Concept2 Forum

Dumb question . I'm 3 weeks into BPP. Been rowing for a few months prior (71K season meters so far)

Every time I do a long row (5K+), my backside is hurting the most of anything in my body. Its the one thing that makes me want to stop by far. It's not chafing or nerve pain but just muscle soreness at the bottom of my glutes where it touches the seat. It goes away the moment I get off the slide and sit on something soft! I have that additional pad they sell as well but it doesn't help much.

Will this always be the case or will my muscles get use to it? I feel like I could row so much farther if it didn't hurt so much!

Joe

Hi,
I had this and like you got the extra padding. It did help about 50% but I fathom that for me it was weak glute muscles that also needed stretching. I only had it on my left hand side and that was the side that many years ago I suffered with sciatica on. It would go down my leg into my upper hamstring where it meets the bum cheek and then round my left knee. It would start at about 5k then be there until I finished.
But I think just the rowing and stretching over time has helped me to become better conditioned. Cycling helped alot as well.

Joefish wrote: ↑

July 17th, 2021, 9:55 am

Dumb question . I'm 3 weeks into BPP. Been rowing for a few months prior (71K season meters so far)

Every time I do a long row (5K+), my backside is hurting the most of anything in my body. Its the one thing that makes me want to stop by far. It's not chafing or nerve pain but just muscle soreness at the bottom of my glutes where it touches the seat. It goes away the moment I get off the slide and sit on something soft! I have that additional pad they sell as well but it doesn't help much.

Will this always be the case or will my muscles get use to it? I feel like I could row so much farther if it didn't hurt so much!

Joe

Its not a matter of getting used to. Its lack of bloodflow, thats why its goes away when you stop.
Reason can be all sorts, what you could do is trying to not just sit, but get your glutes working, rocking over and back.
Apart from that, some people have zero trouble, could be bone structure pushing into the glutes.
Often it will get better, also building more muscle can help.

Certainly not dumb to ask, its a serious problem.

The time-honored solution in sliding seat boats is relief holes or depressions in the seat to reduce the pressure and kneading action of the sitz bones on glute tissue. C2 doesn’t use them on their celebrated simulator. Maybe the Bros. D think you should cowboy up and enbrace the pain. I think with the best seat money can buy you’ll still have to endure some discomfort in rows exceeding 1.5 hrs.

I'm one of the very lucky ones, but I do think it gets easier as you get used to sitting: how much is anyone's guess.

What is very surprising to me is that I'll struggle to sit on a cinema seat for longer than an hour. I can't figure that out

The modern concept 2 seat has no indents for ischial tuberosities. It is likely that those bones are bothering you. Also known as the sitz bones. Solutions are stacking the C2 foam pads and removing the cutouts, trying some of the many foam products out there to see if they cushion it adequately, finding a rare model b seat, to more expensive: buying an endurerow seat, buying a citius remex pad.

Keep the pieces short and hard: endorphines offer a wall behind which we can hide and not feel anything at all. It's a bit like the Chinese cure for toothache; walking on hot coals. And try to use a stroke that almost lifts you off the seat.

ampire wrote: ↑

July 17th, 2021, 3:40 pm

The modern concept 2 seat has no indents for ischial tuberosities. It is likely that those bones are bothering you. Also known as the sitz bones. Solutions are stacking the C2 foam pads and removing the cutouts, trying some of the many foam products out there to see if they cushion it adequately, finding a rare model b seat, to more expensive: buying an endurerow seat, buying a citius remex pad.

Believe it or not, you can occasionally find machined wood seats parted out from shells (usually old 8s which have been given a new life as kitschy book shelf units). These have the essential feature of the EndureRow and the CR pad (pockets for the ITs) but no padding. Throw a silicone SoreNoMore on top and you can practically hear the collars thump and watch the puddles recede. Most folks who are the least bit handy can fit them to the C2 seat trucks without a trip to the ER. YMMV.

The moral of the story? If you spend too much time trapping mice you’ll never build a better trap but if you spend too much time improving the trap you’ll catch very few mice. Most people who don’t like trapping mice don’t care much for rowing either.

Joe, do you also have this problem when cycling (if you happen ride)? Did you figure out a solution for the bike? That might provide some suggestions on a solution for the erg. I do know from personal experience (on the bike - my rowing sessions are much shorter than my rides) that one does build up resistance to butt issues over time. That and figuring out what types of shorts and saddles work best are usually the solutions there.

Good Luck

PS absolute worst-case scenario: You can add a skierg to your workouts, which would give your butt breaks and reduce your time sitting, while adding variety, which is always a good thing.

Ombrax wrote: ↑

July 17th, 2021, 7:53 pm

figuring out what types of shorts and saddles work best are usually the solutions there.

Good point on the shorts, unpadded compression shorts help a lot with this. If you aren't already using a pair to erg in, get some.