I haven't tried it and I am about to read the article, but one thing I'm curious about is whether Hotshot might help with side stitches in addition to cramping.

Stitches and cramping might be linked to the same cause or they might be totally different (I don't know) and that's why I'm curious as to whether anyone has tried this in advance of a race to prevent a side stitch (I'm thinking short course triathlon or a 10 km or half marathon where the intensity is uber high). I've struggled a bit with stitches in open run races and haven't figured out an effective solution yet!

I read the article, none of it surprises me. There is no magic juice to stop muscle cramps IMHO.

Oh, and I was part of their beta test group and tried the product many times, never helped me one bit as far as I could tell, and I did try it in race situations where cramps were an issue.

Don't waste your money.

Burping is what I have found to be very effective in getting rid of side stitches.

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Good to know, appreciate the comment!

This old guy did relieve a right hamstring cramp/strain close to the 3 mile mark of the IMNC run course with "hotshot". I had to stop running due to the increased cramping/strain of my hamstring and was fearing a lockup. Luckily I carried a canister of hotshot with me. Drank it while walking and was able to resume running around 60-75 seconds later-at about 40 sec/mile slower pace than before and finished the race. Another incident happened at home where my hamstring went into a cramping mode, and a dose of hotshot relieved the issue and I was able to get into my Normatec boots for my home recovery treatment.

Interesting, so some mixed opinions.

I may try it once simply because there is nothing to lose, assuming it isn't expensive.

I'm curious to know if it might work to prevent a cramp or stitch, because realistically, in a 10 km road race, being reactive by stopping for 60 seconds to toss back a shot is pretty much throwing your race out the window. In a marathon or ironman where it helps you still get to the finish, slightly different story (maybe) giving up 60 seconds or so...

My wife bought me some about a year ago. After the hottest ride of the year this summer I drank one before my run. I survived the run, who knows if the stuff works, but it is absolutely disgusting to drink. It tastes like those red hot candies except in liquid form and way hotter. Your entire mouth is on fire. They were handing them out on the run course in Kona and I didn't consider it for a second. The stuff is nasty. Some people probably like it...YMMV.

OK, but let me ask you, how do you know the hotshot did anything? You say you started walking.......taking a break like that usually helps alleviate muscle cramps!!

My wife has become a chronic cramper as she's gotten older and so far Hotshot is the only thing that has worked for her, and believe me she's tried everything. She's become quite dependent on it, in fact. I know a number of other people that have experimented with it, none of whom have as severe problems with cramping as she does. I can't give you any hard data but my impression is that it works for about half the people I know that have tried it.

So not a scam but not a universal fix either.

Exactly. There's no way to know if it helped, vs cramps went away on their own. This is why clinical trials are so hard to get right. We can't make a copy of you at the moment you got the cramp, and had one of you take the supplement and had the other one continue without, to compare the results.

no matter what you think, this stuff is VILE.

I've used it, still not sure if it works. I did a hot 70.3 in early Sept, had 2 of the hotshots during the race. Not sure when I had the first one, but had the second one on the run. I didn't cramp, but then again, I had a bad run and walked more than I'd liked to have.

As I said, didn't cramp during the race, but afterwards I went to transition to get my gear...both of my thighs locked up hard and I had to drop and roll on the ground to try to relieve the double cramp. I was able to roll to my gear and found I had one more Hotshot, so I drank it and laid on the ground for 4 or 5 minutes till the cramps subsided, then gently stood up to finish collecting my stuff.

Anyway, I'm still unsure of the effectiveness. For me, I should probably just increase my hydration.

I think Hotshot, before it was commercially available was being tested as something called "It's the nerve". That said, my understanding is that the drink essentially attempts to hijacks the sensory nerves that are sending "Oh shit, that muscle needs to stop immediately!" message by distracting them with something spicy/powerful.

I'm sure that's a very rudimentary understanding. But if it does work, it makes me wonder why you wouldn't/couldn't hijack those TRPA1 and TRPV1 channels yourself with the food of your choosing: garlic, a habenero, a peppermint, etc.

On another note, a guy I met a few weeks ago told me he carries mustard packets with him when he runs marathons. When get cramps, he sucks down the mustard. I've heard of pickle juice, but never mustard. Seems to be the same concept.

