Repeatedly get DOMS but with no extra reps or weight!?

[Metal Mikey]

Crunches!
No matter how long I've been doing crunches, if I lay off of 'em for 4 or five days and then do them again I always get those ab and oblique muscles sore.

BUT how come since:

A) I only use my own (upper-)bodyweight (it isn't like I've gained 100Lbs. all of a sudden that's making the crunches heavier)

B) I always do about a hundred reps. (so it can't be a sudden or constant increase in volume)

So here i am thinking these muscles somehow deteriorate/break down in a week's time??

I don't what to think about this. It's weird to me.

Thankfully my other muscles act normal.

P.s. my goal for these muscles at the moment is endurance, not hypertrophy at all. Hence the no-weight, hi-rep approach.

[London_Guy]

Being extremely sore in a body-part does'nt mean that it has deteriorated. It's just that some muscles are different from others.

Don't lose sleep over it.

[Kayslay]

this may sound crazy but to reduce soreness, try them more often. I'm not sure how this will affect your gains - everybody is different - you will have to experiment with intensity/volume - but the longer you wait to do an exercise, the more sore you will be after doing it.

That's partly why I'm not a fan of the once a week philosophy - that way my lower back, quads or hams are always sore!

[zackmurphy]

Originally posted by Kayslay
this may sound crazy but to reduce soreness, try them more often.

There is scientific validity to this.

If it's routine DOMS and not a re-activation of an existing injury, training while still a little sore is absolutely fine, and will help stimulate muscle repair.

And FYI, muscle breakdown from lack of intense use, or from a layoff, will only occur after 3-4 weeks of non-stimulation. A few days is nothing.