Nauseous After Abs Machine

I searched the forums but didn’t find anything about this. Perhaps that says more about me than anything else.

I’ve only recently (30 days) begun to drag my fat ass off the couch and into the gym.

Twice a week I use an ab crunch machine (it looks Nautilus-ish). For the first two weeks I started at 70lbs and worked up to 130lbs with no problems.

But last week I did my sets like this (60 seconds between each set)

8x70 (warmup)
8x90 (warmup)
8x110
6x120
4x130

This was typical except the last set - after the 120 set I started to feel nauseous. I decided to just tough it out but by the forth rep on 130 I thought I was going to puke. Not because the weight was too much. It was that nauseous feeling you get after getting kicked in the junk (but the discomfort is distinctly abdominal).

I had to lay down for about 5 minutes to feel good enough to walk to the locker room.

Then on Monday the same thing happened. I was doing the same set and at the same place in the sets I felt sick.

Then again today.

This is not a new amount of weight. The number of reps and sets haven’t changed. And it’s distinctly different then the sick feeling I get when I run or lift intensely.

I’ve never been overly sore or injured my abs. I don’t have a hernia. Every other exercise is fine. Even just doing crunches on a bench is fine.

It’s only when I use the abs machine that this happens.

A little more detail…

I work out at 6am so pre-workout I have a piece of fruit and 16 oz of water about 30-40 minutes prior to starting my workout. I keep 20oz of water with two scopes of protein powder with me during the work-out. I tend to get through half of it while lifting.

Prior to abs I’ve done:

  • Squat
  • Bench
  • Inclined Rows (t-bar)
  • Good mornings
  • Chest pulls

In that order with no issues (not looking for a routine critique - just letting you know what I did earlier in case it matters).

Seems like it’s one of the following:

a) I’m just a big pussy (probably true) and this is completly normal (probably not).

b) I’m sitting wrong and pinching my balls when crunching. I’d expect an entirely different sensation if this were the case.

c) God is telling me to get off the machine and get onto an inclined bench to do sit-ups.

d) Something else entirely.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Get off the machine! If its making you sick, then do something else. I know it sounds crazy but give it a try…

Seconded. The ab machines are only there to sell gym memberships.

Holy crap. get off that machine. It will do something for you, but NOT what you are expecting. Is this the only thing you do with this volume? If you are pushing something overhead and pulling an overhaed object down with this volume, if you are pushing something away and pulling something toward you with this volume, if you extending your knees and hips with this volume, you are fine. If not, why don’t you?

[quote]swordthrower wrote:
Get off the machine! If its making you sick, then do something else. I know it sounds crazy but give it a try…[/quote]

Yea, see if other ab stuff with this intensity makes you feel like puking as well. On the one hand you could be in terrible shape, on the other hand maybe this ab machine is doing something strange to you.

Thanks to all that replied - it confirmed what I already thought which was to get off the machine.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
Holy crap. get off that machine. [/quote]

I’ve stopped using the machine.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
It will do something for you, but NOT what you are expecting.[/quote]

I don’t have illusions about getting well defined rock hard abs. I’m (very) fat. I want to lose weight and retain what muscle I have. Right now I’m focused on eating right and getting into the gym every day and moving lots of heavy (to me, anyway) things.

My goal with using this machine was to introduce some variety into my workout instead of doing crunches over and over.

That said - I recently discovered exrx.net (via T-Nation.com) which has shown me several alternative exercises that I will try for variety instead of using this machine. Mostly body-weight stuff which, at my weight, is probably a good thing.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
Is this the only thing you do with this volume?[/quote]

No.

[quote]If you are pushing something overhead and pulling an overhaed object down with this volume,
[/quote]

I use Military Press and Shoulder Press for vertical push, and front and rear pull-downs and assisted pull-ups for pull.

Bench press, push-ups and assisted dips for push. Various types of rows for pull.

[quote]if you extending your knees and hips with this volume, you are fine.
[/quote]

Squats, deadlift, leg press, good mornings and calf raises.

For a long time I wasn’t. I was walking and jogging and eating 1400 calories a day. I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working.

Then I found T-Nation, free weights and clean eating.

