Floor Exercises: It Hurts! - Any Tips?

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Anyone else the same? Do I just need to keep practicing?

I CANNOT for the life of me do any of the lying down on the floor or with a mat exercises, such as Planks, Pushups, crunches, rollups.
Leg movement not so bad, just the ones where you have to get up with...

I can do them on a flat bed, but NO WAY can i do them on the actual floor without my back and top of bum hurting. - Maybe I'm doing them wrong?

May it have something to do with my weight?

Anyone got any tips to how I can progress?

Thanks x

Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,152 Member
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    I can't do many of them either because of the arthritis in my feet. No planks or pushups for me!

    Crunches are OK, but I do prefer doing them on my weights bench instead of the floor.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    It could be something to do with your weight, but I don't know what your weight is. It could have something to do with your posture. For instance, if your posture is typically slumped, laying on the floor will tend to force your posture to straighten. That could be stretching muscles and straining ligaments which had adapted to the slumped poor posture.

    In any case, you need to be able to get up off the floor. Practice doing it and see if that doesn't improve your abilities with it and your feelings about it. You'll be planking before you know it.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Yeah, without more info it sounds like you just aren't used to getting up off the floor. Getting up is a skill you need to have. Another poster (I think PackerJohn) posted this video several months ago and I think it is something that a lot of people should be doing.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0_DoicHg2E
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    For push-ups, I do half-push-ups, bracing on a cardio step. I'll progress to floor push-ups eventually, but for now, it's enough of a challenge.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    I'm a pretty fit person and I hate exercising on the floor. Makes me angry and hurty.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    I can do them on a flat bed, but NO WAY can i do them on the actual floor without my back and top of bum hurting.

    If it's fine on a bed, try them on 1 or 2 foam exercise mats. Not the thin yoga mats.

    For pushups you may need to do incline pushups.
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I can't do many of them either because of the arthritis in my feet. No planks or pushups for me!

    You can rest your shins on a foam roller. :+1:
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    Could be weight related, could be bad from, could be simply how your body works
    I have a small sway back and it means I cannot do certain exercises without back support to tilt my pelvis the right way. I have to be careful too with my neck.
    See if there are alternatives and or props that help, the aforementioned come roller , a piloted ball, etc etc.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    They can be brutal and definitely impacted by weight, core strength, arthritis, and inflammation. I try to find as many modifications as possible.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i refuse to do anything that puts my knees on the ground unless i have something to cushion them. same sometimes with the heels of my hands.

    you're not alone.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
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    There are super plush mats, have you tried those?
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    My suggestion to you is modify how you do your exercises. Also don't be scared to you something to prop you up and down.

    I'll give you my background arthritic knees the left one has to be replaced and a double hip replacement but that's not an issue anymore.
    No disrespect to the agent but when I do a push-up I got to find something to help me get down on the floor but then I have no problem doing my pushups but then I need something to help me up. It's sort of comical but I can do the push-ups
    Another thing instead of doing a push-up on the floor use a chair or a sturdy end table or the couch.

    I have a bad back so I can't do crunches or sit ups. Like anything else it's just coming to peace with what you can and you can do and you work your way around it.

    When I first started doing push-ups I did them against the couch got stronger then I went to a low table and then I slowly progressed to the floor. Now I could crank out 15 to 20 real push-ups no issues just getting up and down.