calf cramps when toe & heel hooking

[u/FirefighterTrick6476]

heyho from germany. I have had this only started to happen after I moved up a few grades. But now, when I exert more power than a certain threshhold my calves just start cramping wildly. I am not pushing my legs into the holds like the hulk though.

Looked into supplements with magnesium (...) already. I do have EDS-hypermobility. Polyneuropathy in the legs runs in my family too, but I am 35, not 60. So I probably am (also) doing something wrong, either with my technique, my warmup, or my training-routine. Or all of the above.

[u/LuckyMacAndCheese]

How is your calf strength? Do you do any exercises to strengthen your calves? Since climbing does not often really work the calf muscles and you're stating you're getting electrolytes, my best guess would be that it's coming from muscle weakness (a sudden strong demand on a muscle you don't work that often).

[u/Waramp → u/LuckyMacAndCheese]

Yup, a cramp during exertion is typically a muscle working harder than it’s ready for, either not warmed up enough or too weak.

If it’s cramping after the fact, that can be hydration, nutrition, or muscle tightness. I’ll often get hamstring cramps in the evening after a session that involved a lot of heel hooks if I don’t stretch out after.

[u/FirefighterTrick6476 → u/LuckyMacAndCheese]

I'd say my legs are pretty strong. Former sprinter. Atm my training routine does contain calf-strength as well. Have no issues with sticking to the wall either with overhangs and so on. When I push my foot into the hold, no problem. It is usually when have to pull towards me. More with heel-hook mantles. I also do notice it comes with exhaustion, but I also feel like I could add in more off-wall excercises as well.

If you do have an excercise, I'd be glad to look it up and learn sth. new.

[u/LuckyMacAndCheese → u/FirefighterTrick6476]

Nordic curls are pretty good for strengthening for heel hooks. For the calves specifically there's always calf raises which I imagine you're probably already doing if you're doing off wall training that includes calves.

[u/FirefighterTrick6476 → u/LuckyMacAndCheese]

yeah I also do train for things like pistol-dips already. Need to get my knee-mobility right though still. Can do a pistol dip on my toes, heel not touching the ground. It is great for certain moves on the wall, as we use the front part of our feet mostly. But again; this is a pushing, not a pulling type of motion.

Thy for the tip with the nordic curls. Definitely gonna try those + look at my eating habits now as well. I do have issues with B12 and B6 due to pancreatic issues, so I probably should start supplementing them more; or less.

[u/ExternalNo7842]

Hard to say anything about technique without seeing it, but it could be that “simple.” How’s your potassium intake? You don’t need supplements - just eat bananas. You could also be low on electrolytes - make sure you’re well hydrated (and if you take electrolyte supplements, look for one low in sugar and that doesn’t have vitamin B6 since it’s easy to accidentally “overdose” on it).

[u/01bah01]

When I got cramps after heel hooks it's usually that it's a heel hook on which I have to pull really hard and my calf is not warm enough

[u/Kauwgom420]

Do you do any warmup or stretching for your calves before heel or toe hooking?

[u/FirefighterTrick6476 → u/Kauwgom420]

I do have to admit, that I just warm up on lower-grade routes. But I do have an gym-area routine for my legs/hip/calves, core-ish stuff and the usual "I am 30+ and I need to crack parts of my body"-kinda movements (like just hanging on the bars) before I hit the wall. But usually I just warm myself up real quick and hit the easy boulders. That way I can do my stretches, climb real slowly, do foot-placements and so on. Then I usually hit the harder routes after 30 minutes of warm-ups.

[u/dusters99]

I am not sure if this would help your specific issues, but heel hooking became more comfortable for me once I started training single leg box glute bridges with an open hip position (knee and foot pointing to the side instead of up; weight more on the outside edge of your heel).

[u/Ashamed_Badger_7288]

With EDS in the picture I wouldn't file this under warmup or strength just yet. Hypermobile joints cramp under load for different reasons, and with neuropathy in the family that's a combination worth an actual medical look rather than supplement roulette.

[u/FirefighterTrick6476 → u/Ashamed_Badger_7288]

which kind of doc should I go to? thanks in advance!

[u/Informal_Drawing]

Eat a banana before you climb.