I’m trying not to over-think what I do. But when something hurts I want to understand why so I can correct whatever I’m doing wrong.

ok, while I agree with everyone who said “stop using the machine” I’d like to propose another idea. You said you usually have just a piece of fruit and some water before the gym, and then drink a protein shake as you workout. Protein shakes make some people nauseous, especially first thing in the morning.

If this shake has any sort of milk protein or milk in it, and you’re putting it on top of fruit (especially citrus) you may just be experiencing normal gastrointestinal distress due to the nasty curdling going on in your gut.

The fact that it happens when you do the ab machine may just be related to the fact that it’s stirring up the contents of your stomach. It could also be that it takes X amount of time before your stomach feels sick from this mixture and you happen to be doing the ab machine at the same time every workout.

Again,I agree that you should stop with the machine, but I’d be interested to see if replacing it with another ab exercise (and keeping everything else the same) fixes the problem or not. If so, good. If not, try changing what you eat before the gym, maybe something less acidic than fruit.

When I used to do the whole morning workout thing I would usualy grab some peanut butter on whole wheat toast/bagel beforehand, I can’t workout on an empty stomach in the morning and fruit just doesn’t seem to cut it for me.

good luck,
Jay

Welcome to T-Nation then. You are doing something about your level of fatness, and that is the most important things. You say you are very fat. Please explain. Weight, height, tape measure @ nipple level and navel. You don’t actually have to post a pic of yourself while holding a shoe…

If you are obese, and you are going to get as many opinions on this as there are grains of sand, mine, focus on losing weight first. Set that as a primary goal. Post meal shakes and all that are ok, but if the rest of your day is not in order, then they are a waste of money. liken it to all the things that say “use this and your gas mileage will improve 5%” OK.

Do that thing, then do another thing that promises the 10%. Before long, the energy crisis is over. If you are really fat, get several opinions. read a lot, ALL WHILE REDUCING YOUR INTAKE OF CALORIES. Look here and elsewhere. On the outside, I would point you to a protein sparing modified fast. PSMF. Lyle McDonald. he is a bit of an ass, but brilliance does that.

This is already too long, but I will leave with these points.

The starvation effect is real, for those that are already lean. Wanting to maintain all your muscle while losing fat is a great goal, but if it comes with the price tag of slowing your total fat loss, that choice is still up to you.

To me, I would dump all the fat and call the lean tissue loss friendly fire loss, and look to regain at a decent pace when I was at the level I was happy with. people that accept that “I think I could stand to lose about 10 pounds” find that after 10 pounds of fat loss, their estimate was inaccurate.

Before I leave, I don’t mean to starve and not try to save lean tissue, but am saying that scattering goals gives mixed and inferior results than do focused goals.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
You say you are very fat. Please explain. Weight, height, tape measure @ nipple level and navel.[/quote]

5’11", 290 (down from 320). None of this “I carry the weight well” BS. I am fat and I look it. I don’t have specific measurements but I will get them for myself. Typical big gut (56" or so), skinnier waist (44") and B-cup man-boobs. Taking measurements is something I will do tonight.

I am scheduling a water submersion BF measurement at a local college. I’m guessing I’ll show around 50-55% BF but until I know for sure I won’t speculate much. Could be higher.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
You don’t actually have to post a pic of yourself while holding a shoe…
[/quote]

I took some pictures of myself at 320 to help track my progress and remind myself what I really look like. No one wants to see those :slight_smile: I hardly want to (which is probably why they are so effective a motivator).

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
On the outside, I would point you to a protein sparing modified fast.
[/quote]

I’ll look into it. Thanks.

[quote]jp_dubya wrote:
scattering goals gives mixed and inferior results than do focused goals.[/quote]

I think this is the really key point for me to take away here. I do have many goals written down. Short and long term with specific dates. These have really helped with motivation and accountability.

But I don’t have a specific “big” goal that defines my overall focus. I do need to create that goal and make sure that every other goal on my list directly contributes to achieving it. If something doesn’t I need to evaluate if it is really important or not.

Thanks. This was helpful.

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you.

What does your nutrition plan look like?

Here’s to your results!! The hydrostatic weighing is great, but is it really worth the cost? Do you have a coach helping you with your nutrition? With your training? If I could, I would scan some pertinent pages of Lyle’s book, so you could decide whether or not it’s worth it to you. You will make it if you have a solid plan. Don’t rewrite what has been written 100000000 times.

