Two Simple Steps to Avoid Butt Berry
Written by Michele Vieux
One thing that I’ve never had is a butt berry from sit-ups. I have had other types of chaffing, so I know it can be very painful and sometimes also a surprise when you enter the shower. (Insert ghastly shrill here.) What is a butt berry, you ask? It is the raw spot on your rear end just above the tailbone from doing sit-ups…the wrong way.
I have spent many-a-hour examining athletes as they perform sit-ups to figure out why this happens to some and not others. It has nothing to do with the size of your bum; nor does the type of material of your pants matter. And it can happen with our without an AbMat.
There are two reasons I’ve identified that cause butt berry, and they usually go hand-in-hand with one another. Numero uno is not keeping the abs engaged as you lay back down to the ground. This causes the second problem – the hips and rear end leaving the ground at the bottom of the movement. This kipping motion causes repetitive rubbing of that tender spot on the floor.
What is the solution? It is simple and one that we are always preaching: Keep your abs engaged throughout the entire movement and your bum on the floor. Easy. As. (Butt Berry) Pie.
Moleskin brothers & sisters. Moleskin!
I have been exercising regularly for many years, but I recently joined a CrossFit gym to change things up. I never had this issue with excoriated skin at the very top of my bum until CrossFit. It’s because we use little pads at the base of our backs against a hard floor instead of a traditional matt. I love CrossFit so far but those little cushions move all over the place, it’s not because of bad form I don’t believe
i hate traditional sit ups for this reason, always getting raw skin near my tailbone I can’t fix and then the instructor does it again two days later for the next three months.
I don’t get it when I wear boxers under my shorts. Briefs on the other hand gets too tight and sweaty that it softens the skin tissue on the area that it becomes susceptible to butt berry.
My tailbone sticks out extra far after I had my last baby. He was 9lb 9 oz and I’m 107lbs. Anyway, I keep my abs engaged, but still get the butt berry because my tailbone is just jacked up. Any help for that? I’ve given up doing situps and I just do crunches.
Nope my butt never left the ground .. Last week I was on a challenge doing 50 sit-ups for 5 days compared to the 20 that I did maybe once or twice a week. I’ve been using an ab mat while I’m healing & it has helped so much.
It hurts so bad.
This is interesting because I’ve never had this issue until recently. Soreness near tailbone area, I don’t do regular sit-ups ever yet still developed this all of sudden. I do ab ripper X from p90x a lot as well as Insanity’s cardio abs. In and outs with resistance bands, Russian twists often.
Every now and then this just happens and it drives me crazy
I’ve noticed for me (abmat or not) that I have to roll a little to my left otherwise all the contact with the floor is to the right side of my tailbone. I also tend to slide back and forth on my tailbone as I come up and back down. I’ve had to counter that by extending my legs as I come down and then pull them up as I come up.
Does lordosis cause this too? Im trying to correct the problem. Thanks!
I agree with Adrienne; it’s all about the lulu zipper.
I don’t believe it’s so easily explained by these two explanations. I don’t remember ever having my butt leave the ground and if my abs weren’t fully engaged it seems that the torso would slam against the floor upon return. In any lengthy sit up wod such as Annie the butt and floor can have the smallest amount of friction but because the lengthiness of the wod that small amount of friction becomes a constant rub therefore causing the berry. I try to use the anti friction lotion(not the sexual stuff…ha) and it has always seemed to help prevent the… Read more »
Butt berry is unavoidable during a long rowing session though!!
Wish I’d read this a couple months ago, but I’ll surely remember it next time I’m doing a lot of situps.
Or you can get one from the zipper of that cute little butt pocket on your lululemon gear. Really tough lesson. I think I’d rather have torn hands.
Never put your chapstick in that pocket!
And here I thought I was the only one 🙂
Also be very afraid of the Lululemon zipper and inverted burpees.