Exercise/lifting tips?

[Draft]

thanks for the assessment Draft. When doing squats, my primary concern has been keeping my back as straight as possible. I try to dip as deep as possible, but I think that my stance is too narrow and I am not pointing my toes out enough, and hence some of the stiffness in my hips. Plus I am generally inflexible in my hamstrings and hips.

Also, there is no squat rack at my gym.

Don't get so caught up with the back thing. Your back needs to be in extension to create a strong base for the weight to rest on, but it doesn't need to be stand at attention straight.

Feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed way out (very open stance, more open than feels natural) and just push your knees as far to the side as you can. Far, far, far. Nothing bad will come of your knees being out.

Every relatively healthy, anatomically normal person can do a full range squat with an extended back.

If your gym doesn't have a squat rack or a power cage, I'd either look for a new gym, or consider an alternative to the back squat. They can't be done acceptably in the smith machine.

[BlueTsunami]

Yeah, flaring your legs out when doing squats helps you get real deep. Its one thing my gym partners would comment on, they seemed adamant about keeping theirs stance almost shoulder length. Its almost as if they were doing half the workout by not going deep enough.

[Draft]

If you are not breaking parallel, you are not doing a squat.

You are doing a half squat, or a quarter squat, or some other weird variation of the squat. And those exercises have a purpose. But most people aren't doing them intentionally. They just don't know how to do a proper squat.

[Cormacaroni]

Hmm. there is such a thing as too wide a stance. At some point, it diminishes ROM (which is why the competitive powerlifters do it - the bar doesn't travel as far so they can lift more). But yes, Kestastrophe needs a wider stance on his squat. Think of sitting your torso down between your legs, rather than folding your legs under your body.

Also, take the running shoes off! Bare feet, Chuck Taylors or best yet, weightlifting shoes for lifting please.

On the press, make sure you keep your core TIGHT before the lift. Take a big breath and hold it 'til the bar is back down in the rack position. Don't wobble back and forth and definitely don't use your knees - there should be no dip at all.

Other than that, Draft has it covered, I think. Smith machines are a waste of time. It's totally destroying the bar path on the squats and the deadlifts - that's why it feels so unnatural. You'll never get it more efficient as long as you're in that machine. Squats are potentially a problem (i couldn't do them in my old gym with any weight heavier than i could clean) but there is no reason to do DLs in a machine. Just grab a free bar out into open space and go for it.

[Cormacaroni]

A few tips from Rip:

[youtube=560,345]kawBY5p29fQ[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]Syt7A23YnpA&feature=channel[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]ql-N9hAuxNs&feature=channel[/youtube]

plus, the man himself squatting, at age 56 or something:
[youtube=560,345]FVKEl4Wxoqc&feature=channel[/youtube]

Note the position of the bar on his back, how the shoulder blades are retracted and how he grips it with thumbs OVER the bar, wrists straight. Once you learn this position, the bar will feel LOCKED into place and you will be much more confident in squatting. You can't just hold 300lbs there with your wrists bent backward and your head tilted up.

Also notice the depth, how the weight is kept on his heels (very tough in thick-soled running shoes) and the HIP DRIVE. He SHOVES that weight up!

[Cormacaroni]

my deadlift PR

i was about 71kg at the time I think.

edit *fuck*

how do you embed from vimeo here?

well, here's the link. bah.
http://www.vimeo.com/4747242

Damn, do you ever fuck up the floor there? Looks like hard tile.

Nope, it's rubber. I've bailed on a few heavy lifts with no problems there.

[Cormacaroni]

Kestastrophe:

one other thing about the DLs - they have to actually touch the ground. Weight must come to a dead stop, hence 'deadlift'. Those couple of inches make as much difference here as they do at the bottom of the squat. It's very important to reset your position between reps if your technique is shaky. Otherwise,  your technique will get worse and worse as the set progresses. I almost always take a breath to square the shoulders, push out the chest, re-grip if necessary etc between reps.

(the exception being if it's a light weight that i'm totally in control off throughout the negative portion of the lift...ideally your shoulders shouldn't be coming forward at all while lowering the weight, but it's a fact of life at challenging weights...).

[duckman2000]

So when you guys talk weights, are you talking about just the attached weights, or the weights + the bar?

