fire between the cheeks
July 9, 2015 12:44 PM Subscribe
Last night I did sit-ups and rubbed my butt raw. Help me figure out what I did wrong.
Here's the situation: I'm a 30yo male. Healthy and active, but a little pudgy. Last night, I did four sets of twenty sit-ups, not feeling anything weird until afterwards, when I realized that my inner upper butt cheeks (an inch below my backbone) had been rubbed raw.
It's been a few years since sit-ups were a regular part of my workout, but I used to do them all the time without any problems. The only thing I can thing that may have changed was the surface (a yoga mat on a wood floor), my butt size (slightly chubbier), or possibly the way I balance myself.
I realize that you can't see me to correct me, but if this has happened to you and you were able to fix the problem, please advise. My butt and I will be forever in your debt.
Here's the situation: I'm a 30yo male. Healthy and active, but a little pudgy. Last night, I did four sets of twenty sit-ups, not feeling anything weird until afterwards, when I realized that my inner upper butt cheeks (an inch below my backbone) had been rubbed raw.
It's been a few years since sit-ups were a regular part of my workout, but I used to do them all the time without any problems. The only thing I can thing that may have changed was the surface (a yoga mat on a wood floor), my butt size (slightly chubbier), or possibly the way I balance myself.
I realize that you can't see me to correct me, but if this has happened to you and you were able to fix the problem, please advise. My butt and I will be forever in your debt.
doing crunches rather than situps might help too, if that's any use (i don't really know much about this, but recently started going to a gym and it seems like no-one does situps any more). also, 4x20 is pretty impressive just starting out.
posted by andrewcooke at 1:22 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 1:22 PM on July 9, 2015
If you looked at me you'd see how comically unsuited I am to answer this question, but I have been doing quite a bit lately to get into better physical shape, and one thing I have read from (seeming) experts pretty consistently is that situps and crunches are just generally pretty lousy exercise, and that they're more likely to injure you than do much to improve your body.
So, at least from what I've read, what you did wrong was doing situps in the first place. It seems like planks and side-planks are the popular basic beginner-friendly exercise for the abs nowadays. I know that for me in my current workout routine, they've been enough to give me some abdominal muscle soreness when I was starting out, which I take as a good sign.
posted by mister pointy at 1:39 PM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
So, at least from what I've read, what you did wrong was doing situps in the first place. It seems like planks and side-planks are the popular basic beginner-friendly exercise for the abs nowadays. I know that for me in my current workout routine, they've been enough to give me some abdominal muscle soreness when I was starting out, which I take as a good sign.
posted by mister pointy at 1:39 PM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Is it possible you could have stretched the area rather than abraded it? And that the "fire" you are experiencing is a variation on the burn kids used to give each other by placing both hands close together around another's forearm and twisting in opposite directions?
posted by jamjam at 1:55 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by jamjam at 1:55 PM on July 9, 2015
What kind of pants/underwear were you wearing? If I do a lot of sit ups while wearing something with a weird seam or tag across the butt/lower back, it can get pretty chafey.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:02 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:02 PM on July 9, 2015
This happens to me too! The only solution I've found is changing the texture of my underwear or doing something else (yep, plank) instead. It used to happen until it bled when I was in a martial arts class on a hard floor that was obsessed with situps.
posted by kadia_a at 2:23 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by kadia_a at 2:23 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
You may have aggravated a pilonoidal cyst (be SO careful googling that, even the Wikipedia article has pictures). It was sit-ups (actually I was sitting on the floor assembling server racks, but a similar set of motions) that first introduced me to them. I can aggravate the scars doing situps now, even using a pillow or very soft cushion.
It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get some Neosporin in there (and you might go two-a-days on showers for a couple of days just so you can soap up and then re-apply Neosporin after), since that's not a great place for abraded skin no matter what. If you get a hot, firm swelling there go ahead and see a doctor before you can't sit to drive, which is what happened to me.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:24 PM on July 9, 2015
It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get some Neosporin in there (and you might go two-a-days on showers for a couple of days just so you can soap up and then re-apply Neosporin after), since that's not a great place for abraded skin no matter what. If you get a hot, firm swelling there go ahead and see a doctor before you can't sit to drive, which is what happened to me.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:24 PM on July 9, 2015
2nding Metroid Baby that it may be improved with smoother workout clothes with fewer/differently placed tags.
A lot of cross-fitters use abmats(tm) which are these funny small curved pads. One common side effect of using them (especially with higher reps) is "raspberries"/rashes around/in the upper crack area. ive seen people who do these on softer surfaces (a pad or mat instead of the floor - i realize i may be unclear: they place the small pad that is the abmat on a larger more cushiony surface) to reduce the effect.
perhaps try doing your situps on a more forgiving surface like a yoga or wrestling mat, or just a more bouncy part of the gym floor?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:25 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
A lot of cross-fitters use abmats(tm) which are these funny small curved pads. One common side effect of using them (especially with higher reps) is "raspberries"/rashes around/in the upper crack area. ive seen people who do these on softer surfaces (a pad or mat instead of the floor - i realize i may be unclear: they place the small pad that is the abmat on a larger more cushiony surface) to reduce the effect.
perhaps try doing your situps on a more forgiving surface like a yoga or wrestling mat, or just a more bouncy part of the gym floor?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:25 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Happens to me all the time. Softer floor/mat/surface helps more than anything. If not that, some version of anti-chafing solution helps.
posted by Etrigan at 3:01 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 3:01 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anti-chafing solution and better underwear? Or maybe...gasp...no underwear?
posted by Toddles at 9:13 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by Toddles at 9:13 PM on July 9, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 12:56 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]