Too fat for crunches? Please help...

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chrysalis2015
chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm trying to do some crunches along with planks for my core. I did about 5 crunches then felt this horrible pressure (no sharpness) followed by what felt like my insides crawling up my abdomen and coming up my ribs. I could barely breathe! I put pressure on the area and could feel whatever it was fighting against my hand. It then went down, the rest of my stomach moved, and like a wave it came back. This was literally around the 7th rib (the one directly under my breast, kind of where the underwire on a bra would cut in) so I can't believe that it would be a hernia or something...way too high!

After a couple of minutes I was able to stand back up, walk around, and right now I'm okay sitting.

Am I just too fat to be doing crunches then? Incidentally I did the "ab weight machine" at the Y without problem. I'm in the 220s and 5'5"...what could this be? TIA

Replies

  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Was it a cramp? I've had cramps in places I never thought possible.

    Pretty sure you can't be "too fat for crunches" you just won't crunch as far as thinner people. For instance I used to not be able to touch my elbow to my knee in a bicycle crunch. Now I can. But I still did them when I couldn't reach.

    Talk to a doctor if it returns/persists.....*shrug*
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    you just need conditioning.

    do more. when it gets weird, stop until it resolves. Then do more.

    Make it something you do, we can all do crunches to a pretty high volume. There's some days I'll shoot for 500.
  • DirrtyH
    DirrtyH Posts: 664 Member
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    I definitely think it's some kind of parasite. You'll need to have it surgically removed before it comes bursting out of your stomach at an inopportune moment.

    But if you don't think that's what it is, I have two thoughts:

    1. You can get a good core workout without doing crunches. I HATE crunches and I've found a lot of good alternatives. Check out pinterest.
    2. This probably isn't what it is, but I've had some pain on the right side of my abdomen right under my rib cage. Gall bladder issues. I haven't found that this is affected in any way by exercise though so this probably isn't what you're experiencing, but it might be worth googling just in case.
  • chrysalis2015
    chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    There was no pain so I'm not sure about the gallbladder issue. Seems kind of high for that...but LOL about the "Aliens" reference!

    I may just have to get it checked out. It wasn't a spasm where it was coming out...I mean it was a literal ball under my breast that I had to push back and hold my hand there while the rest of my abdomen moved like in a wave. It just seems so high for a hernia - if it was lower in the abdomen I would swear it was a hernia.
    -
    In the meantime I put on a Spanx-type garment and that's making me more comfortable with the extra support. Just weird *shrug*
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    just conditioning.

    If a ball was moving around your body, you would have gone to the doctor by now.
  • chrysalis2015
    chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    The lack of conditioning would make sense considering how deconditioned I am.

    Okay so if it's deconditioning, other than planks (which I can only do so much of due to prior shoulder injuries) are there other exercises that I can do to strengthen my core? I'm not trying to spot reduce (which I know you can't do) - this is purely a conditioning question because...good grief, if my core is this out of shape I really need to do something.

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    good crunches, where you focus on a nice solid contraction.

    planks tend to be trash, with the exception of the RKC plank.

    General movement, for me there was a lot of squats, deadlifts, get ups, etc.
  • chrysalis2015
    chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    good crunches, where you focus on a nice solid contraction.

    planks tend to be trash, with the exception of the RKC plank.

    General movement, for me there was a lot of squats, deadlifts, get ups, etc.


    I'm doing squats - I like them because they seem a good overall workout. I'll have to look up what a "get up" is...deadlifts seem like they wouldn't be good for my back if my core wasn't strong enough...

    Thank you :smile: It was just weird/scary. I guess I'm just more out of shape than I thought.
  • awesomewastaken
    awesomewastaken Posts: 92 Member
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    Try this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-2nTyxdKA4
    It really helped me when I was just starting out with Pilates and couldn't for the life of me figure out what all the Pilates videos were saying about engaging your core. She has another great video (for postnatal mums or something like that) which I enjoyed a lot as well.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Standing "crunches" are good: http://exercise.about.com/od/abworkouts/ss/advancedabexercises2_11.htm

    A very beginner ab workout is You Can Do Abs (requires a stability ball): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUehp8yYMk&list=PL1009F3C9F57B0AAA&index=3

    ^This is a video clip.....DVD is really cheap on Amazon. Maybe you can find more of this video on YouTube (or Gaiam TV)
  • SherylShug
    SherylShug Posts: 9
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    hi, Chrysalis-

    I have trouble doing crunches, too, because of my belly, but you can also use machines at your gym to work your abs doing an overhead pulldown, on your knees. I can't describe it in words but maybe there are others who know what I mean here who can help.

    good luck!
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    I'm pretty sure I have a hernia that sounds a lot like what you are talking about. I can feel it when it comes out (with too much straining usually...sorry tmi) and literally can push it back in. My dr. said that if it isn't stuck outside the abdominal wall then they can't diagnose it for sure without surgery or some other way to look inside. So, if it isn't bothering me I am living with it. I feel like it hasn't happened much lately so if I build up strength in my abdomen maybe it won't come through. It is high up on my abdomen on the right side...not far under the boobage. I get it to back either by a long stretch...making myself as tall as I can on the right side, or just pushing it back in. I do a LOT of core work and occasionally it happens in pilates but not often.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    :grey_question:
    Aliens-Movie-Chestburster-570x294.jpg
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Here's a body weight workout; use google-fu or youtube to find more.
    Do what you can. Tomorrow do a little more. Keep adding.
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    Yup, that's it exactly! How did they get my picture? :wink:
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    So stop doing crunches, then. There are plenty of other ab/core workouts that are better for your back and more effective than crunches, which are next to completely useless, IMO. Previous posters have already recommended a few good exercises.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    you can have whats called a hiatal hernia which is higher up(closer to your heart) you can do all the crunches in the world and its not going to make a difference.look up core exercises and do them,also total body workouts are good. you want to work all parts of your core not just one area (which are what crunches do).
  • af_wife2004
    af_wife2004 Posts: 149 Member
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    I like to get workout DVDs from the library to try them out and find ones that I can do comfortably. I like pilates and the "For Dummies" line.
  • chrysalis2015
    chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
    edited March 2015
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    :grey_question:
    Aliens-Movie-Chestburster-570x294.jpg

    It's more off to her right side/our left LOL

    Edit - also higher up. That's at her stomach.
  • chrysalis2015
    chrysalis2015 Posts: 212 Member
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    AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »
    So stop doing crunches, then. There are plenty of other ab/core workouts that are better for your back and more effective than crunches, which are next to completely useless, IMO. Previous posters have already recommended a few good exercises.


    Oh I'll stop! I just freaked out because it was just so weird. It didn't hurt but it was just the strangest thing...

    I'll take a look at those videos later on after I fix dinner. Area is still sore but no other issues, bulges...nothing. Once I pushed it back in it's like nothing happened.

    Trainer at the gym is the one who suggested crunches would be good to strengthen my core for other things...so I need to tell him what happened and see if he can show me an alternative. Knowing me, I'd probably throw out my back trying to strengthen my core *laugh*

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