[Cormacaroni]

Always bar + weights. Some people think otherwise, but they're wrong

[BlueTsunami]

I have a quaint home bench and plates. Taking off the chinzy plates, I forgot my bench sucks and doesn't have the wide stance as a bench made for an Olympic bar. You can obviously see where this is going, the right side begins to sink, I'm like oh shit BAM! loud noises as 60lbs slams on the hardwood floor. I need a better bench and plates. The one I own looks like it was made for some 80's movie where a teenager is sitting on it, elbow on knee with a dumbbell and workin' on his guns.

[duckman2000]

Always bar + weights. Some people think otherwise, but they're wrong

Hmm. I've been wondering about that, since there are some people that I know are spindlier and weaker than me but who claim to be lifting near my level, which I've been counting only in attached weights. I may have to include the bar in the future.

[BlueTsunami]

Olympic Bars (for bench pressing) weigh in at 45lbs, right? But yeah, I also include the weight of the bar.

[duckman2000]

I need to get a bench as well, currently looking at something like this

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12024128

[BlueTsunami]

Wow, that's pretty damn nice. The wide grip and adjustable back is good to have. The only niggling point is if its low enough to allow your feet to be planted on the ground. The back even goes below horizontal (for getting the bottom of the titties).

Get a nice quality bar and plates and you'll have a kickass setup for upper body work.

[etiolate]

OKAY THEN

Operation bicycle for me in effect.  I'll see how it shapes me up. No answer for arms.

[Cormacaroni]

OKAY THEN

Operation bicycle for me in effect.  I'll see how it shapes me up. No answer for arms.

Do dumbell curls while cycling.

(there is a dude at my gym who actually does this, it's hilarious to watch).

Seriously, work on pull-ups, presses, and dips and your arms will be fine. Don't forget to go fast and hard on the bike...no point doing slow 'junk miles'. That just makes you tired and hungry.

[etiolate]

The hill climbs give me plenty of hard work on the bike.

[Cormacaroni]

Cool.

If you just want your arms to look bigger, I'm not really the person to talk to 'cause bodybuilding is not my bag. If your concern is being out of proportion because you only cycle, I'd suggest doing the heavy compound movements already discussed ITT: back squats, deadlifts, presses, cleans etc. All those will strengthen your legs greatly as well, and grow them as well if you eat enough. A stronger posterior chain will make the hill climbs a lot easier.

[duckman2000]

Just went to check out a gym, and at the end of the orientation, I noticed a Crossfit thing in the schedule. Turns out the dude forgot to mention that they had a whole section of the gym dedicated to Crossfit. Interesting, but I'm sort of on a pure, simple strength kick right now.

[Kestastrophe]

etoilet- If you want to gain weight, you should think about drinking tons of whole milk. I've read stories about people gaining 25 lbs in a single month by drinking a gallon of milk a day. Obviously that is kind of extreme, but if you drink a decent amount of it you should see some gain.

[Bocsius]

I did the "lots of milk" thing earlier this year. Gained 7-8 pounds in under two weeks, but then got sick and abandoned that whole dietary regimen. In retrospect, I'm not sure that would have been a healthy thing to continue, anyway. That's a lot of weight gained in a short amount of time, so many unnecessary calories only serving to be stored as blubber.

[Kestastrophe]

I had a doctor's visit today for the first time in years. I was very surprised to see that I weigh 230 pounds. I was trying to shed a few pounds while doing my strength training (i still have a bit of a beer belly) , but I didn't think that I weighed that much  . Here is my typical food intake since I started this program, maybe someone has an idea about where I can cut back or change:

-bowl cereal w/whole milk or 3 scrambled eggs and an orange
-protein bar or shake
-chicken sandwich
-banana and apple
-can of tuna
-cup of cottage cheese
-dinner (examples: ground sirloin cheeseburgers, whole wheat chicken pizza)
-glass of whole milk

I also drink tons of water and take fish oil supplement. I am getting a BMI test at the doctor's in a few weeks, so I will really be able to find out how much I need to lose.

[Cormacaroni]

I did the "lots of milk" thing earlier this year. Gained 7-8 pounds in under two weeks, but then got sick and abandoned that whole dietary regimen. In retrospect, I'm not sure that would have been a healthy thing to continue, anyway. That's a lot of weight gained in a short amount of time, so many unnecessary calories only serving to be stored as blubber.

