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If I do any amount of floor exercizes for my abs, the skin over my tailbone gets rubbed raw (right at the top of the cleft of my butt).

No one in the training video I have seems to suffer from this.

Does this happen to anyone else?
Is there a way to keep this from happening?

It was happening to me, though it only started happening in the last few years, after 25 years or more of regular ab work.

But I've recently stopped doing all those conventional ab exercises after reading the article I'm going to link, and I'm feeling much better (and not just in the area you mention) because of it:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/core-myths/?ref=magazine

In just a couple of weeks, my back is feeling better, which is convincing me that part of the reason for my back problems was the ab work I was doing (as discussed in the article). The ab exercises demonstrated in the video on that page seem to be more effective than you might think from looking at them. And I don't think I'm going to have the problem you mention from doing them.

Eat more, it'll give you some cushion

I just use an exercise mat when i work my abs and it helps a bunch

InsatiableBloom saidI just use an exercise mat when i work my abs and it helps a bunch

I always do. I still was having the same problem as the OP.

And speaking for myself, I've got LOTS of cushion.

I had the same problem in the past, even with an exercise mat. I started using the bosu ball more often and finding exercises that I was performing on the floor that I could do with machines or hanging.

Thanks guys.

The answer appears to be use a mat or cusion and change out exercises.

A mat is not going to work, but I do have a swiss ball.
(I don't have the same problem when I use a slanted bench. )

And I'll just switch out the exercizez that just don't work for me.

That NYT article was very interesting, too.

Are you sure it's from the ab exercises?

Sparkycat saidAre you sure it's from the ab exercises?

Speaking for myself, I can say that not long before I switched my ab routine to the one suggested in the Times article, I went through a period of about six weeks when I hardly worked my abs at all. Just couldn't make myself do it. During that period, the problem went away completely. When I started up again, within just a few workouts, it was back.

Dude, I have the SAME problem... the weird thing is that the right side of the tailbone sticks out more than the left side.

I think I should go see a doctor =/