleted of this fuel your muscles may twitch due to their inability to maintain tone in the same manner as when they are dehydrated. Adenosine triphosphate will be restored as part of the normal recovery process.
Excitement
While your motor neurons, small units that signal muscle fibers to contract, may not be jumping for joy after a workout, they may still be excited. This means that a higher level of motor neuron activity in your muscles may cause random contractions in muscle fibers following a workout. This is called excitement, but it quickly dissipates following a workout. The more intense the workout the more motor neurons are activated. So following a heavy workout of complex exercises, this process is fairly common.
References
- "Textbook of Biochemistry With Clinical Correlations"; Thomas M. Devlin; 2010
- "Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Fourth Edition"; Dr. Jack H. Wilmore, et al.; 2007
- "Science and Practice of Strength Training, Second Edition"; Vladimir Zatsiorsky, et al.; 2006
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