If you’ve got the dreaded mom pooch, you may have already tried everything to get rid of it, including diet changes, exercising, and abdominal training.
For most women, getting rid of the pooch is simple—losing body fat by making nutrition changes and strength training.
And cutting back on the wine.
But if your mom pooch is refusing to budge, despite being leaner throughout the rest of your body, there could be something else to blame:
DIASTASIS RECTI
Diastasis recti is a separation in the rectus abdominis muscle, otherwise known as the six-pack, and it occurs when too much internal pressure pushes against the outer abdominal muscles, causing them to separate. This can happen in both men and women and can be caused by anything that forces the rectus abdominis outward—obesity, genetics, intestinal problems.
But one of the primary causes?
Pregnancy.
In fact, diastasis recti is so common that around ⅔ of pregnant women will develop it.
(BONUS INFO—women with diastasis recti tend to also have weak pelvic floors and the resulting inappropriate urination issues, so these two problems do coincide!)
If the separation in those six-pack muscles isn’t healed, the deeper abdominal muscles and internal organs push up against that six-pack and cause a pooch—a bulging abdominal area.
Diastasis recti can be fixed, but you first need to know if you have one.
To check yourself, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingers along the center of your rectus abdominis, right down the middle of your abs, both above and below your belly button, and then lift your head and upper shoulders off the floor as if doing a crunch. You should be able to use your fingers to poke around and feel for a separation between the two halves of the muscle.
While a small separation is normal, any separation 2-3 fingers wide qualifies as a diastasis recti.
Be sure to check both above and below your navel, as the separation can happen in either or both places!
(How many of you are planning to hop on the floor right now and check yourself?)
Once you know you have a diastasis recti, you can heal it.
But beware:
Your average ab exercises will not work!
In fact, traditional ab exercises that rely on flexion of the rectus abdominis, like crunches, are a big NO NO for diastasis recti. Crunches and exercises like them can make the separation worse.
You will need to work on the muscles beneath the rectus abdominis, such as your transverse abdominis, because these are the deeper core layers that really hold your organs in. There are some simple exercises you can do to learn to control those inner abdominal muscles, including some simple draw-ins and belly breathing.
Once you have some basic core control mastered, you can further strengthen these deeper core muscles through full body compound lifts in which you must properly brace your core, like squats, deadlifts, and presses, and through core exercises that focus on anti-rotation, anti-lateral flexion, and anti-extension.
Instead of crunches, think paloff presses, suitcase carries, dead bug variations, and plank variations.
And make sure you learn how to properly brace your core when you lift weights. Bracing isn’t about sucking your gut in!
And strength training isn’t just about feeling badass (though that’s a great perk).
It’s also about helping your body function fully and completely, the way it’s supposed to, so that you can keep on being badass right up into your old age.
About the author
Kristen Perillo
Kristen Perillo is a teacher by day, trainer and nutrition coach by night. She's also a Star Wars nerd, writer, dog (and cat) mom, peanut butter junkie, and Seinfeld devotee. Fitness has done nothing but make her life better, and she is privileged to show other people that it will do the same for them.
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