Sit ups and coccyx problem

[Sharief]

Not sure if this is the right section, but oh well. I'm currently trying to begin doing sit-ups, and the problem is not so much my abs aching but my coccyxs. When I do the sit up, and can feel the flesh running over the coccyx bone, and it really gets quite painful after about 10 sit ups. Can anybody explain why this is happening/how I can stop it?

Thanks

[Sharief]

There's always one.

[Sharief]

No, I've never (to my knowledge) damaged it. And I don't use a mat either.

[Sharief]

hsvgtscoupe said:

my other comments aside - I have a similar issue with situps; esp on a hard floor. I find cruches far more effective at giving the abs a proper workout - lay with yr knees raised, feet flat on the floor & arms crossed on yr chest. Lift yr shoulders off the deck but dont go past 30 degrees (should not affect yr tailbone at this angle) you should feel yr abs straining so try and hold the position for a 5 sec count then lower again. Do as many as possible in 10 rep sets with 30 sec break between sets. Just as effective is to lay flat and raise yr heels off the ground 6 inches & hold in similar fashion to above. In both cases you should maintain staring at a fixed point on the ceiling to avoid the natural tendancy to strain yr neck forwards. IMHO situps do more harm than good to yr back & neck unless yr on a proper angled situp bench and already quite fit. They also have far less effect on strenghtening abs than more compact crunches.

Okay I'll try crunches. Thanks.