If you're not lifting REALLY HEAVY (i.e. doing Rippetoe's 'Starting Strength' program or similar), this is indeed a wildly unhealthy thing to do, and probably incredibly difficult to boot (eating when you're already full is hard work). If you're lifting heavy, it's perfectly healthy, since you'll put on a ton of muscle which will help your long-term health greatly. The extra muscle will make it pretty easy to get rid of the excess body fat afterward.

And of course, lots of folks have digestive problems with dairy that they only really notice once they crank up their consumption like you did.

[Cormacaroni]

Kestrastrophe -

If you want to lose weight, just cut down the processed carbs and up the fat. The easiest things to cut out or change on that list are the cereal, the banana, the chicken sandwich and the pizza/burger buns.

Breakfast is basically fine, but eat bacon or sausage instead of cereal, seriously. Or better yet, something like turkey or chicken breast but let's not get too radical.

Instead of the chicken sandwich, eat the same amount or more chicken, a bunch of greens like broccoli, cabbage or spinach and some nuts or olive oil for fat.

Bananas have a super-high glycemic index so not recommended unless it's just after a workout, or you're eating it alongside enough protein and fat to blunt the insulin spike it's gonna give you. Apples are always fine. Have two apples instead maybe.

Tuna, cottage cheese - awesome/ok in that order.

Pizza - psssh, forget it. Whole wheat doesn't make that much difference sadly. After the wheat is pounded into a dough and cooked, it's pretty much the same as highly processed white flour i'm sure. Ditto for burgers - lose the bun, eat greens or non-starchy veggies instead.

Whole milk -

I know this is all 'bad news' - nobody ever likes to hear that they need to change ANY part of their diet - and i'd be lying if i said i followed this regime...but I'm not looking to change my weight.

Pretty much every question you might have will have been answered here hundreds of times. Have a look at threads on 'Paleo' or 'Zone' and you'll get tons of free info. This is all focused on athletes, so the advice you see will be easily applicable to someone doing a program like yours.

http://board.crossfit.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

[Cormacaroni]

Oh yeah...trying to lose weight while doing strength training is counter-productive. You can lose weight if you train really hard, maybe, but the consensus is that it'll be incredibly difficult to gain strength.

Everyone who works out is pretty much trying to achieve one or more of the following:

• Increased strength
• Increased conditioning
• Body recomposition

If you want to do any combination of the above QUICKLY, you'll find that they are incompatible to a large extent, which means you have to prioritize. I choose not to prioritize, and do everything all at once, without worrying about when exactly I achieve any particular goal. Others have specific endpoints they want to hit faster, and they need to prioritize and compromise accordingly.

[duckman2000]

Picked up another 250lbs in weights today (4x50lbs, 2x25lbs), time to get serious.

[Bildi]

Here is my typical food intake since I started this program, maybe someone has an idea about where I can cut back or change

It's a bit long to explain but I recently came across some info about eating consciously which I have found extremely useful.  I've never been grossly overweight, but I've always tended to be one the heavier side - I'm 6'1 and have fluctuated between about 85-95kg for many years.  Essentially the goal of eating consciously is to avoid any overeating and the steps are basically:

1) Eat what you enjoy
2) Eat whenever you're hungry
BUT
3) Eat consciously
4) Stop eating when you're full

Point 3 and 4 are the key.  Most people no longer listen to the signal from their stomach that says they're full, and basically just put food down their throat rather than actually enjoy it.  This is not eating consciously.  A bunch of tips which go with points 3 and 4:

1) Have no distractions at all when eating - no TV, no chatting, eat alone
2) Eat with your eyes shut, don't look at your meal - obviously this is difficult but I did it for the first week and it helped a great deal.  Generally I just avoid looking at the plate now unless I have to.  We eat with our eyes as everyone knows, and it can easily help block the 'full' signal from your stomach.
3) Savour your food, concentrate on it, taste it, enjoy it - a nice side benefit of all this is you actually come to enjoy your food a lot more.
4) Chew your food properly - I think as a guide 20-30 times or something.  Again, enjoy the food rather than just throwing it down 'because it's time to eat'.
5) Physically put your cutlery/sandwich/whatever down until you've completely eaten each mouthful of food.  Helps reduce shovelling.

You will pretty much always end up with leftover food and will possibly find you eat a fair bit less.  I find I eat about a third to three quarters of what I used to.

