There are two things I fear in life. Toil that doesn’t pay off… And hamstring cramps/spasms. Age 46. About 3 years lifting.
So, I have pretty decent hamstrings relative to everything else, I intentionally target them but go through periods where I get cramps bad enough that the whole workout is over.
I’ve ALWAYS been prone to unpredictable hamstring cramps, even as a teenager. Meaning, all I have to do is curl my leg just the right way ONCE and it can go into a mind-bending painful spasm. Such as just closing the recliner leg prop, or curling my leg to scratch my heel.
I’m starting to think this is a nerve thing. I can get a ham cramp from any movement that approaches a full contraction. That seems to be the trigger.
The past 3 years I’ve tried multiple approaches. Extensive warmups. REALLY extensive warmups.
Low volume, high volume, light weight, heavy weight, low rep, high rep.
I’ve tried exercising fasted (8 to 16 hours fasted), I’ve tried eating a lot of sodium/potassium before the workout (1 to 3 hours).
I cannot find a pattern that is more or less likely to produce them. Except, it’s MUCH more likely to happen with leg curls. Especially laying leg curls, which I now refuse to do. But seated ones are also risky.
I’m not as likely to get them from hip hinge movements so I’ve made those my primary ham exercises (RDL and hyperextensions mostly) but I really would like to keep doing seated leg curls.
My current volume isn’t crazy at all. I do hamstrings usually once every two weeks. I alternate my leg days frequently. One week, I do quads (squat dominant workout) and the next I do Posterior (RDL dominant). Usually no more than 4 exercises, 2-4 sets each, rarely to total fail. Definitely nothing you’d call a Mike Mentzer or Tom Platz type leg day. Occasionally I’ll do both squats and RDL but those are less common and only when I’m feeling really strong.
Any ideas? I have no other muscle that’s even remotely this tricky. I can cramp any of them by doing stupid stuff, but my Hams are hyper sensitive.