My abs are the absolute weakest part of my body and it seems they don't wanna get stronger .. For the past 1.5 weeks I could only do 20-25 total crunches before my abs start cramping up .. then I'd try to do more, but it comes back and I'm always forced to stop. It's quite embarrassing. I'm only half-ranting, but I guess a question I could ask is, if I keep this up, will the cramps eventually go away or will they keep coming back? Is there something I can do to prevent them so I can go longer?

 

mystikk, it's only been 1.5 week so far...so, keep it up. Your abs will improve in strength. Also, make sure you are using proper form...and honestly, it's not the quantity anyhow, it is how you do them.



So, give this another few weeks!

 

I shall .. It's just, I'm amazed at how much stronger I'm getting in everything else since I started hitting the gym religiously, but all that falls apart when I spend 45 seconds to do crunches when I wanted to spend 10 minutes on it .. Everytime I start cramping up, it's just "mystikk, you are absolute epic fail" running in my head.

 

Don't get discouraged, everyone starts somewhere and what's most important is that you're doing something.

Are you doing your ab crunches on the Swiss ball? Or are you just on the ground...?

 

I'm on the ground, I've contemplated doing crunches on the swiss ball but I was afraid my form would be off and I'd end up hurting something. Hands on my head, feet together and come up, but not enough to be a sit-up .. rinse and repeat.

 

Well, I would suggest using the Swiss ball, it is more effective and you'll feel it even more.


Just remember to do it slowly. Another tip is to also hold it for a 2-count when you are up and flex your abs as hard as possible, then contract.

 

When do you do crunches within your workout? If you save ab work to the end, you're probably too tired to make big gains, especially if you're doing other moves that use your core (squat for example). Try doing abs first and see if that makes a difference.

Are you resting enough? Take a least a day off between ab workouts, maybe more depending on how hard you're training them.

 

You have to build up, I use to only be able to do 25 crunches each set. Then after regular increases, I got up to 100. It takes time.

 

Yeah I do crunches at the end .. I alternate everyday between upper-body workout days and lower-body workout days. I usually work on them during my upper body days so I don't get too tired to work on them by the end of my workout as you said. I'll heed your advice though and try them first thing.

Thanks for the replies btw guys.

 

Try other exercises. For my boxing class our instructor does various exercises including crunches. Full sit ups, sit ups to the side, crunches laying on the side, leg lifts, bicycle crunch, etc. Plus kicking a big will work your obliques and lower abs.

 

^^^^Good advice. For my boxing class we warm up with 2 minutes of jump rope, 25 pushups, and 30 crunches and repeat this for 6 times! It's all good until set 5 or 6 when the calves start burning. But trust me, that warm up whips you into fighting shape so you can go a few rounds without gassing out. I try to mix up the ab exercises alternating crunches with straight leg elevations.

Last night's class was especially taxing because after sparring drills for 1 hour we had to finish with 100 pushups. I ended up doing "girl" pushups the last 30 with bent knees on the ground

 

I don't know the exact "format" of ab crunch you are doing, but doing them daily, and stretching your abs will definitely lead to improvement.

Other good ab exercises are leg lifts and degrees, and flutter kicks. Also have someone stand behind you and push your legs back down when doing leg lifts.

For the military modified crunch, which basically consists of someone holding your feet and you touching your elbows to your thighs with your arms crossed over your chest over a 2 minute time limit, daily situps, crunches, leg lifts, and flutter kicks, got me past 100 after a couple months.

After 1.5 weeks I would not be expecting to see a TON of improvement.

Also, your gym should have elbow straps for ab exercises to attach to a pull up/dip machine, those will really kill you.



Mike

 

wow never seen those elbow straps before...

I'd say just use your hands to hold on to the bar and do it that way...

also google floor wipers... those will really kick your ass

 

Thanks guys .. I'm slowly gaining stamina in my abs, they're also more resistant to cramps .. It's just, 1 10 minute workout involving abs leads to about 3 days of them healing.

 

Part of getting definition and not just strength in your abs is diet. If you have a lot of fat there, you'll gain muscle and strength, but your abs won't look cut.

Doing ab exercises properly is all the battle. Using other muscles (your neck, arms, etc) to pull you up is what kills people from gaining anything from these exercises (not saying this is you). I've seen people do an ab workout for 15 minutes without a bead of sweat, with completely improper form, at 100mph.....if it's that easy, you're doing it wrong. You SHOULD feel it if you're doing it right! You shouldn't be using anything but your ab muscles, so make sure you isolate them and concentrate on only using them during the exercise. Speed is also a factor. If you do any exercise too fast, you're mostly using momemtum, instead of your muscles, to do the reps; useless. Try holding your position when your muscle is flexed and working during the rep and feel the burn...hold it...hold it...then release. Static exercise can strengthen just as well and is just as hard!

Also, once you've been working your abs over time, change the exercises. There's a pretty big variety of ab stuff you can do...some with a swiss ball...different equipment...added weight...different positions, etc. If an exercise becomes too easy, it's a sign you need to change things up and challenge your muscles in a new way.

 

^I agree especially with leg lifts. So much momentum since legs are so long and very easy to bounce instead of taking your time.