# Ever cramp up during crunches?



## AKIRA (Mar 15, 2006)

I sure as hell have.  And it aint cute.

I did some standard ball crunches a week or two ago and my stomach got so tight on the 3rd set, that I had to immediately stop and not dare to do another one.  

I tried doing abs again today.  Good form, small movement up, breath out and clench.  I wasnt clenching real hard, but on my 3rd set, bam.  Happened again.

I used to incorporate abs into my week twice somewhere.  Then I stopped completely, since I was reading on here that abs are almost always on during other workouts.  I havent worked out on them regularly for months.

You think I am getting these 'cramps' cuz my body isnt used to it?


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## P-funk (Mar 15, 2006)

luckily i don't do crunches so i don't have this problem....PHEW!


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## Triple Threat (Mar 15, 2006)

Not very often, but when it happens, I just stop doing that exercise.


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## shiznit2169 (Mar 15, 2006)

AKIRA said:
			
		

> I sure as hell have.  And it aint cute.
> 
> I did some standard ball crunches a week or two ago and my stomach got so tight on the 3rd set, that I had to immediately stop and not dare to do another one.
> 
> ...



haha, i had the exact same problem. I used to incorporate direct ab work after my main lifts but then i read that your abs get hit all the time when doing exercises involving your core such as pullups, squats, and deadlifts so i stopped doing direct ab work.

A month or so later, i decided to add them into my routine again and yup .. i got those cramps by the 2nd or 3rd set with flawless form. It did this to me 3 workouts in a row so i stopped doing it again.

Same with calves .. same problem.


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## fufu (Mar 15, 2006)

AKIRA said:
			
		

> I sure as hell have.  And it aint cute.
> 
> I did some standard ball crunches a week or two ago and my stomach got so tight on the 3rd set, that I had to immediately stop and not dare to do another one.
> 
> ...



Wow, it is very coincidental that I saw this thread because I just got back from doing some cardio and ab work. I was only able to do 1 set of cable crunches. I bent over for a hamstring stretch after I did my set and I got a lightning bolt of this tickle-ish fuzzy feeling in my lower abdomen. It was painless but it felt alot like pulling a tight muscle. It was weird. It is fine now though. 

Also, this was my first day doing direct ab work in like 4 months. Screw that!


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## min0 lee (Mar 15, 2006)

AKIRA said:
			
		

> I sure as hell have. And it aint cute.
> 
> I did some standard ball crunches a week or two ago and my stomach got so tight on the 3rd set, that I had to immediately stop and not dare to do another one.
> 
> ...


 
I get those too...


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## AKIRA (Mar 16, 2006)

Its something I just cant let pass.  An un-natural pain from doing a BW move?  No fucking way.  I dont know how Id go about getting rid of this shit, but building up a tolerance sounds like a possibility.  

I mean, I should be able to at least do every exercise I instruct clients to do, let alone crunches.

Glad I am not alone though.


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## NeilPearson (Mar 16, 2006)

Craps can be a sign of dehydration


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## buffguy82 (Mar 16, 2006)

I get those on occasion also until I found out that I didn???t have enough potassium in me.  Have something like a banana and that will significantly help.  Try it.


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## min0 lee (Mar 16, 2006)

> NeilPearsonCraps can be a sign of dehydration


 
I drink a lot of water.




> buffguy82I get those on occasion also until I found out that I didn???t have enough potassium in me. Have something like a banana and that will significantly help. Try it.


 

I am getting my potassium mostly from Bananas. I eat one before I go to the gym, I don't know if that's enough though.


I know I may get flamed for this but I started to analize what it could be and the only change in my diet was the addition of creatine.
I heard of that happening once before, I think it was Foreman who said it once.


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## Phred (Mar 16, 2006)

P-funk said:
			
		

> luckily i don't do crunches so i don't have this problem....PHEW!



Ditto.


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## katt (Mar 16, 2006)

I love that burning feeling in your gut .......

and no... it's not indigestion


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## KentDog (Mar 16, 2006)

You're not alone Akira, I get cramps when doing crunches all the time if not every time. It usually occurs at the end of my second or third sets (which are then my last sets).


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## AKIRA (Mar 16, 2006)

KentDog said:
			
		

> You're not alone Akira, I get cramps when doing crunches all the time if not every time. It usually occurs at the end of my second or third sets (which are then my last sets).




It kinda fucking sucks.  I used to rock at these workouts.  I was your typical jerkoff doing so many abs.

Were talking leg raises, followed by crunches, followed by oblique crunches.  I even did rope cable crunches, V-ups, GOD DAMMIT I even could do the leg shit ROCKY did in his 4th film!

Never knew how much these useless workouts meant to me.  

And I prolly drink too much water by the time abs rolls in.


