crunches on ball= swollen ribs???

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doobabe
doobabe Posts: 436 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, so, I havent done crunches in a LOONG, LOOOONG time and I decided to do 60 on my ball yesterday morning. My abs are ok, but today my ribs hurt like seriously bad and they are swollen??? Hmmm.... I normally dont go this long without doing them but, has this happened to anyone else? Ouch! Now what?? I have a photo shoot on Sunday and cannot have swollen ribs lol Nice....

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  • missy1970eb
    missy1970eb Posts: 1,209
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    i only do 30 a day, and touch wood have had no problems
  • iamthepreston
    iamthepreston Posts: 195 Member
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    I would wager its just sore abs, and that what you are calling swollen is just hypertrophy. Abs should be back to normal in 3 days.
  • Mayor_West
    Mayor_West Posts: 246 Member
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    It sounds like there may be an issue with your form- crunches on a swiss ball should work both your abs and your lower back as well, provided you're positioned on the ball correctly. The top of the ball should align perfectly with the curve of your lower back- this will provide the most stability during the movement. During the crunch, you should lower your upper body in an arc behind you until you feel tension on your abs- contract your abs to pull yourself back upright. Do not bend at the waist- this probably explains why your ribs are sore. Also, each rep should be a slow, controlled movement- focus on QUALITY, not QUANTITY. Aim for 2-3 seconds for each part of the rep- if you do this right, you will definitely feel it in your abs and not in your ribs. I see people all the time doing hundreds of high-speed reps thinking they're going to end up with 6-packs when in fact all they're doing is another form of cardio.
  • doobabe
    doobabe Posts: 436 Member
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    It sounds like there may be an issue with your form- crunches on a swiss ball should work both your abs and your lower back as well, provided you're positioned on the ball correctly. The top of the ball should align perfectly with the curve of your lower back- this will provide the most stability during the movement. During the crunch, you should lower your upper body in an arc behind you until you feel tension on your abs- contract your abs to pull yourself back upright. Do not bend at the waist- this probably explains why your ribs are sore. Also, each rep should be a slow, controlled movement- focus on QUALITY, not QUANTITY. Aim for 2-3 seconds for each part of the rep- if you do this right, you will definitely feel it in your abs and not in your ribs. I see people all the time doing hundreds of high-speed reps thinking they're going to end up with 6-packs when in fact all they're doing is another form of cardio.

    Well, I have all of that under control. I can "feel it" in my abs, they just dont HURT and are not "swollen" like the rib area..... I did 20 side crunches on each side and 20 regular. Slow and steady as always...... Hmmmm..... Not sure- maybe my form was a bit off this time since I havent done any in awhile? Thanks so much for your help :)

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