Anybody got tips on the dreaded 'forearm pump'?? (lactic acid, so somebody told me)

I've just got back into trails from a long lay off, I'm finding the riding ok except that my forearms pump up really bad after about a lap, sometimes it'll go away after a short rest but today i had it for the whole five laps!.

I suppose i should ride/practise more often but the family thing puts the stoppers on that one

Any tips to stop this??

MG

Do you wear your gloves nice and tight?

I used to pull the velcro straps together too tightly, which restricted blood flow - not a lot but enough to make a difference.

Thanks to Dan for the tip, it also cured cramps in my hands too

Try it and let us know how you get on...

Gloves.....Yes my gloves were 'nice & tight' so on the second lap I dropped them off a the car but still had major pump!.

I'll have a look at my lever postion and I'll buy one of those forearm trainer thingys.....I'll keep you posted

P.S

I'm sure somebody once told that Steve Saunders suffered from this problem too!

Buy a couple of small training weights and do "wrist curls". You can do these in the comfort of your armchair while watching Emmerdale and Corrie Dave

I even thought about sqeezing a couple of tennis balls!! while watching Pam Anderson in VIP

laters

there is a big article on with doc's and everything in the latest DBR (or was it Moto-X) .........

dunno if its any use though

rabie :snowman:

ive herd its caused by holding on 2 tight mabe if u relax your grip a bit it will help slightly???

I had a nightmare with it a couple of years ago, after a 17 year break. I wanted to be riding expert while my body was fit for the conducted route (nearly).

'Bike time' is the best remedy I think, but you can speed things up with those squeeze things as someone mentioned. I also used dumbbells resting my forearm on my legs and twisting the weights up and down with the wrists (not much weight just loads of fast reps for as long as you can). It may be to do with hanging on too tight, but I found not hanging on so tight left me some distance behind my 280 Gasser.

Not sure how safe this last suggestion is, but its amazing what a bit of 'udder mint' does to relax the arms. (If there are any vets about please let me know if this could be the reason for the 44DD beautifully soft breasts?)

There may well be human alternatives available, ralgex, etc, but not many farmers have ralgex hanging about. On reflection, probably worth investigating the human alternative - I'm on a different scale to most trials riders :-)

I have been using an exerciser for many years now called a DynaBee (also known as SuperGyro). If you look at their website you will see a model called a Thera-Grip. I use a model similar to this called a Motocross. The difference being that the Motocross model has a motorcycle handgrip on it. A friend of mine was getting serious armpump, so I challenged him to use the DynaBee for the next two weeks before our next trials event. He used it while driving to and from work every day. At the next event he had very little armpump and has since bought his own DynaBee.

Here is their link (and no, I don't work for them): DynaBee

There are several ways to use the DynaBee which concentrate on different parts of the arm and hands.

Hope this helps.

Richard

What do you do with it exactly dabsalot?

HRC2002--

If you've ever held a spinning gyro in your hand you know that it tends to resist change in direction. This can be a very effective force, and in fact, after only a minute or so of use, the DynaBee has people feeling those muscles that aren't used enough.

The hard part of using the DynaBee is getting it going. But once you learn the technique you may be able to start it with one hand. After the gyro is spinning you keep the DynaBee in motion, trying to keep it spinning smoothly. If you hear it clunking around, you are not keeping the motion smooth. One of the exercises is to hold the handgrip of the Motocross model and twist it back and forth like you are twisting the throttle on your bike. It is exactly the same motion. You can also hold it in your fingertips to strengthen them.

I'm not sure about overseas, but the basic round model is available in sporting goods stores here in the States.

Richard

mark,this is what worked for me.a few years back i was getting bad arm pump,my buddys wife,a personal trainer,told me to cut out beer and soda for a few days before a trial(i know thats tuff )eat plenty of bananas on the days before and while riding the trial.also make sure your bars and levers are in the correct position as stated above.drink plenty of water or gatoraide as dehydration will add to your arm pump problems also.one more thing you might try is taking off the gloves,i still cant ride with them on or the armpump comes back to me.i guess i just hold on too tight when i wear them.good luck!

I have to go with Petersdragon. Being hydrated is the key, other than just being fit. If you drink beer in the evening and coffee in the morning, you're probably too dehydrated. Mix in a bunch of water for several days before you ride. If you're not hydrated, your muscles can't function properly.

Eating potassium loaded fruits (bananas) or taking potassium pills has worked for me. I also like watermelon slices each loop to help stay hydrated.

But don't overdo the fruit. It can lead to unwelcome pit stops.

You could also try a pair of Specalised mountain bike gloves with the gel pad over the median nerve in the ball of your palm, sore arms can start there! About