ab muscle cramps

You guys/gals ever experience abdominal muscle cramps? I've been having them on a semi-daily basis for the last month or so. Yes, I am talking about a cramp in my abominal muscles, usually localized on one side. Hurts a lot for a couple of minutes, and all I can do is bend over and wait until it passes. I've noticed they are usually triggered when I am trying to get out of a tight position, like getting out from under my jeep. Yes, I am certain these are muscle cramps. I can feel the actual muscle tightening up painfully.

I've had calf cramps ("charlie horses") before, but, until recently, never ab cramps.

Stay hydrated; don't shy away from the liquids. I've had ab cramps and they can be triggered, or made worse, by lack of hydration. And they can be scary when the ab muscle feel like they have a mind of their own.

[QUOTE=goranothos;739567053]You guys/gals ever experience abdominal muscle cramps? I've been having them on a semi-daily basis for the last month or so. Yes, I am talking about a cramp in my abominal muscles, usually localized on one side. Hurts a lot for a couple of minutes, and all I can do is bend over and wait until it passes. I've noticed they are usually triggered when I am trying to get out of a tight position, like getting out from under my jeep. Yes, I am certain these are muscle cramps. I can feel the actual muscle tightening up painfully.

I've had calf cramps ("charlie horses") before, but, until recently, never ab cramps.[/QUOTE]

Funny you mention this. I drink about a gallon, to a gallon and a half of water...per day. The other day I'm working out my abs (had already consumed a half gallon of water that day) ...and all of the sudden...I started to cramp up...bad! My buddy is a trainer there. I went over to him and mentioned my cramping. He said as long as I'm hydrated (and we both concluded I was), the cramping is not unusual...especially since I've just started to focus on exercising my abs. If you just started doing abs about a month ago...it might just take some time.

Comes with age and can be caused by your abs not being in shape. You can do situps, but have weak obliques. Also, if you are taking a supplement with creatine, it can cause you to cramp if you do not drink plenty of water. So can diet supplements, again, without plenty of water. Coffee with caffeine can cause cramping too since caffeine is a diuretic.
Whatever you do, don't take a pre or intra workout drink and then have coffee after your workout. You're asking for muscle cramps.

I've had calf cramps ("charlie horses") before, but, until recently, never ab cramps.[/QUOTE]

I would occasionally get abdominal muscle cramps when I worked they at the end of my leg routine. So I changed the abs to a different training day. Problem solved.

Good info, all. I probably need to hydrate better. I've been working my abs for over a year, but recently switched from once a week to 3x a week.

What about the old "eat a bananna every day"? Any truth to that as a cure for muscle cramps?

Make sure your getting enough potassium along with the water

I cramp all the time doing abs. I usually lay down on my belly and put my arms out straight and raise up my chest/torso to stretch my abs/hip flexors, and it seems to do the trick.

I've been having a similar problem of late. I've been really upping the intensity of my workouts in the past month and I'm cramping all over especially in the latissmus dorsi region, had an ab cramp the other day. I'm pretty well hydrated (half gallon to a gallon a day), I do have a banana every day with my post workout protein shake. I'm betting I'm just not getting enough of something somewhere...haven't narrowed it down yet. I've never taken a multi...thinking I might need to look into that.

[QUOTE=goranothos;739567053]You guys/gals ever experience abdominal muscle cramps? I've been having them on a semi-daily basis for the last month or so. Yes, I am talking about a cramp in my abominal muscles, usually localized on one side. Hurts a lot for a couple of minutes, and all I can do is bend over and wait until it passes. I've noticed they are usually triggered when I am trying to get out of a tight position, like getting out from under my jeep. Yes, I am certain these are muscle cramps. I can feel the actual muscle tightening up painfully.

I've had calf cramps ("charlie horses") before, but, until recently, never ab cramps.[/QUOTE]


A PT friend of mine recommends increasing salt intake if you are having muscle cramps if you are already keeping your fluids up.

Playing rugby I would always drink tons of water but would still cramp up late in the game. Once I started eating just a little salt (less than a fast food packet) with water before a match and at half time, I didn't have any more problems.

Other than drinking plenty of water, which you already do, stretching the abs is the best thing to help them. I get them sometimes in my abs and that's when I know that I've been slacking on ab exercises and/or stretching them out. lol I read a recent post similar to this one where someone suggested drinking pickle juice to help muscle cramps. After doing some reading about it, I'm going to check it out, so you may want to look into that also. Good luck!