Abs....pushing through

[mitchcumstein]

Ive been doing ab work lately and i havent been able to get past 45 crunches in the first set till now. I would feel the lactic acid build up and stop right when i though they were about to give out but i discovered if i just kept going, it would go away and i can make it to 120. Wtf?? Is this is whats known as "pushing though it"? Ive heard the term before but never knew what it meant. Youd think after working out for 5 years id know this by now. lol


Kinda dumb but thought id share.

[kovalaybolt17]

i have similar experiences with abs. its all will power.. to go to absolute failure on bodyweight crunches would be insane. i figured out i was cheating myself when id always end on a round number.. like 60-70-80 so i figured it was just mental and started powering through it and getting 100+. FEEL THE BURN.

[TheHorseman]

I did the same thing today on bodyweight dips at the end of my workout. I wanted to quit at like 30 (I was cooked and had no rest) but ended up doing like 100. It got easier as I went.

Just remember: the mind fails first.

[mitchcumstein]

Originally Posted by TheHorseman

I did the same thing today on bodyweight dips at the end of my workout. I wanted to quit at like 30 (I was cooked and had no rest) but ended up doing like 100. It got easier as I went.

Just remember: the mind fails first.

Why is it you can do this with bodyweight exercises but not weights? Im curious what the physiology is behind it.

[lee thompson]

Originally Posted by mitchcumstein

Ive been doing ab work lately and i havent been able to get past 45 crunches in the first set till now. I would feel the lactic acid build up and stop right when i though they were about to give out but i discovered if i just kept going, it would go away and i can make it to 120. Wtf?? Is this is whats known as "pushing though it"? Ive heard the term before but never knew what it meant. Youd think after working out for 5 years id know this by now. lol


Kinda dumb but thought id share.

Cheers mate,i have been training for years and still learn new things!

[TheHorseman]

Originally Posted by mitchcumstein

Why is it you can do this with bodyweight exercises but not weights? Im curious what the physiology is behind it.

I'm thinking about this now... I'm not so sure that it's a just bodyweight thing (maybe kind of an isolation thing) because I've done similar things with tricep pushdowns. Fk, I guess that's wrong too because I've busted a personal best by 50 reps on a widowmaker when I thought I was dying 35 reps prior.

Honestly, I don't know if there's any logical explanation.

[lee thompson]

its an odd one? i find listening to the Rocky theme helps to bang out a few more reps!!

[PhiSigPhi]

Perhaps it's all mental. I believe it's been shown the human body only uses a certain percentage of its strength. The remaining strength can be tapped into if you properly mentally prepare yourself and even then it's still an amount far away from your body's capabilities.

The rest is only used when you are in a life and death situation.. Accounts of people lifting 1200lb slabs of rocks off themselves happen for a reason! Note that using 100% of your strength can and most likely would tear the muscles right off your bones! Intense

[kovalaybolt17]

Originally Posted by PhiSigPhi

Perhaps it's all mental. I believe it's been shown the human body only uses a certain percentage of its strength. The remaining strength can be tapped into if you properly mentally prepare yourself and even then it's still an amount far away from your body's capabilities.

The rest is only used when you are in a life and death situation.. Accounts of people lifting 1200lb slabs of rocks off themselves happen for a reason! Note that using 100% of your strength can and most likely would tear the muscles right off your bones! Intense

you've been watching to much dragonball z.

[m3somorph]

I am going to draw on my extensive experience in the sport of rowing in an attempt to shed a little light on your situation. In the likely event that you are not too familiar with the nuances of the rowing stroke, all you need to know for the purpose of our discussion is its an extremely physically challenging and technically precise action that an elite rower repeats approximately 200 times to complete a standard 2000m race.

Now, during the decade or so I have spent on the water I have observed how rower's bodies respond when placed under extreme stress. I have found when fatigue begins to creep in, rowers tend to respond in one of two ways: They maintain their form and drop the pressure of they maintain the pressure and their form begins to waiver. Most rowers fall somewhere on the spectrum between these two absolutes and the net effect is a decrease in boat speed.

Anyhow, the rowers who let their form slide do not make a conscious decision to do so. They know as well as their coaches that a technically proficient stroke -- that moves the boat the greatest distance with the least amount of effort -- is the key to winning races in conjuction with a little bit of elbow grease. However, their instincts dictate that a drop in pressure will also produce a drop in boat speed so they end up unconsciously choosing to prioritize pressure over form.

Their body responds by maintaining the pressure and producing a movememnt that closely resembles but does not completely replicate the most effeicient stroke cycle. They start to bring in muscle groups and perform small movements that destabilize the boat and check the run. Even though they are producing more boat speed by maintaining their pressure instead of folding to fatigue, they are also doing things to destabilize and slow the run of the boat.

How does this relate to your crunch conundrum? I think you are unconsciously using muscles that are not intended to be part of the exercise to complete the movement. Maybe you're using your glutes? Maybe you're releiving the pressure from your abs by rocking off the floor? Maybe your form is compeltely fine and my theory is a load but its defiantely worth thinking about. Its probably also worth noting that I've found it alot easier to cut corners without noticing when you're doing plyometric exercise than when you're weight lifting.