Pickle Juice - It works

tonyride

Don't piss off the red guy
At least it does for me. Anyone who rides with me on a regular basis knows that I'm notorious for cramping, especially on 12+ mile rides. I've tried electrolyte supplements, Potassium/magnesium/calcium tablets, and various other products with varying levels of effectiveness. So with that problem I naturally let a friend of mine talked me into doing a century ride with him on his 50th birthday in the Florida Keys. It was planned 2 years ago so I had time to train, build up my stamina, and look for remedies for my cramping issue. I will admit with training I was able to get up to 60 miles of riding before overcome by cramping to a point where it becomes debilitating. After that I tried a product called HOTSHOTS along with previously mentioned supplements and tablets and that really didn't work. Then someone told me about pickle juice. Actual pickle juice you get from a jar of Vlastic. In researching that I found that there's a product called Pickle Juice (pickle power.com). They take actual active ingredients that help suppress cramping to formulate their product and the final product happens to taste just like pickle juice. I tried it first on my trainer and the first ride using that was an 80-mile ride and no cramping. Then the following week I did a 95-mile ride and no cramping using 2 bottles. So last weekend we did the century ride and I packed 5 bottles with me and after the ride (108 miles was the official total mileage) I used up all 5 bottles and it kept my cramping under control. I did feel the onset of cramping but it would go away and I was able to keep riding. This feeling of cramping came and went several times but I never had to stop riding. So for a person who is so susceptible to cramping such as myself I would say this stuff works. It tastes gross but the 1.5 oz bottle are small enough to handle. So if you suffer cramping or are planning on going on an epic ride, stuff a bottle or two of Pickle Juice in your pack.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
You may have solved your own problem. Ride longer and cramps dissipate. They don’t go away if you don’t ever ride far. I tried all that stuff and basically it came down to just pushing through and going harder and farther. Ask @wonderturtle how my first ride over 50 went lol. If you ever cramp just punch them with a fist a bunch of times. They usually go away.
Pickle juice supposedly doesn’t work the way you are doing it(multiple bottles). When you cramp it’s like a switxh gets stuck in the on position for your muscle. There is a nerve in your throat that pickle juice triggers to “release” the switch and shut the muscle off. It’s not possible as fast as pickle juice may work for those nutrients(sodium) to even reach your muscles in such a short a mount of time. Keep it simple, ride more :p
 

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
I think any bit of relief helps. One severe cramp I had was in the woods. I was able to just drop to the ground and roll in agony. If it had happened on the road... could have been dangerous with cars flying by. I do agree a lot has to do with conditioning but to get to that point, cramps will strike along the way.

Having said that... not sure if I can drink pickle juice and hold it in. Stretching before and during the ride seems to work for me. Luckily, my cramps gives me a bit of warning before it hits. When i feel it coming, i just pull over and stretch.
 

rick81721

Lothar
Pickle juice supposedly doesn’t work the way you are doing it(multiple bottles). When you cramp it’s like a switxh gets stuck in the on position for your muscle. There is a nerve in your throat that pickle juice triggers to “release” the switch and shut the muscle off. It’s not possible as fast as pickle juice may work for those nutrients(sodium) to even reach your muscles in such a short a mount of time. Keep it simple, ride more :p

Interesting mechanism of action:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19997012
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
hmm, if you want your knee to stop hurting, slam your finger in a door.....
brain says, what are you doing to the throat???

They were handing out shots of pickle juice at rest area #3 during the Hell of Hunterdon!

kind of interesting - there might even be some placebo effect here?? If it is working for ya, keep doing it.
And training.

I like to cramp-up around 3am, at least i'm already lying down.
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
interesting read, im glad they included some information on what their process was behind the product.

not cheap however, if used sparingly like the article suggests maybe not too bad?
 

rick81721

Lothar
Interesting & curious. I guess my question is - do cramps serve some sort of self-preservation purpose? Is this your brain's way of saying "stop or you will die"? If so, un-triggering this mechanism is probably a bad idea.

Or if cramps are like tails, maybe that's ok.

More info thanks to pubmed:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8784961

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18981039

Seems to me it's the brain's way of saying "you are overdoing this" and/or "you're not ready for this much exertion" so yeah short-circuiting is probably resulting in muscle damage, but the question then is, does that make the muscles stronger and less prone to cramping in the future??
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
I’m thinking more that reaching for somethi g puts a halt to what you were doi g thus changing your minds direction...maybe cramps are all mental?
 

tonyride

Don't piss off the red guy
Perhaps I should clarify my training habits. I trained for 2 years and I've ridden all year round. I've even done a New Years Day ride for about 30 miles. With each ride I always tried to go further than the ride before. For a while I would feel the onset of cramping at around 40 miles. I just kept pushing myself and try to power through the cramping and it would get so bad that I had to get off my bike and just sit on the ground with my muscles so tight I couldn't move. Eventually it would loosen up enough where I can stand up and move around. I tried stretching before and during the rides. This went on and on for weeks and months. Through constant riding and conditioning I was able to push myself to the 60-mile mark but no more. I had the energy and the will but it was always the cramping that forced me to stop. This was until I found Pickle Juice. I suppose it is possible that it's all in my head but as some have mentioned it could be your brain telling your muscles to stop because it could very well be something physical rather than mental. It could be that my body was getting dangerously deficient in the necessary minerals such as sodium, potassium, etc. and by taking supplements like pickle juice or whatever else is out there that supplies the body with what it needed. So it could be a combination of both physical and mental deficiencies being met by that juice. Whatever the reason I took it when I started to feel the onset of cramping and it helped me complete the ride.
 

the schwartz

Well-Known Member
Pickle Juice (Salt and Vinegar) - Biblical Gatorade.

Will help with hangover too.
ooh. that i did not know but makes great sense and i'll remember it =D

yes on pickle juice. i wouldn't fill my camelback with it, but having a small bottle to slam a few shots, absolutely. it's not placebo (i mean, anything can have a placebo effect, but there is real science behind this as well).
 
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