Site navigation and social media links
Diastasis Recti: Battling The Post-Pregnancy Pooch
Fitness | September 23, 2015
Diastasis recti occurs most frequently in pregnant women and, ironically enough, newborn babies. It’s a fairly common condition that causes the two sides of the rectus abdominis (what we normally consider our abs) to stretch apart and remain stretched apart even well after pregnancy. What happens is the vertical connective tissue running down our abdominal wall known as the linea alba weakens, stretches out and causes the two sides of the rectus abdominis to separate leaving a protrusion or a pooch.
While this may not be the most exciting news for pregnant moms and those of you trying to conceive out there, it’s certainly not the end of the world! Except in rare cases, diastasis recti is a completely solvable problem. It may take some patience and diligence, but if you’ve been training with me long enough at the ZGYM you should already have plenty of those things :).
Prevention is Your Pound of Cure
Diastasis recti is less likely to occur in women with strong cores. Not just noticeable six packs either. I mean even deeper than that. The muscle behind our rectus abdominis known as the transverse abdominis is the body’s natural girdle. It maintains our posture and protects our spine. It may not be as flashy as a six-pack, but it’s a vital muscle to develop. The stronger this muscle is the better off you’ll be not only in preventing diastasis recti, but also from all that notorious back pain associated with pregnancy. That said, become friends with planks! Planks are a simple, highly effective exercise to engage and strengthen the transverse abdominis muscle.
It’s Not The End of The World
If you do happen to develop diastasis recti after giving birth, don’t panic. In fact, all women experience some abdominal separation during pregnancy, it’s just for many (if not most) this separation is temporary. For those who are left with diastasis recti, the key is to approach it intelligently. Do not freak out and start doing sit-ups and crunches like a crazy person. These types of abdominal exercises can actually be counter-productive and may make the diastasis recti worse. Again the focus needs to shift to the transverse abdominal muscle. This not only includes planks, but glute bridges and body weight and kettlebell squats as well. Yoga is also extremely beneficial.
Have you experienced diastasis recti after pregnancy? Do you know anyone who has? Share your thoughts and experiences.
Private Member |
Hey ,
i was working out since i am 16 years old and today i am 35 years old mother of 3 kids , i think this problem to be fixed ,it s 1 first we have to fix posture , because we get use to walk like in pregnancy and after that you don’t release that’s you still walking after delivery , 2 nd thing just to reduce body fat percent and it will be smaller , and last thing witch really help to avoid to have the diastasis recti , it s to practice everyday to do the cat vomit exercise because really it activate the transverse muscle and it really helps and it works .
Nis
Private Member |
Zuzka I really love that you know what your talking about and you seem confident in knowing what you know. I want to be a personal trainer and I want to go through a place that I am going to learn lots and not just be put through it really fast and I was wondering who you got certified through and weather you would recommend them or not!?
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Hi Teana, being good at what you’re passionate about – fitness and health, is not about certifications. Fitness Certifications are for people who need other people’s approval, because the matter of fact is that anyone can get certified (I mean anyone) as a fitness trainer and besides that, certifications are not mandatory if you want to make a living as a trainer. My advice is read as much as you can, be curious, and be interested in everything and anything related to fitness and health. Soon enough you will form your own opinions and style which you’ll use to approach your clients with. That said, get any certification that you find interesting and that will give you the confidence to start your business. At the end of the day, it’s just a paper. What really matters is your own research through reading books, and also finding reliable sources on the internet. Don’t rely solely on the informations you’ll learn from the certification. Keep your mind open as much as you can and try to learn from different sources. Best of luck!
Private Member |
Thank you! It is my passion! I have learned lots and lots just by loving it and wanting to learn about it! I feel the same way that it is just a paper I just figured I might as well get it with knowledge right? Haha thanks though!
Private Member |
And I had no clue that they aren’t mandatory!
Private Member |
I hope you take this helpful and not annoying I can’t help but notice I think the word you wanted to use was pouch and not pooch. Pooch is another word for dog and pouch is like a sack. The pronunciation is different too pouch sounds like powch and pooch sound poo-ch. hope that was helpful I know English is not your first language and it’s tough to learn so I just wanted to help out. I love your accent by the way I think it’s beautiful and makes you special
Private Member |
I call mine a pooch. And English is my first language.
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka! My children are already 5 and 7 but I still have diastasis recti. It’s only about a 1-2 finger width. Wondering if your bunny slop workout plan is safe for me to do?
Private Member |
I have 4 children, ages 11, 8, 6 and 4 and I still have about a 2 inch pooch!! LOL. I just got started back working out 6 weeks ago with Z and I started the 6 week bodyweight only program she offers. My “pooch” was almost 4 inches when I started… I also eat low carb (I try to stay under 120 grams a day)… 🙂 You could definitely start with the bunny slope program…
Private Member |
I am post pregnancy, my baby is 4 months old now and I did have D.R. – which one of your programs/schedules would you recommend I begin with? I used to work out on regular basis before. Now, I’ve done some PT and have only 1 finger separation left but I’m still not completely back together, have some low back pain and yes [unfortunately 🙁 ] still pee my pants a little with exercise here and there. What the best place to begin? I just purchased your Z-Shred Fat Loss Meal Plan.
thanks!