Workouts cause muscle cramps

I workout every day and devote the majority of the session to high intensity cardio exercise. I strive to elevate my heart rate, get my lungs working at maximum capacity and generate a good sweat. I hope to burn a great deal of calories, improve muscle tone and increase stamina. My workouts are typically quite hard on my legs. I tend to overwork my calf muscles. The joints of my knees, ankles and feet experience a lot of repetitive and hard impact. I like to go for six- to eight-mile runs. I jump rope nearly every day and sometimes for almost the entire hour of the workout. I also include lots of lunges, squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers and burpees. I have been having some concerns with muscle cramps in my calves. While the muscles are slightly sore throughout the day, the problem mainly shows up at night. When I head to bed and attempt to sleep, my calves begin to cramp. The pain makes sleep impossible. I often need to get up and stretch my legs. I apply icy-hot, take ibuprofen and sometimes need to wrap my calves in heating pads. I’ve done some research and have read that the muscle cramps could be the result of insufficient hydration and/or overworking the muscles. I am now making an effort to drink more water and spending more time on my warm up, cool down and stretching. I am looking for cardio exercises that avoid impact on my joints, such as cycling, swimming and kayaking. Making these changes has helped but hasn’t eliminated the concerns with muscle cramps entirely.

Personal trainer