Struggling to connect with your low abs postpartum?

After having both of my kiddos my lower abdominals were asleep and my upper abs couldn't turn OFF. Some of this is time, body awareness, and letting go. Breathing and chilling the F*ck out. Perhaps even some meditation :)

Postpartum early core exercises are focused on rewiring the brain: breath, coordinating breath to movement, and waking up muscles that have been stretched and lengthened. We focus on establishing a 360 breath, driving expansion into those super sticky and compressed spots, and bringing awareness to our bodies in space.

Inhale: we should feel a 360 expansion of the core: belly, sides, back, pelvic floor. Think down and out as we inhale.

Exhale: we want to think lifting from the bottom (pelvic floor on up) and in.

How we breathe supports our core integrity and can enhance healing throughout pregnancy and postpartum. If the ribcage is unable to expand 360 degrees when we breathe in and out then our abdominals will not work optimally to support the body during everyday life. 

Common issues could include inhaling up, in which case we’d see the neck muscles and shoulders do a chunk of the work. This could be problematic because it causes more pressure downward with muscular activation. Another common issue is clenching or gripping the abs with a lot of sucking in. This can also increase pressure downward with exhalations, which could cause more issues.

If we are aiming to connect to the lower abdominals, support diastasis recti healing, and get stronger, we must start with the breath, and then BUILD (wink wink) from there.

Transverse Abdominals: Side-to-Side Connection

The transverse abdominals (TA) run horizontally around the core. When the TA activates, it creates tension and brings the six pack abdominals (rectus) closer together. So, not only is this supporting diastasis recti healing, TA activation also helps to increase the density of the tissue.

Get to know your core in the video below.

When we are only able to activate the rectus abdominis we may see more of a tenting/coning type appearance and pressure pushing outward on the abdominal wall. The pressure pushing outward can be problematic for diastasis healing, particular if if feels hard to the touch. We may see this if we are not able to effectively get the TA on board, and/or we attempt an exercise that is too difficult and we cannot manage pressure out on the midline.

When we are able to activate the transverse abdominals and effectively get that “brace,” there is a flatter appearance of the abdominal wall. The density of the tissue is increased and the healing linea alba is able to better manage the increased pressure.

What is tissue density?

Oftentimes with diastasis rehab there is a lot of talk about the size of the gap. But, that is not the only thing that is important when it comes to healing postpartum. We also want to increase density, or the “thickness” of the tissue. When you test for diastasis, we are also looking at how far we can “press” into the areas we are testing. If you get a bit of a “bounce back” that is a great sign.

Why is activating the transverse abdominals and lower abs so tough?

Postpartum our pelvis sits in a more externally rotated position + anterior tilt. In this position the lower abdominals and front pelvic floor are in a more lengthened position. It’s harder for them to show up. If we find ourselves in this position postpartum it’s a whole lot easier to engage our upper/middle abdominals. Helloooo belly gripping!

When you can learn to brace, exhale from the bottom and feel your low abs, and get in a better position, you’ll feel your abdominals FIRE in all the right ways, and other movements will start to feel better too. This involves learning how to find a good stack too (rib cage over pelvis), leveraging the hamstrings and deep abs to help control the position of our pelvis. Why is this important? When we are in a better stacked position our diaphragm and pelvic floor can ascend and descend and do their thing, coordinating and helping to manage pressure through the body.

Cues for Core Activation

Inhale down into the body and exhale from the bottom (pelvic floor) on up!

1) Make a sshhhh sound with exhales.

2) Think draw the hip bones together with exhales.

3) Think zipper up the center up the abs.

4) Long “haaaaa” exhalation until all the air exits the body (watch for crunching down). A good exhalation should kick on the TA and internal obliques :)

5) Visualize an exhale like a wave, from the pelvic floor to the top of your head. The exhale travels as the hip bones draw towards one another, then up to the belly button, towards the rib cage, and out the mouth.

6) Adding a yoga block/pilates ball to “squeeze” to bring in adductors.

7) Use props to get into a better position. Oftentimes we can elevate the head with a towel roll, or even use a small towel around the sacrum area to find a more neutral pelvis position.

Bring in the Obliques

The deep transverse abdominals (side to side) aren't the only big player in increasing density of the abdominal wall. The obliques (think side abs running diagonally) are also key! 

When we are ready to progress our rehab exercises and have awareness around our breathing, we need to do more than heel slides. To increase the density of the core muscles we need to increase demand.

We can do this by:

• Adding Resistance: weights and bands

• Props: Foam roller, pilates ball, yoga block

• Resisting gravity: change your position. We can go from supine (on your back) to more demanding exercises on your back, on all fours, or standing.

When thinking about training obliques/cross-body work, think about movement across the midline and opposite sides moving together.

I've been playing with a few movements for an early postpartum client, and thought I'd share with you here ;)

1. Supine Pallof Press with optional bridge add on: Anchor band perpendicular. Exhale from the bottom up and press band away. I like to add a yoga block as well to get adductors on board. Pressing the band away brings in the anti-rotation and turns on the obliques :) 

- Advanced: Staggered or Single Leg Glute Bridge with Resistance

2. Supine Knee press: Activates the core diagonally in a supportive position. 

- Advanced: Single Leg Bridge with cross knee press

I also love integrating a floor chest press with this too over time! 

Summary: Let’s wrap it up!

Connecting with the lower abdominals postpartum is a challenge. Not only have our abdominals been stretched and lengthened during pregnancy, but our pelvis position has changed too, making it harder for them to show up.

• Start with the breath: finding a good 360 inhale and full exhalation will help re-establish the ebb and flow of the diaphragm and pelvic floor. We want to focus on inhales down and exhales from the bottom (pelvic floor) on up.

• Work on the stack: Finding a stacked body position (rib cage over pelvis) through body awareness and hamstring and deep abdominal strength. This will bring us into a better position for the thoracic and pelvic diaphragms to coordinate and manage pressure through the body. You’ll also be in a better position to feel the abs show up!

• Exhale from the bottom up: again to reiterate its importance. Learn to brace, and exhale completely from the bottom up vs top down, you’ll be able to feel those low abs turn on and create that natural “brace.” Check out the cues and tips above.

BUILD strength: Once you have the brace and breath down, start adding challenge. Focus on both the transverse abdominals and obliques can help increase density of the core both side to side and diagonally.

Questions about core training or returning to movement postpartum? Let’s chat <3 You can also check out my FREE Early Postpartum Guide or one of my DIY Postpartum programs here, including BUILDCore ;)

xoxo,

Erica