1 Year later..

So basically you are working the first rep getting the muscle to contract good, then the next rep it digs in deeper, then the last rep its contracting very hard? And going all out till your exausted the first rep just gets the muscle to contract but doesnt allow any rest period in between to let the muscles "regrip" at trying to contract and dig in deeper. Is that correct or do I got it all wrong?

Treppe is the reason there is an "at bat" box in a baseball game. You perform better after having "warmed up"

Ah ha. I just found the exercises thing on here with all the animations and that is the most helpful thing I have ever seen. I didnt know there were so many exercises for just the abs. Now if only I could get enough protein.

You can. Just keep at it.

How do you get protein with every meal? I know its in meats and stuff but its not like meat is appetizing till lunchtime or later and I dont really have the time every morning to make eggs and stuff, so what other options are there that wont break the bank?

no room for laziness, do what you have to do not what you want to do

I ate a lot more today thinking it would help subside all the soreness so I could be ready for another workout day tomorrow, though I am still hardly able to sit up in bed without my abs killing me. I did some ab stretches so maybe that will help. I can get some eggs going in the morning, I usually make 4 scrambled, and I can add some toast and almond butter.. I will work out tomorrow then I will call it quits till Sunday. I can work out every day though I think Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday would be good. Should I go in for 20 minute elliptical daily? I was disappointed last time I was at the gym last year so I just want to make sure I do it right this time. That guy on shapefit.com home page at the very top in sephia is exactly how I want to look..not too bulky or anything and very defined.

Went to the gym, could barely do a crunch.. I did 20 tuesday. Why cant I recover very fast?

Because you aren't used to doing it.

When you first start working out, you are probably using muscles that don't get used much, yes they will be sore. Sometimes it can take up to a week for that to go away. Work through it, and enjoy it, because in all likely hood, you will never be this sore again. I kinda like it, cos I can feel the way my muscles move, it's kinda rad.

Vary your ab exercises. Crunches can be hard on the back, and there are better exercises out there.

I dont mind the soreness since I know its in indicator that Im doing something but I wish it didnt take so long to recover. Has to be some way I can speed that up. Kinda pointless going to the gym when I can't do anything. I can sure tell what exercises involve abs to an extent though. Anything that uses them makes them hurt lol But yeah, I would start leaning back to lay flat to do a crunch and I would pretty much fall back cause they are so sore and unwilling right now. I got all the time in the world for them to grow though!

Recovery time is key. And like I said, once your body gets used to using the muscles, it won't hurt so bad. Work through it now, and you'll be fine by next week. Just gotta get into it.

I dont understand why a lot of the guys there go every day. Do they recover that quick or what? They do all complain about not getting any bulkier so I figured they were just overtraining.

If you don't recover, you won't grow. It is also possible they are training different groups. I go 6 days a week, and train something different each trip. Doing 6000 bicep curls everyday is painful boring and a complete waste of time. Make sure you rest. If I was a doctor, I'd say "Trust me, I'm a Doctor."* But I'm not so I'll stick with "Trust me, I'm adorable."


*I was a chimney doctors for 7 months. I think that counts.

Youve had twice as good of response as anyone else I know. Well a lot of people on here are very smart. I was at another forum and umm, lets just say the first guy to respond said "prepare to be flamed" and it was the same first post as I posted here.. I have read a lot of good posts on the forum from swanso5 and bossman. Very nice forum. Oh and they target the same things every day so yeah I dont see them gaining anything.

Well babe, glad you like it here (:

Eeek, cant tell if I am eating too much and gaining fat or not. Every time I sit down I see a roll form, a substantial one. Should I get back to doing the elliptical for 20 min a day or something?