For nutrition I’m trying to follow the “7 Habits” article by Berardi ( http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459493 ).

I still cheat too much but it’s getting much better.

My most significant weight lose has occured since starting this. I know I could probably make faster gains with another approach but it felt like this was very approachable for someone with limited knowledge to get started with. If I change later at least I’m doing something positive in the mean time.

I’ve been debating the hydrostatic weighing and decided to do it based on a few factors. Primarily I want to know where I’m starting from so I’ll know what I’ve achieved. I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars getting fat. Spending $30 to measure just how much so seems reasonable and would give me a number that a year later I could compare against.

I do not believe that calipers will be accurate with my level of fatness.

I do not have a nutritional or training coach.

I went to a nutritionist at our doctor’s office and he was trying to sell me on a low fat, high carb 1500kcal/day diet. I’m sure I would lose weight on that but I’m not convinced it’s the right thing to do.

For training I have relied mostly on reading T-Nation, asking for help at the gym when necessary (like checking my squat form) and using exrx.net to learn more about which exercises target which muscles.

I suspect that right now I need more help with my nutrition then my training since my goal is weightloss and not lifting more or hypertrophy. If I eat poorly and train well I’ll still be fat - but if I eat well and train poorly I will continue to lose weight (to a point - and at certain costs with respect to LBM).

That is a great start. 7 habits is great. I haven’t read it all but I didn’t have to read every Grisham book to label him a great author.

$30 for hydrostatic is great. Calipers are OK in the hands of a trained user, but OK at best. For $30, hell, that’s a binge night of eating and drinking, before tip.

You are probably more knowledgeable than you think. There is no magic. The magic is in the effort and the determination.

You’ll have to find what you like, inre to training, accept a lot of discomfort, visualize the completion, resist skipping, look for little ways to burn calories like parking at the far end of the parking lot if there is one where you work.

Find an excuse to take the stairs to get to another floor, or just take them for the hell of it. Learn what true hunger is and what is boredom and thirst. As some say with training, terminate the set with a rep in the can, terminate a meal with a little of hunger in the can. Eat slower. Don’t eat and drive or watch TV.

Don’t eat out of a bag and assume you’ll stop. Have your complete meal ready before you start eating. The bottom line is that it all depends on your committment level.

The other thing I would add is try to take in as few liquid calories as possible; drink water instead of other liquids. Liquid calories are far less filling than solid ones.

[quote]CSharp wrote:

This was typical except the last set - after the 120 set I started to feel nauseous. I decided to just tough it out but by the forth rep on 130 I thought I was going to puke. Not because the weight was too much. It was that nauseous feeling you get after getting kicked in the junk (but the discomfort is distinctly abdominal).

Could be too much lactic acid? I have felt that way when I get real heavy with squats and leg presses on the same day.

[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
The other thing I would add is try to take in as few liquid calories as possible; drink water instead of other liquids. Liquid calories are far less filling than solid ones.[/quote]

that in itself could lead to dramatic weight loss for everyone needing to. People forget and pile in 3-500 calories in liquids, if not more.

Not to sound like an alarmist, but do you also experience a “cold sweat”? If so, I STRONGLY suggest you consider a stress test or at the least consult a cardiologist.

It’s probably just muscle spasms causing the nauseous feeling, but let me relay a story…

Age 38, same thing occurs, except that it’s when I do db squats for high reps (high reps being 10-12). Ignore it until I can’t, then stop doing squats for high reps. 13 months later I undergo an emergency triple bypass (at age 39, with no other signs or warnings-hereditary apparently). Doctor claims it was only by the grace of God I didn’t have a major heart attack and die.

Like I said, it’s probably just muscle spasms, but better safe than sorry.

TD

[quote]Tokendude wrote:
Not to sound like an alarmist, but do you also experience a “cold sweat”? If so, I STRONGLY suggest you consider a stress test or at the least consult a cardiologist.[/quote]

I don’t - but your point is well taken. At my weight and fitness level I need to be very aware of the stress I’m putting my body under.

Since removing the machine from my routine and adding new ab exercises I have not had the pain re-occur.

Glad to hear you caught your issue in time to address it.

C#