I tried this at the end of Ride the Rockies this year - it tastes terrible - even two good IPA beers later I was still tasting this stuff- It may distract many from the terrible pain of cramps as you are more focussed on the crappy after taste!!! :-)

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Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

I've tried it a few times and have never cramped. I used it at RR nationals where I took it about 75 miles in, which is when most of my races usually finish up and I usually cramp a bit. Made it all the way through a 100 miles without ever cramping, despite having the highest NP I've ever seen for 4 hours. Didn't keep me from getting dropped, but that was my first road race of the year that I didn't cramp, even though it was substantially longer and harder than the others.

I'll probably buy some more, though I've been mixing up my own little cocktails of ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and agave which seems almost identical in flavor.

.......taking a break like that usually helps alleviate muscle cramps!![/quote]
from my personal experience; walking would not alleviate the cramps. At that point in the race, I was headed to a full lockup of the hamstring.

I am a chronic cramper. I took it before race and again on the run at IMLOO. I survived without any issues. Every IM I have participated in before I had issues. It may be a placebo, but hell, it worked for me. :)

Back in the late 70s, mustard was used by bike racers for cramps. A friend I used to race with mentioned it to me again just a couple of years ago as still working for him. I've since been using it quite a bit and it seems to help ward off cramps. YMMV

I'm not a cramper, but I started carrying it in races this summer. I ran an unexpectedly hilly (poor scouting) half marathon last weekend. Going up one long hill around mile 4 I got this ridiculously painful side stitch - very unusual and unexpected. I was second at that point (no brag - small race) and wanted desperately to stay ahead of the four dudes behind me.

I took the HotShot and the stitch vanished pretty quickly without walking and never returned. Placebo or whatever, it worked. I was even thinking "this won't help" at that point.

It tastes like fire but surprisingly does not sour up the gut.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

hamstring and calf cramps are my nemesis in longer races..HIM, and IM. used Hotshots at Challenge Penticton and it got me to the finish line. (qualified for long course worlds next year)... took one after each loop of the bike as prophylaxis, and still got a mild hamstring tightness at the start of the run. Due to feeling nauseated at that point, I just sipped it every time a cramp threatened, and it would release immediately. I ended up consuming a total of 2 during the run. (4 total for the race) I won't race without it again…will definitely be using it for upcoming IMFL. (yes, it does taste horrible, but it works for me!)

it did nothing for me. tastes like benzene too.
it also did nothing for my brother.

they come in a pack of 6 and i still have 4.
if you want them, just pay for shipping and I'll send them to you because it's junk.

I used it in kona - I was in the med tent getting my IV and cramping severely

They asked me if I wanted to try it - took it and no more cramp 10 mins later

Oh lordy lord, it's a miracle. A miracle of clever marketing I suppose, offering it as a cure to a problem to people who are having that problem whilst already receiving a medically sound treatment for that problem. It must be the voodoo potion! Definitely not the IV..

Side-stitches are theorized to be caused by your organs hitting your diaphragm and causing it to spasm. This is why you pretty much ONLY get side stitches when you run. But fundamentally, the source of the cramp/spasm in your diaphragm *should* be the same as with other muscle cramps - typically some disconnect as a result of overexertion and "misfires" in the nervous system.

For me, the biggest difference maker in terms of sorting cramps has absolutely been electrolytes. I used to take a ton of salt pills during races to stave off cramps, but I've started doing a sodium preload (about two years ago) and trying to get 100% of calories from EFS pro (which also has a ton of electrolytes) and haven't taken more than maybe one or two salt pills - largely as placebo, because I bite down on them for the TASTE of salt - during a race.

First Endurance did an in-depth article on electrolytes here: http://firstendurance.com/...mp;mc_eid=2fb9968bcc

There are obviously folks who take a counter position - Noakes, for example - on the electrolyte side. But I think that the large success seen by electrolyte supplementation and sodium preload (OSMO and Skratch both) argues against that.

Not sure if that helps with your side-stitches question - the whole "organs hitting your diaphragm" idea is nice in some ways but also not really actionable, I'd say that, in my experience, nothing beats electrolyte pre-loading and consistent electrolyte intake on race day.

Once you cramp, IMO, you are pretty well screwed. You may be able to salvage race, but I don't think you'll ever have a "best performance." You need to stop cramps from happening; not fix them once they happen...

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