hey everyone...i just started my workouts at the gym and when i do my crunches i get muscle cramping in the abs...does this mean i’m doing it wrong...? what should i do to prevent...i do about 40 and i have to stop myself in between because of the cramping…

thanks so much…

I sometimes get cramps when crunching too, but I’m not sure why. It’s not everytime, so I’m not sure what the difference is. When I do, I always stop and stretch before continuing, or just stretch and call it done. Depends on the severity of the cramps.

Are you warmed up before you crunch? That may make the difference, but I honestly don’t have a good answer for you. I’ll ask the man, he probably has the answer.

Bree

i guess maybe my body wasnt used to it...I did some ab work today and i felt the cramping coming on but i took my time and i remembered to breath...drank a lot of water and the cramp never hit its full crampin potential...lol thanks so much....

Good, hope it stays gone. I’m going to do some crunches here in just a minute. You know I’ll be thinking about our goofy dilemma.

Bree

Hi Ctina,

Glad to hear you’ve figured out a way around the cramps.  I find that sometimes I cramp up when I haven’t had enough water or I haven’t stretched or warmed up before working out.  Just follow the golden rule: if it hurts, try something else!

Cheers,
Julie

I almost forgot the crunches last night, then I thought about you and hopped off the treadmill after my warm-up and did them! No cramps, though I can feel it a bit today. 

Bree

lol the crampy crunches are gone...lol yeah i think that was the reason...all good tho...now i just have to work on how many i’m going to do and raise the amount everyday...how many times a day do you all do crunches...and how many a day ?

thank u kindly =)

I asked Scott, he said to make sure you’re well hydrated and to work all the muscles equally. Seems simple.

I do crunches at most once a day. I do around 50 of each kind I do, in sets of 25. I usually do 3 - 4 kinds, and it changes weekly depending on what I feel like doing.

Bree

yeah...that’s cool..thanks for asking him for me… mucho appreciated...my cousin told me that she does as many crunches as her body can take...but i dont know about that...she could be doing more harm then good...or i dont know...whatever i guess...lol maybe i’ll give that a try too...lol i’m silly