If you're not sure whether you're full, guess at first.  You can always eat again in 10 minutes time if you're hungry.  I find if I think I'm nearly full, only two or three more mouthfuls will make me definitely full.  After a while, you start to listen to your stomach again, but it takes a while to retrain yourself and you can apply it in everyday life - when I ate pizza with a friend the other day I ate two slices and was plenty full, compared to him eating three for example (and he's smaller than me).

Nothing else in my life has changed and I've been losing an average of around 0.75 kilos per week for about six or seven weeks now.  Obviously you need to exercise some common sense in all this but if you eat healthily already it might suit you.  It's a program no doubt designed to help seriously obese people, but it worked with me who is fairly average.  I currently weight I think about 81.5kg - the least I've weighed since being a teenager.  And the weight just keeps going - I still do my exercise regime as normal, haven't found I'm low on energy or anything.

[Bocsius]

Back to the gym tonight with added focus.

I started out at the end of June 08. Made good progress for the first six or seven months, but I have sort of stagnated since then. I've indentified some differences in my workout and post-workout routines and have sought to address and correct them starting with tonight's workout.

Not feeling man enough to do the deadlifts and stuff yet, though. I've got a couple of friends and family that have been at this much longer and may be able to give me some pointers on that, sort of wished we all went to the same gym, but whatever. Life happens.

[Cormacaroni]

There's no need to be intimidated by deadlifts and squats, despite all the fine detail raised in this thread. They're only scary when there's a lot of weight on the bar, and you shouldn't be doing that for a while if you're a true beginner anyway.

At the end of the day, the deadlift = bending over to pick something up off the floor. And the squat = sitting down, then standing up. This is why they're so effective - they're compound movements that we have all been doing since we were monkeys in trees. Just grab a bar with no weight on it and give them a go. Some kind soul will no doubt put you right if you ask nicely.   No time like the present!

[Bocsius]

Off the beaten path a bit, but there are some dudes in my gym who look like they were pulled straight out of Gears of War. In fact, give one of the dudes a worn face and a bandana, and he could pass for Marcus Fenix no problem.

There are even a few girls that could probably pound half of this forum senseless.

[Cormacaroni]

The easiest way not to get beaten up by jocks is to befriend them! Win their favor with ass-kissery then get them to tell you their secrets. There is no guarantee that they will actually now how to deadlift/squat/press properly but the odds are decent.

Seriously, I bet most of those dudes looooove to show off and would be happy to coach you for free. They may be mouth-breathing morons (or they may not) but in their specialized realm, they probably know waaaay more than you do. Look upon them as opportunities, not something to be intimidated by.

[Bocsius]

Not really intimidated, it was just an observation. There are plenty of regularly-proportioned people in there, too.

Speaking of observations, are humans puppets or what? I thought New Year's resolutions were largely myths. People saying they'll do this, they'll do that, they probably said it last year, nothing ever happens, blah blah blah.

But wouldn't you know that come the beginning of January, the population of the gym literally exploded. Whereas before, the gym was decently populated but you could still move from station to station with minimal wait times. In January, wait times galore. Every single cardio machine (stairmasters, bikes, treadmills, ellypticals, rowers, all of them) taken. Free weights, machines... people literally tripping over one another. Gradually, the population has moved closer to what might be considered normal, but I just know all of those resoluting freaks will be back in there January 2nd.

[Cormacaroni]

This is why so many gyms have 12 month contracts. People sign up in January, gradually tail off, then the contract renewal comes up again in January...

It also tells you that most people's routines suck. The bottom line for any kind of exercise program is that it has to be sustainable. 2hrs of traipsing around every machine, checking off the boxes, is not sustainable.

[Bocsius]

Buy a stationary bike and keep it at home. Use it for a couple of weeks and then start using it as a clothes rack like everybody else. It's the American way.

[Kestastrophe]

Wait times at the gym are really strange. I have my wife drop me off on her way to work in the morning 3x a week, and there is practically no one there from 8-9 a.m. I once went at 5:30 a.m. and it was packed 

Tomorrow I am going to try out the university gym at 8 a.m. instead of my usual gym, so hopefully it won't be too busy.

Thanks for the food advice gentlemen. Like you said Cormac, I am really looking to change body composition. I feel that I carry too much excess weight, but I don't want to sacrifice my strength gains.

[Bocsius]

I can always count on the gym to be nearly deserted around midday on Saturdays, even back in January. Weeknights... not so much.