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## NEW_MASS (Mar 16, 2006)

*Blood Flow*

Akira abs are very important to build and develop so the last thing you want to do is "run away" from them so get that out of your mind now! 

Now that we have made that clear this happens to me also and often so i can relate with everyone about this problem. What i did was investigate the problem every time it happened and the answers i got were your potassium may be low so i took more potassium and the problem still occured, then i was told well maybe your dehydrated and need to take in more water so i started to take in more water along with more potassium and again it still happened which drawed me to the finally conclusion that it was the BLOOD FLOW. Blood flow along with potassium and water are the major keys to any muscle group cramping. Just know that if you trained upper body or lower body before abs then your blood flow is not strong in the ab section as of yet due to the training of other muscle groups_(which are soaked in blood flow)_, therefore you would have to warm up your abs thoroughly so the blood can get in there good enough just like you would any other muscle group before you hit them they way you want. Bro questions you may feel you cant find the complete answers for out here, then check out the IRONMAN FAQ Section also and dont be afraid to post it up, for IronMagazine is the place to be  


			
				AKIRA said:
			
		

> I sure as hell have.  And it aint cute.
> 
> I did some standard ball crunches a week or two ago and my stomach got so tight on the 3rd set, that I had to immediately stop and not dare to do another one.
> 
> ...


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## min0 lee (Mar 17, 2006)

NEW_MASS said:
			
		

> Akira abs are very important to build and develop so the last thing you want to do is "run away" from them so get that out of your mind now!
> 
> Now that we have made that clear this happens to me also and often so i can relate with everyone about this problem. What i did was investigate the problem every time it happened and the answers i got were your potassium may be low so i took more potassium and the problem still occured, then i was told well maybe your dehydrated and need to take in more water so i started to take in more water along with more potassium and again it still happened which drawed me to the finally conclusion that it was the BLOOD FLOW. Blood flow along with potassium and water are the major keys to any muscle group cramping. *Just know that if you trained upper body or lower body before abs then your blood flow is not strong in the ab section as of yet due to the training of other muscle groups*_*(which are soaked in blood flow*)_, therefore you would have to warm up your abs thoroughly so the blood can get in there good enough just like you would any other muscle group before you hit them they way you want. Bro questions you may feel you cant find the complete answers for out here, then check out the IRONMAN FAQ Section also and dont be afraid to post it up, for IronMagazine is the place to be


 
That makes a lot of sense, does anyone disagree with IM?


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## NEW_MASS (Mar 18, 2006)

min0 lee said:
			
		

> That makes a lot of sense,


 this took me some time to figure out this missing link, but what gets me is that alot of advance ppl already know these things but if nothing is in it for them then you best to believe you wont be getting the "whole truth" out of them


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## P-funk (Mar 18, 2006)

min0 lee said:
			
		

> That makes a lot of sense, does anyone disagree with IM?




huh?


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## Dale Mabry (Mar 18, 2006)

I got those cramps before, when I wasted time on direct ab work.  Luckily, dropping the direct ab work solved the problem.


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## Gordo (Mar 19, 2006)

> the only change in my diet was the addition of creatine



Cramping can be a side-effect of creatine use.


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## min0 lee (Mar 19, 2006)

NEW_MASS said:
			
		

> this took me some time to figure out this missing link, but what gets me is that alot of advance ppl already know these things but if nothing is in it for them then you best to believe you wont be getting the "whole truth" out of them


 
 I agree.


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## min0 lee (Mar 19, 2006)

Dale Mabry said:
			
		

> I got those cramps before, when I wasted time on direct ab work. Luckily, dropping the direct ab work solved the problem.


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## P-funk (Mar 19, 2006)

Dale Mabry said:
			
		

> I got those cramps before, when I wasted time on direct ab work.  Luckily, dropping the direct ab work solved the problem.




i don't think i have ever gotten any benefit out of crunches or ab work either.


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## CowPimp (Mar 19, 2006)

Dale Mabry said:
			
		

> I got those cramps before, when I wasted time on direct ab work.  Luckily, dropping the direct ab work solved the problem.



I think it is warranted sometimes.  Whenever I do Westside I always do more ab work than normal.  This is because I beat the shit out of my posterior chain performing a lot of movements involving spinal and hip extension.  I think it's a good idea to balance that out.  All the Westside afficiandos are all over it too, although I am a bit skeptical as to how much difference it really makes.  I feel like I get more benefit out of unbalanced and unilateral movements.


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## min0 lee (Mar 19, 2006)

P-funk said:
			
		

> huh?


 
My bad, I meant New=Mass


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## NEW_MASS (Mar 20, 2006)

min0 lee said:
			
		

> My bad, I meant New=Mass


Thanks for the clarity


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## theoldeagle (Mar 20, 2006)

Is it possible to overtrain abs or work them out too often--assuming you dont cramp up?


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