Ab Cramps

[Specimen]

7 weeks into 500 test 300 deca and seeing great gains (2nd cycle). I'll occasionally get these debilitating ab cramps near the end of my workouts and ill have to end my workout. Legit feels like someone is trying to rip my stomach out. I have been working out longer in the gym about 115-145 depending on the day and ill be sweating a good amount. Wondering if this could be a side effect of deca? I'm very good with hydration throughout the day and have a banana 4-5 days a week. Has anyone experienced this and is there anything I can try to stop this from happening?

 

[Juicehead88]

Are you sure they arnt intestinal cramps? Deca doesnt give cramps like that could be food related


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[Specimen]

Definitely muscular. The other day I was supersetting sit ups on the decline holding the bar and hamstring curls.. on my second round i got a cramp (ab) doing hamstring curls. Even reaching down after it stops to grab my phone from the floor I can feel it tighten up. I only do abs about once a week so that may be a factor but I'm thinking it has to be because I sweat so much and by the end of my workout when I hit abs I'm dehydrated. Just frustrating having to end a workout because of this. Just realized I have BCAAs so ill give that a shot

 

[Juicehead88]

Well its not deca and its definatly not dehydration or you would be cramping in multiple places. I would advise not to do abs with hamstring curls. Your abdominals attach at the top of your legs. So you are contracting abs then trying to flip and stretch them doing ham curls. Probly the issue.


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[Specimen]

Possibly, but that's not the only time it happened. Another time i was doing crunches on a bench then bodyweight tricep dips and it happened during dips. One time I was only doing abs and mid set i could feel my abs tighten like it was about to cramp so I just stopped. Im only bringing up deca as a possible culprit because on a test only cycle I never experienced this and I was hitting abs 2-3 times a week.

 

[Juicehead88]

How lean are you?


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[Specimen]

Hard to say exactly. Im 6'0 207 right now up from 195 pre cycle. My body naturally doesn't hold too much fat being im a hard ecto and I still have visible abs so id say somewhere in the 13-15% range

 

[RickRock]

This is definitely not a characteristic of deca, and I'm wondering if you haven't strained or pulled something. I'd lay off the ab work for a bit bud

 

[Specimen]

Not a strain or pull because its not an issue when im not working out. Its also happened on different sides of the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscles not obliques)

 

[Juicehead88]

Not a strain or pull because its not an issue when im not working out. Its also happened on different sides of the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscles not obliques)

I agree w rick layoff the abs training for a week or ten days then try and see


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[Specimen]

will do, appreciate the advice

 

[Jswole79]

I don't know if you've had your blood work done but when I was on test and deca my abs felt like they caved in and were constantly tight. I got labs and my estrogen was really low. I had to quit the eod of aro and go to every third day and that was even pushing it. Mine never cramped but they would feel so tight it was hard to relax or go to sleep like they were constantly flexed.

 

[Specimen]

I don't know if you've had your blood work done but when I was on test and deca my abs felt like they caved in and were constantly tight. I got labs and my estrogen was really low. I had to quit the eod of aro and go to every third day and that was even pushing it. Mine never cramped but they would feel so tight it was hard to relax or go to sleep like they were constantly flexed.

Im getting bloods next week so ill definitely have that checked and go from there

 

[RickRock]

Not a strain or pull because its not an issue when im not working out. Its also happened on different sides of the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscles not obliques)

You won't always feel strains or pulls unless you put resistance on them. When I had my bicep injury I only felt it when training them directly, not even with back work. My shoulder injury same way.

 

[Carmel cowboy]

I had this same issue a while ago and for me it was that my abs were not conditioned enough to handle the infrequent direct exercise I was doing. For me I started doing light abs just bodyweight crunches in the beginning of my workout for 20 reps 3 days a week. No superset just straight sets of crunches. Every 2 weeks I increased the amount of reps by 5. As you may know the abs stabilize every movement in the body so adding some crunches every now and then put them in the overworked stage and cramping is possible. Make sure you stretch the abdominal wall after each set of crunches. That's what worked for me when I had the same issue. Hope that helps bro.

 

[RickRock]

I agree that they are at the least overworked and probably need rest.

 

[Specimen]

I had this same issue a while ago and for me it was that my abs were not conditioned enough to handle the infrequent direct exercise I was doing. For me I started doing light abs just bodyweight crunches in the beginning of my workout for 20 reps 3 days a week. No superset just straight sets of crunches. Every 2 weeks I increased the amount of reps by 5. As you may know the abs stabilize every movement in the body so adding some crunches every now and then put them in the overworked stage and cramping is possible. Make sure you stretch the abdominal wall after each set of crunches. That's what worked for me when I had the same issue. Hope that helps bro.

I didnt really hit abs directly for a good 2 months so maybe im going thru something similar. Ill just ease myself back into it with body weight exercises only and hopefully it wont happen again. Thanks

 

[Juicehead88]

What most people dont understand. You dont work abs/core for a six pack or serratus. They are all very small muscles. They dont need much work to grow. What you need to do is be better on diet. Thats where the abs come out. You dont need to do abs more then twice a week.


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[cbbram00]

What most people dont understand. You dont work abs/core for a six pack or serratus. They are all very small muscles. They dont need much work to grow. What you need to do is be better on diet. Thats where the abs come out. You dont need to do abs more then twice a week.


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Yup I see overweight people doing abs all the time at my gym and I want to tell them diet and cardio make abs not the ab machine.

 

[Carmel cowboy]

I agree the visibility of your abs is made with losing body fat but, The strength of your core is crucial in every movement that you do especially for someone that is overweight cause the have to support some much more weight. Your only as strong as your weakest link and could be a limiting factor.