Risk factors for rest muscle cramps include being elderly, being pregnant, or having frequent periods of prolonged inactivity. Muscle cramps were experienced by roughly one-third of people over age 50 in the previous 2-month period in a UK general practice population, and by 36% of a sample of Dutch adults in the past 12 months. In the Dutch sample, pregnant women experienced them 6.3 times more often.[1][2][3]
In EAMC, cramps tend to occur more often if the athlete is not used to the exercise intensity or duration. Additionally, exercising in hot and humid conditions also increases the likelihood of EAMC. Both of these conditions tend to cause an athlete higher-than-usual levels of fatigue, and therefore may cause exercise associated muscle cramps.[4][5]