Rowing is a real pain in a**!

[SunsetRunner]

Literally! 🙂 Hence, here's my question. Did anybody try to use any sort of cushion? After 15 minutes of rowing, my bottom is all in pain and this negatively affects the whole exercise. I'm thinking if anyone could recommend good, portable cushion that I could take with me to the gym and use it with the Concept2 rowing machine 🙂

[JohnnyRow]

Don't know if this is your issue, but I would get bad pain right in the middle of my butt on one side only with C2 rowing.  I eventually figure out, and verified with my doctor, that it was the piriformis muscle, and it can irritate the sciatic nerve.  I got some stretches for it that eventually ended my pain, though it took quite a while.  You can just google piriformis, piriformis syndrome, piriformis stretches, etc to see if it sounds like your situation.

I certainly am not trying to, or qualified to, make a diagnosis but the stretches for it aren't going to do any harm even if that is not your problem.

P.S. C2 does sell thin seat pads, but they are designed to be permanently stuck onto the seat which probably wouldn't help for the gym because I don't think it would stay in play without removing the backing paper covering the stickem.

http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/accessories/seat-pad

[WendyB]

I just use a cushion from my Table cushions

[Corney]

@SunsetRunner  I've used Mountain Biking shorts for years without any problems.

[emili]

that's a good question.. and I hope folks at the gym are buddies because that would be quite a conversation out of your ear shot. I would be worried that the cushion or pad would be sliding around and could result in a worse injury than a sore bum. they do however sell cushions that are kind of thin and have ties on them that you would use to tie to the chair, in your case tie to the rower if its possible. If you go this route- please in the spirit of good will towards man- post a picture.. 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

I like the idea of using different, maybe thicker, shorts. This may help. I looked that all such Concept2 cushions have to be installed permanently. Not much of portability at all. My problem may be a result of an injury I had a couple of years ago during riding quad bikes and since then the pain reappears from time to time ( and at its peak, it can get really painful ). The symptoms during rowing resemble those I experience because of the injury. The same thing happens if I sit on very uncomfortable chairs and benches etc. I guess I may have to live with it after all 🙂