The worst feeling in the world is when you are all in, giving it everything you have, and you feel a cramp starting to come on. You can try and fight through it, mentally willing yourself on, but sometimes, a cramp brings you to a crippling halt. There is a secret weapon you can include in your frame pack or jersey pocket that will help fight cramps and keep moving, HOTSHOT. It’s a bit mindblowing how it works, but I’ve used it for years now, and include it on my longest, and most intense rides.
HOTSHOT is a liquid that you drink before a workout or when you start to feel a cramp coming on. Each bottle is 1.7 ounces of liquid in a small bottle that is easy to carry along with you. It is a proprietary blend of all-natural ingredients, but there are three to focus on, organic cinnamon, ginger, and capsaicin, the substance that gives hot peppers their spice. When drinking it, it reminds me of the hot cinnamon candy hearts you get around Valentine’s Day. There is a little heat, but that is part of how it works.
The Science
Everyone has their own remedy to help fight cramps. At a local gravel event, they have shots of pickle juice lined up to help add salt back into your system, or you can grab a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. But there is more to it than just getting hydration or electrolytes back into your system. While both have important benefits to performance, cramps actually come from the nervous system.
Science now tells us muscle cramps are triggered by hyperactive motor neurons that pound into fatiguing muscles while we exercise. It’s not dehydration or electrolyte deficiencies. The motor neurons are what help drive muscular movement and with fatigue, they can start to fire into the muscle uncontrollably. While that threshold is different for each of us, eventually the muscle can’t handle the repetitive firing of the neurons and seizes up. That’s a cramp.
This discovery came from an event that almost cost the lives of the scientists that discovered it, and that’s not being dramatic. Nobel Prize-Winner, Dr. Rod Mackinnon, and his friend Dr. Bruce Bean, were out deep sea kayaking when hit by life-threatening cramping. They both made it through the event, but that got them started in researching using their background as neuroscientists about where cramps come from, and how to fight them.
Research conducted by Penn State University, along with many field studies, have shown that HOTSHOT helps to significantly reduce muscle cramp intensity and duration when compared to placebo. It has also been shown to reduce cramping during or after workouts when taken 15-30 minutes before. If you are interested in a deep dive into some of those studies, here is a link to some of the published studies available.
When you take HOTSHOT, the blend of ingredients stimulates the sensory nerves in the mouth and esophagus, and helps it start to work within minutes. The stimulated nerves send signals to the spinal cord, which then helps to calm down those hyperactive nerves causing the cramps.
On The Road (and In Real Life)
Honestly, I was a little skeptical when I first read about HOTSHOT. But, being the crash test dummy that I am, I put in the work to get myself to cramp. After some hard efforts on a hot day, there it was, in the hamstring, just behind my knee, where I normally get it. My leg started to lock up to the point that I couldn’t pedal. I was able to unclip and keep pedaling with my good leg, while also grabbing the HOTSHOT from my jersey pocket and cracking it open. HOTSHOT recommends drinking it light a shot, while not eating or drinking for at least a few minutes before or after. It took me a couple of gulps to get it down, and I could feel a little burn, and then it was time to wait. I kept pedaling the best I could with my good leg, and rather quickly, the cramp was gone. I was able to get back to riding as normal, and the cramps stayed away the rest of the ride. I’ve repeated this a few times over the years and also proactively took a HOTSHOT before events, and even when I first started to feel the earliest sign of a cramp coming on, and every time I was cramp-free. I’ve gotten used to carrying an extra bottle or two on rides to hand out when friends start cramping, and watching their disbelief when they are cramp-free after taking the shot.
Seeing how well it worked for me, my wife began using it as well when she would feel an exercise-induced cramp or even a calf cramp coming on at night when sleeping. It was the same result for her as well, take the shot, and the cramps are gone.
So What’s The Catch?
From a product standpoint, there isn’t one. Any time I have used it, HOTSHOT works fast and helps me either stop cramps or prevent them on my hardest rides. About the only negative could be the price. This isn’t something that you’ll use on a daily basis. A bottle of HOTSHOT can run anywhere from $3.40-4.25 a bottle. Available in multi-packs, you can save a bit the more you buy.
6-Pack – $25.50
12-Pack – $48.00
24-Pack – $92.00
Additionally, you can do a 12-pack subscription service, with deliveries coming every 30, 45, or 60 days, which offers a 15% discount and only requires a minimum of three orders as a commitment.
Is it worth it? Yes, without a doubt. I do tend to only take it and use it on my biggest or hardest rides, but when you are in the middle of an event, and a cramp starts to set in, cracking a bottle open is what could mean a strong finish or a DNF.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year