Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

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Caters
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Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

When I started doing abdominal exercises I wasn't sore until the end of abdominal exercises. I then had muscle soreness the day afterwards.

Now I have muscle soreness soon after I start the exercises but usually no soreness the next day.

Why do abdominal muscles become sore sooner rather than later?
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Boss Man
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Boss Man »

Unu8sual that you used to get DOMS and now you don't get DOMS, but you do get soreness doing the exercises.

It's possible you might have damaged one or more of your abs in some way. When you do the abs work, do you experience anything that feels like someone stabbing you with a sharp implement, cutting you with a sharp implement, or a pain that translocates through the abs?
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

I feel a dull pain throughout abs and occasionally in the obliques as well. It doesn't feel like I have pulled one of abdominal muscles but after a while of not doing it that same soreness is back. Now I realize that I get abdominal pain for several reasons like gas, ovulation, and menstrual cramps, but this dull pain does not feel as deep as it would if it were some other reason. Also if I pulled one of abdominal muscles I bet I would notice a change in position of internal organs by an increase or decrease in pressure.

And even if I did pull one of abdominal muscles it is not like I can use abdominals as little as possible. All movement of legs involves the abdominals, breathing involves the abdominals, digestion, circulation, and uterine contractions all involve the abdominals so even if I don't exercise I still use abdominal muscles a lot.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

Okay I just recently did abdominal exercises and around the 7th rep of the first set of 10 in regular sit ups it started to hurt. I do 3 sets of 10 for each abdominal exercise to strengthen abdominals so that I get less pain from gas, ovulation, and menstruation. Around the 3rd or 4th rep it started feeling sore. It kept getting stronger and stronger as I did abdominal exercises. When I started the reverse sit ups it started hurting around the obliques as well.

When I started strengthening abdominals I did 1 set of 10 for 2 weeks and then 2 sets of 10 for another 2 weeks. After that I have kept regular sit ups at 3 sets of 10. About a month after I increased to 3 sets of 10 I started doing reverse sit ups as well.

I then took a break for another 2 months since muscles were getting increasingly sore during exercise.

Now those same muscles still have the same degree of soreness even after a long break.

If after 2 months I still feel just as sore then will abdominal muscles ever heal completely or will I just have scar tissue that easily ruptures? I know that if muscles will ever heal completely that either a break for longer than 2 months or a break for a few weeks and then gradually reintroducing the abdominal exercises is needed for muscles.

I think that this may be because of me introducing the reverse sit ups at too fast of a pace starting at 2 sets of 10 and then after several days(When I had DOMS a second time) increasing it to 3 sets of 10 since the pain was never that strong before unless it was DOMS.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Boss Man »

I think one possibility is a core imbalance.

If you don't do much for the lower back I:E: the quadratus lumborum and the lower part of the multifidus and erector spinae muscles, you may have strengthened the abs, but not the lower back, so this might possibly be a reason for your issue.

Do you train other areas of your body or just the abs?
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

I do train other parts of body like chest and legs and not just abs although I train abs the most(Mainly to get rid of abdominal fat since I notice that strength training burns fat mainly in the area that is being strengthened and that if I combine that with any kind of cardio that the fat burning is accelerated).

momma suggested that since abdominal muscles have just now healed from the injury and they are the fastest to atrophy that I start back at at most 2 sets of 10 for each abdominal exersize to gradually strengthen abdominals back up. That way I won't have as much pain after the injury.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Boss Man »

That would be a way to go, but I'd also suggest you try things like deadlifts or good mornings, to address any muscle weaknesses you may have in the lower back relative to the abs.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

It also might be good to do abdominal stretches before and after abdominal exercises. If you move your muscles in just 1 way it is much easier for them to get injured than it is if you do it both ways. So I think that maybe for each muscle group I should do Stretch, Compression, Stretch. It will make me not only lose fat and gain muscle mass but also gain muscle flexibility and up to a point, the more flexible your muscles are, the less likely you are to get muscle injuries.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Boss Man »

Another thing worth trying :).
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Caters »

I noticed the abdominal stretch helping with injury related muscle soreness a few days ago when I introduced another abdominal exercise.
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Re: Soreness soon after I start regular and reverse sit ups

Post by Boss Man »

Good to know :).
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