“Cramp” is a word that’s often used to describe any kind of pain in a muscle. If you’re experiencing a cramping sensation in your stomach when doing sit-ups, it might first be helpful to determine if you’re actually getting cramps.
Stomach Cramps After Sit-Ups
An ordinary muscle cramp is a sudden, involuntary contraction or overshortening of the muscle, say experts. It can last for several seconds or minutes and can cause mild to extreme pain as the muscle impinges on the nerves. You may feel a few brief spasms or twitches before the onset of the full cramp. With severe cramps, the muscle may stay sore or tender for a few days.
One form of stomach cramps is common enough to have been awarded a medical phrase: exercise-related transient abdominal pain, or ETAP. It’s commonly referred to as a “side stitch.” It’s most likely to occur during activities with repetitive movement involving an upright torso, such as running, says Runner’s World.
ETAP is a localized pain that’s usually felt on the sides of the mid abdomen, though it can occur anywhere in the abdomen. When acute, ETAP can be sharp or stabbing. When less severe, it may take the form of cramping, aching, or pulling.
Don’t Eat Before Your Workout
Eating before exercise is one possible reason for cramping during physical activity, which may happen as your body circulates blood to your stomach to help with digestion, according to Cleveland Clinic. Try not to eat for two hours before exercising, to reduce the likelihood of cramping.
Be Sure to Warm Up
Warming up with stretches may be your best bet for avoiding abdominal cramps during exercise. Gentle stretching — in this case, of the abdominal muscles — is both preventative and potential cure for the cramps. Stretch for 5 to 10 minutes before your workout, focusing on your sides, suggests Cleveland Clinic. Stretching, or doing other gentle exercise prior to going into high gear with sit-ups or other abdominal exercises, reduces the chance of muscle fatigue, which can lead to ab cramps after a workout.
Drink Your Water
Although dehydration and its accompanying depletion of electrolytes are commonly cited as a reason for muscle cramping, there is not a lot of research to support this idea. And unless you’ve done 800 sit-ups in a steam room or have been working out strenuously for hours, you’re unlikely to get dehydrated just by doing sit-ups. Still, it’s worth taking into account.
The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two hours before starting exercise and 7 to 10 ounces every half hour during exercise.
