Is postpartum core strength even a thing?
Yes, I do believe it can be. And I also think it is very important, but not so we can fit back into pre-pregnancy jeans or still wear bikinis (although that can be nice). Postpartum core strength is important because it improves so many areas of our lives. It can help prevent lower back pain, reduce risks of injury as we do day-to-day activities such as lifting kids in and out of cribs or strollers, improve posture, play a role in balance and stability, and is a vital part of keeping our pelvic floors functional.
Postpartum core strength training should be approached differently than core training pre-pregnancy. If you are a mom and are still doing millions of crunches, I hope you keep reading this and find out some better alternatives. Oh, and stop doing those crunches!
Before I had babies, I thought that the more crunches I did, the better my abs would look. I would do endless variations of crunches and never really get the results I thought I should (i.e. a super ripped six pack). I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I think I have better abs now than I did before having babies. I know, crazy, right? I’m not saying I have achieved that super ripped six pack, but I know a little bit more now than I used to. If I can like my tummy after having babies, you can too!
I would like to take a minute real quick and remind you to be kind to your body. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes, pre- and post-pregnancy. No matter if you are hoping to feel or look better, remember to be patient. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Stay balanced. And give yourself time and grace. Motherhood takes an incredible toll on your body. No matter what you look like (or think you look like), you have done an amazing thing and are an amazing giver of life.
How to properly engage your core
The first thing I want to discuss is how to properly engage your deep core muscles, or your transverse abdominis. If you want to look in depth at how all of your core muscles work together, check out this article. According to the article, “the deepest abdominal muscle layer, your transversus abdominis, co-contracts with your pelvic floor muscles. When contracted together, these muscles are stronger than when contracted individually, improving support to the low back and pelvis, and optimizing pelvic floor muscle function.” Interesting, right? Working your abs will help your pelvic floor!
I did not learn how to activate my deep core muscles until after I had my first child. This is what has made all the difference! Have you ever heard of doming? Doming your abs is a no-no, especially if you have Diastasis Recti (DR). I’m not going to go off on a huge DR kick right now, although I could. Let’s just say that if you properly engage your core you can close that DR gap, and improve your pelvic floor health. We do NOT want to dome! Activating your deep core muscles is a skill that can be learned, and that is what we are going to work on now.
Lay down on your back. You can bend your knees, but you don’t have to. Now, pretend like you’re going to do a crunch by lifting your head off the ground. Do your abs looks like this, or like this? Ok, which would you rather have?
In both pictures, I am using my core muscles. However, if you are doming, you are using your abs incorrectly. This places too much stress on your rectus abdominis muscles, or your six pack muscles, and you aren’t even using your transverse abdominis muscle. There are many ways to describe the feeling of correct activation for your deep core muscles. Some cue words are to “pull your belly button towards your spine,” to “flex your abs,” and to “zip up your core.” I don’t really like any of these because it makes me think of sucking your belly in, which isn’t really correct. I like to think “long and flat” because that is what I want my belly to look like when I am engaging my core.
The best way to learn is by doing pelvic tilts or cat-cows. Really focus on that feeling of pulling your core in. When you think you may have the hang of it, you can go back to laying on your back. If you are engaging your core muscles correctly, you can feel it with your fingers. If the area beside your belly button feels firm, then you’ve got it. If the area beside your belly button is squishy, you are not activating your deep core muscles.
Pardon the million pictures of my belly, but another good way to test correct activation is by doing a front plank. If your abs look “long and flat,” then yay! You have it. If not, keep working on that tight, pulled in feeling. Before long, it will become like second nature, no matter what ab exercises you are doing.
My favorite exercises for postpartum core strength
Remember how I said that you should exercise your core differently postpartum than before you had kids? That is what I am going to focus on now. These are five crunch-free options that work your deep core muscles, really improving your core strength and cinching your waistline. Please note that you should not do these immediately after giving birth. These are for after you have been cleared by the doctor, done some ab-rehab, and have built up to it. Throw some or all of these postpartum core strength exercises into your strength training routine, and I think you will start to see and feel results! Go get ’em, mama!
Raised toe drop
Dead bugs
Glute bridge crunch
Hip dips
Bicycle toe touch
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