My abs are too weak to even complete a single exercise

ebicon

I've tried planks, sit ups, crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, and ab bicycles. No matter which I do, the pain is so intense that I can barely complete a single rep. My abs are so weak that I can't complete an any of these exercises without putting pressure on my legs or back to support me. How can I possibly build them and get them stronger when I can complete a single ab exercise?

I'm also not overweight, at 5'4 and 53 kg. I'm just unbelievably weak!

bella42182

I am no doctor, but I would say it depends on the "pain". Is is painful as in it feels like you are being stabbed? Pain like a shooting/numbing type thing? Or painful like it's pressure from straining?

If it's one of the 1st two, I would see a doctor. If it's pressure, I think that is natural. I worked with my friend who could not pull her body up for 2 full sit-ups. I worked with her every day, doing planks (started at 10 seconds for 3 reps 3x a day and increased by 5 seconds each week). We also did other weight exercises like dumbbell/barbell bicep curls (standing), squats with a barbell (resting on the lower neck/upper back), goblet squats, lunges with dumbbells, basically anything that will force you to tighten your core area while performing the movement.

After 4 months of working on this, she can do everything I can do almost! She is doing incline sit ups (3 sets @ 20 reps) with the bench lifted about 24 " off the ground, planks for 1m 30s easy, even rope crunches with 50lbs on it! It takes time, dedication and slow progress. Just keep with it and go slow. The last thing you want to do is hurt yourself.

Check out this site. You can look up all the exercises I mentioned and also on there you can sort exercises by muscle groups (scroll down to "Find Exercises by Body Part"). Within that each exercise will tell you primary group used as well as secondary and tertiary.

Good Luck!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout/exercise.html

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Without knowing your goals it's hard to give advice, but my first question is...

Why are you putting so much focus on your abs? There are plenty of exercises that work your core without doing direct core work. But again, I don't know what your goals are.

MoreBean13

What exactly is the pain like? It sounds like something more than just muscle weakness. Are you able to sit up in the morning when you get out of bed? Do your abs hurt from other activities, like running? (running actually has a lot of ab involvement stabilizing between all four of your limbs moving in different directions.)

BerryH

Ruling out pain from a medical condition, if the discomfort is just from weakness, try standing core exercises. Here's some links to try, but don't use weights to start with:

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/vertical-abs-workout-6-standing-moves-six-pack/

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201310/5-standing-ab-exercises

For planks, start off on your hands and knees in a square table position. Move your knees back just an inch or two until you feel your core working. Move your knees back further each time as you get stronger until you're doing a fully extended knee plank. When you're ready to start a full plank, keep your feet a good distance apart to make it easier, then gradually move them together.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

jonnythan

Trying to do situps with very weak abs is a recipe for a torn-up back. If your abs are too weak to counteract the pull of the back muscles on the spine, it'll pull the spine out of alignment. This can lead to muscle tears, ligament damage, or damaged discs.

You describe "intense pain" which is not at all normal no matter how weak your abs are. I suggest you see a physician before continuing on this quest.

JoRocka

Ruling out pain from a medical condition, if the discomfort is just from weakness, try standing core exercises. Here's some links to try, but don't use weights to start with:

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/vertical-abs-workout-6-standing-moves-six-pack/

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201310/5-standing-ab-exercises

For planks, start off on your hands and knees in a square table position. Move your knees back just an inch or two until you feel your core working. Move your knees back further each time as you get stronger until you're doing a fully extended knee plank. When you're ready to start a full plank, keep your feet a good distance apart to make it easier, then gradually move them together.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

you can also do a modified of that- and do one leg back- and one knee bent... and you can slowly work on lifting the leg-
or another variation

hand and knees (table position/pose)
then extend one arm forward- head stays neutral- eyes to the ground

as that gets more comfortable- you can combine the extended leg- opposite arm- and then work on drawing them together under you- with a round back.

BUT - that being said- it sounds like there is more going on here than just that.

Rule out physical pain first- then start strengthening.

Work on desk or wall panks. it's a modification- like doing push ups up high- just a modified way of doing it.

another thing.

Lay on your back.

Put your feet up in the air- so you make an L shape.

For you this might be work- count to 10- 15-20 whatever- if you get to 30 easily. You can keep the legs straight- and lower them so you make more of an angle than a L.

Keep doing this for 10-30 seconds- whatever you can manage- and then work your way all the way down to 6" off the floor.

skcrocker

I'm glad I found this board, I happen to be trying to do some stregnth training, (core and arm) then I am going to start running eventually again. I had stopped running due to an injury. (not stretching properly and not doing other core training got me on the injured list. I knew better but I had been out of the running game for a while. valuable lesson learned)

Anyway, core training has never been my strong point. so this week my daughter and I have been working out and I struggle with a very weak core and arm strength. I had been working with a doctor to get my weight back under control since I had been injured i had also let my weight go. I had lost 63 pounts and just recently learnd the last four were muscles from the core and arma areas. Hence focusing on a more well rounded workouts since I had been walking more and not much else.

So the gist of this post is that I need to add more than just walking and running to my workouts (cardio), I need to strength train too and make sure I cover all my muscle groups and not get hung up on any particular area of focus and these links came at just the right time for me.

I am so upset with myself for losing so much muscle weight, I know better and it still happened so now it's time to get my head back int he game and make sure I can do things the right way and stop slacking. I am so thankful so boards like this. (and my 16 year old daughter who also happens to be a "mini-me".

dbmata

****. necro thread.