START HERE!
START HERE!
Your “stomach pouch” or “beer belly” may be more than extra fat or a weak core!
Have you ever heard of DIASTASIS RECTI?
This is a medical ab separation that happens to many women who have had babies.
But anyone… women who have never had children and even MEN… can develop it!!!
Diastasis Recti causes your ab muscles to stretch and separate. This can happen anytime too much pressure is placed on your abdominal muscles.
In pregnant women, this occurs when the two large parallel bands of abdominal muscles separate due to the expanding uterus.
For everyone else, the reasons vary. The cause of your ab separation could be from weightlifting with bad form, obesity, frequent or rapid changes in weight, etc.
If you have Diastasis Recti…YOU CAN FIX IT!
Even if you have had it for years!!
USE CAUTION….
Some exercises… like standard crunches, sit-ups, pushups, press-ups, and even planks can make abdominal separation worse.
But there are plenty of safe core strengthening exercises. There are even a few that CAN HELP REVERSE DIASTASIS RECTI!
TRY THESE 3 BELLY STRENGTHENING MOVEMENTS
** Before starting any exercise during or after pregnancy, be sure to talk to your doctor**
** How many sets and reps you do will be up to you and your doctor. A general number would be 2 to 4 sets of 10 reps. You can gradually do more as your core strengthens/heals.
EXERCISE #1: Heel Slides with alternating arms
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Engage your abdominals by pulling your navel in towards your spine and up towards your heart. Slowly lengthen one leg forward on the mat, hovering it above the floor, while keeping the hips still and the abdominals drawing in and up. Bend the leg back in and repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE #2: Bird Dog Alternate Arm & Leg
Start off doing a few reps of JUST arms. Then JUST legs. Then do both. Keep your back and pelvis stable, then reach your right arm forward and left leg back. Don’t rock side to side and focus on abdominal drawing in, not sucking in! Return to the starting position, placing your hand and knee on the floor. Repeat on the other side.
EXERCISE #3: Toe Taps
Lying on your back, lift legs to a tabletop position with a 90-degree bend at knees. Draw your abs in then one at a time, tap toes to the ground, alternating legs.
!! TWO IMPORTANT TIPS WHEN PERFORMING THESE 3 EXERCISES !!
- Make sure you focus and move slowly! Breathing is a KEY component to all of these movements: Deep inhales, and exhale when you activate the muscles.
- During the entire movement, focus on drawing your abdomen in. We show you exactly what we mean in the video above. This is basically stomach vacuuming … which we talk about A LOT in other videos on our YouTube Channel.
Diastasis Recti is not something you should ignore!
Aesthetics aside .. it can cause other issues like lower back pain, bloating, and issues with your bladder and bowels.
If you believe you have it… make sure you take steps to correct it!!
If you are trying to get your post-baby bod back, or really do need to get rid of some stubborn belly fat, you will see the BEST results if you are dieting and training based on YOUR BODY TYPE!
We have a FREE 5 Question Quiz you can take that will tell you how you need to eat and train based on your GENETICS!
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