Did I overwork my abs doing crunches everyday?

Question

When I first started I would always feel a litlte sore the next day, which made me feel like I got the workout. However, now when I get done I don't feel anything the next day. I know I am building my muscles, but I would still expect to feel the burn. I started off doing just about 50, but I have been increasing them every few days, so now I'm at 250-300. I don't do them all at once, I do 20-30 at a time, take a few minutes of breathing, and then another set. Is there any other position I can try? I don't like situps. Thanks in advance for the help!

Answer 1

its good that you don't feel the burn.. the burn is actually a bad thing. It tells you that you still have all the lactic acid over your abdominals which you have to get rid of to see any change. However...doing all the same things (ie situps over and over) this will teach your abs to get use to this and they wont build as hard as they should. Change your routine...do stuff like this...
-plank
-wide leg plank (legs wider then yoga mat)
-crunch on ball
-crunch on ball with arms extended (then with weights)
-hanging knee lifts
-bicycle crunches
-leg lifts (2-3 inches above ground laying on your back...lift legs, for one min)
-alternating leg lifts (same just have one leg at 45 degree angle and the other only 2-3 inches...hold for 10 seconds and switch doing a min total)
-leg drops (on back, extend legs to the roof. Lower to almost the floor (2 inches) and back up)
-side leg drops (sam only drop legs to the side at an angel)

good luck!

Answer 2

You haven't overworked, but your muscles are no longer being challanged.

If you have an incline bench, try using that. If it's still too easy, hold a 5 or 10 lb. weight plate to your chest using BOTH hands for safety. I GUARANTEE you'll feel it. Before I quit weight lifting, I was holding 30 lbs. to my chest on an incline bench, and it was quite an experience!

Usually, ab work isn't recommended each day. You need to give your muscles time to heal and build themselves up. Try alternating other workouts on alternate days. I recommend doing ab work 3 times per week along with your lower body, then upper body work on the other days. Rest completely on the 7th day.

Answer 3

Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

I had a trainer tell me to work a muscle group one day, then rest it a day, then work it again on the following day.
So on Monday do your crunches. And on Wednesday do your crunches. But on Tuesday you work another group. According to him, and I am paraphrasing, exercise tears down the muscle, then it must be rested long enough to heal before you tear it down again. By exercising the same muscle everyday you never let it heal so you never get the definition you want, or for that matter the strength.

He also told me that a few reps of very hard work makes a muscle strong. While lots of reps of light work makes a muscle big and well defined.

Like I said, I got that from a trainer for what ever it is worth.

Answer 4

You did not overwork your abs. This is very common. Your abdominal muscles have become used to the strain and therefore do not create the pain sensation anymore. It is just a simple case of your nerves and muscles strengthening, so they are not going to be as sensitive to crunches as they first were when you started.

Good luck, sounds like a good work out!

Answer 5

There's alot of different workouts you can do with your abs, now it might be difficult to understand me cause its in writing and not in person. If you know what scissors or, moving your legs up down one leg at a time, throwing both legs up and down, but controlled, moving your legs in a small circular motion to big circular motion. Side crunches, and using the big medicine ball also helps. Those are a couple, but like I said it might be a lil difficult to understand me, so I would suggest you go get a fit magazine and that will show you examples on different positions.

Answer 6

Use a ten pound weight and hold it on your legs or chest to make it more challenging. Also, put legs straight up while lying on your back, then reach up to touch your toes. You've got to challenge your muscles to make them stronger, or else your body won't change, just stay the same.

Answer 7

Try another ab exercise. Doing the crunches is too easy for you.
Switch it up so you aren't doing the same everyday. Keep your body guessing and you will see results.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

lay flat then raise your feet up straight without using your hands or anything else then slowly lower you should feel the burn if you do it correctly

Answer 10

that's the sign of steal(it's a good thing)!!!!! good luck!!!