[Cormacaroni]

Home gyms are the way to go, folks. I get a dirt-cheap deal on a very quiet gym near work that I use during lunch breaks, but if it wasn't for that, I'd work out exclusively at or nearby home. You don't need to spend a whole lot to get a world-class fitness facility at home. $2,000 treadmill or $3 jump rope?

Kestastrophe - to repeat, if you want to lose weight in a hurry, you'd be best off shelving serious strength work for a while. I know I make it sound like Crossfit is the answer to everything, but your health has to be addressed before your limit strength, and a more balanced program is what you need. I'm guessing you're strong enough to start doing Crossfit or something similar. Put that together with any kind of low carb/clean food diet and you'll get fast fast results.

[duckman2000]

Off the beaten path a bit, but there are some dudes in my gym who look like they were pulled straight out of Gears of War. In fact, give one of the dudes a worn face and a bandana, and he could pass for Marcus Fenix no problem.

There are even a few girls that could probably pound half of this forum senseless.

The chick that was heading up the Crossfit deal in the gym I checked out was one of the scarier people I've met. And I've met plenty of scary people.

Speaking of home gyms, I think I'm pretty much set now. Got a barbell, plenty of weights, dumbbells, a pull up bar and next week I'm getting a bench with weight rack. Sweet stuff, and all for less than three months membership in the gym we checked out. The biggest challenge is limiting the weight. It's very tempting to slap an extra 20lbs on the bar between each session, but I'm at least sensible enough to prioritize safety.

[duckman2000]

Got everything set up, so I've finally started with proper squats. I've done weighted squats with dumbbells, air squats and such before, but this is something else, including the pain of progress. Also finally got to the point of serious resistance with deadlifts; I've been cautious about putting on too much weight since it's a new routine, but it's starting to get heavy now. Awesome.

[tiesto]

For someone who wants to get into deadlifting and squatting... those giant "Max Rack" type things, would they hinder the effect a lot, or a good way to ease into things? I'm just a bit worried about hurting myself while attempting them. I've been slowly transitioning from machines to more freeweights and barbells as of late.

[duckman2000]

I don't know anything about those machines/racks, but I'd argue that it might be better to just ease into it by way of using lighter weight. By the time you get to the heavier (riskier) stuff, you should have developed the form to support the weight safely. Deadlifts will require a heavier starting weight than squats, but nothing terribly hazardous.

[Kestastrophe]

Tiesto, this is the program that I am doing:
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/
I have also heard of Starting Strength, but these two programs are supposed to be great starting places.

The author recommends starting with an empty bar on all of the lifts (there's only 5 total lifts), but you can start higher if you please. Squats for me were really hard, so I had to start with a low weight, while I started with 180 lbs on bench press and easily could have started at 200+. It just depends on your body type, etc. I would recommend starting lower that you need to, in any case.

[Cormacaroni]

For someone who wants to get into deadlifting and squatting... those giant "Max Rack" type things, would they hinder the effect a lot, or a good way to ease into things? I'm just a bit worried about hurting myself while attempting them. I've been slowly transitioning from machines to more freeweights and barbells as of late.

If you mean a Smith machine, where the bar travels in a fixed path, avoid, avoid, avoid. The way to ease into lifting heavy is to lift light, not to do a completely different exercise, which is what a Smith machine squat is. You have to support the weight with your own body if your body is to get any benefit from it.

But those things are generally pretty awesome for doing pull-ups on so it's not all bad

[duckman2000]

Bumping this for Veidt.

[Bocsius]

Free weights!

[youtube=560,345]65xb52D3Yw4[/youtube]

 

[Kestastrophe]

  at number 3, he choked on what had to be 150 lbs or so

A few of these guys look like they're suicide gripping (i.e. no thumbs over the bar). There was a player on the USC football team that was in serious condition after having a 275 lb. bench go bad and drop on his throat. He had to have surgery 

[duckman2000]

I'm really not good at bench presses. Deadlifts, squats, that's totally alright. But bench presses suck.

[Bocsius]

at number 3, he choked on what had to be 150 lbs or so

A few of these guys look like they're suicide gripping (i.e. no thumbs over the bar). There was a played on the USC football team that was in serious condition after having a 275 lb. bench go bad and drop on his throat. He had to have surgery 

That's what brought it to mind and ultimately led me to that video. What brought the USC player to mind was the fact that I'm finally switching over to free weights after spending basically a year+ on machines (bicep curls aside).

[Kestastrophe]

I'm really not good at bench presses. Deadlifts, squats, that's totally alright. But bench presses suck.

I am the polar opposite. I can bench a decent amount, but I still have a hard time with squats. My deadlift is getting better (I'm up to 225 lbs working weight), but it still feels like alot of work. I just chalk it up to those 2 lifts (especially squats) being the most difficult and demanding.

[Cormacaroni]

The good news is that bench pressing isn't that important for most people. Its importance has been hugely inflated in recent years, to the point where it has become a benchmark for strength. Really, all it tells you is how much you can push with your upper body IF your entire lower body is supported by a solid object (the bench). And most people cheat on it so much it's not even really good for that.

It doesn't provide the system-wide hormonal kick like true compound exercises like squats and deadlifts do, because it uses such precise musculature. It has its place in a strength program but it should looked on strictly as an ancillary exercise to help your shoulder press IMHO. You're not going to kill yourself doing a shoulder press, either. Or deadlifting. Squatting has some element of danger but if you practice bailing out before you get into serious weights, you shouldn't have any problems.

Would love to know what this guy was doing though: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/10/09/kings.garcia.ap/index.html

Kestastrophe - any updated vids for us?

[Kestastrophe]

Would love to know what this guy was doing though: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/10/09/kings.garcia.ap/index.html

Kestastrophe - any updated vids for us?

Wtf? Right forearm? 

Unfortunately, I don't have any new vids. I switched from Anytime Fitness to my university's gym, which has squat racks and a much better free weight selection and is free for students. My wife isn't a student, so she isn't able to come and record me. The school's gym is so much better, and there are some huge guys there. I hardly ever see anyone doing squats though, which I thought was odd. The first thing I do when I get there is hop in the squat rack, but I see alot of guys doing iso lifts with the most popular being some variation of bicep curl.

[Cormacaroni]

A proper squat rack - awesome!    Harder than in the Smith machine you were using before, right? But so much more productive.

And if it's unused, all the better!

[Kestastrophe]

A proper squat rack - awesome!    Harder than in the Smith machine you were using before, right? But so much more productive.

It was much more difficult switching from the Smith machine to free weights than I thought and I had to scale back the weight. I have seen a few guys using the squat racks and it makes me feel like a badass when they strap a shoulder pad onto the bar while I go raw 

[Cormacaroni]

haha!

Those pads are useful though - put them under the small of your back when you're doing sit-ups. It gives your abs something to push against, and stops you from using your legs and upper body to do the work. Makes sit-ups a much more meaningful exercise.

[duckman2000]

I think I'm starting to approach my weight limit for multiple reps for deadlifts, but that's pretty alright. I think I'm comfortable enough with my form now to actually try a single rep "personal record" sort of lift.

Sticking with dumbbell presses and chest flys for now, just don't feel comfortable with the bar yet. I guess as long as there is resistance and progress, it's all good.

A question about deadlifts, by the way. My abs are more sore after a deadlift session than it would be after 120 crunches, does that actually make sense? I've only noticed it now that I'm lifting sort of heavy.

[Madrun Badrun]

Going to start the 100 pushups /200 sit ups tomorrow.   

[duckman2000]

200 situps? What, in one go? That sounds insane, and not very healthy.

[Bocsius]

A question about deadlifts, by the way. My abs are more sore after a deadlift session than it would be after 120 crunches, does that actually make sense? I've only noticed it now that I'm lifting sort of heavy.

It's probably due to your abs providing support and being worked in a way that they're not worked during crunches. Your body has gotten used to the crunches, but not the way it's being used for deadlifts. I've experienced similar effects with other exercises.

[Madrun Badrun]

200 situps? What, in one go? That sounds insane, and not very healthy.

in six weeks!

http://www.twohundredsitups.com/finaltest.html

[duckman2000]

A question about deadlifts, by the way. My abs are more sore after a deadlift session than it would be after 120 crunches, does that actually make sense? I've only noticed it now that I'm lifting sort of heavy.

It's probably due to your abs providing support and being worked in a way that they're not worked during crunches. Your body has gotten used to the crunches, but not the way it's being used for deadlifts. I've experienced similar effects with other exercises.

I completely dropped crunches, didn't feel like it was worth the annoyance of the repetition, and I'm not convinced that it's good for your back. If I can get similar work out from compound lifts, then that's pretty sweet.