Exercise after birth needs to work your abs hard if its going to flatten your tummy… right?
‘I want a really flat tummy, so please can we do some *really hard* ab exercises?”
This is something I get asked a lot.
If you’ve just stared exercising after birth with one of our programs, you’ll be learning that there is a big difference between training your core, and strengthening your core.
You can’t strengthen what hasn’t been trained. Or put another way: Your body can’t strengthen a muscle your brain isn’t talking to.
Your choice of tummy flattening exercise after birth is about quality, not quantity. The reason that doing hundreds of crunches, or trying to hold a plank for a minute or more, or beasting your body in boot-camp hasn’t gotten you a flat tummy after you’ve had babies – is that if your brain (and your heart… I make no apologies if you think that sounds wet – it is vital!) isn’t talking to the right muscles, then the exercises won’t work.
Your body may manage to perform these exercises, making you believe you’re working it effectively. Our bodies are very accommodating – they try terribly hard to do what we ask them to – but it’s doing them at the expense of the tummy you want.
If your core isn’t working correctly before you begin, then what’s actually happening is:
- Intra abdominal pressure forces your rectus (6 pack) and pelvic floor muscles outwards and downwards (worsening any diastasis recti, pelvic floor weakness or pelvic organ prolapse)
- Your hip flexors and your spine take over the work your deep abdominal and pelvic muscles should be doing
- The deep Psoas muscle in your pelvis as well as your knee and hip joints are put under strain and tension causing a host of related problems
- Your alignment (the way your carry your body) shifts – away from optimal – to compensate
So your body may carry you through the workout, but the result will be a body that isn’t functioning optimally, almost definitely pain at some point in the near future.. and notably for the purposes of this post, the exact opposite of the tummy and appearance you were hoping for!
This is where you need to stop, focus and start again.
It’s why you need re-connect, learn to engage correctly, learn to stand, walk, lift and squat correctly and optimally and correctly FIRST. Then and only then, can you start to strengthen and ‘tone’ your abs.
The exercises and techniques that appear the ‘easiest’… Find and Reconnect, the yoga breathing techniques, re-adjusting how you position your pelvis and how you find neutral spine, just visualising the muscles you’re trying to awaken, and connecting with them…THEY are the most important of all! MUTU System is based on the principle that you have to start with the foundations.
Acrobatics on the Swiss ball, a full plank and every *hardcore ab move* you’ve seen – they will make a stable, optimally functioning core strong and flat if performed correctly. But they don’t create an optimally functioning core.
‘Hard’ ab exercises cannot make an unstable core, stable!
MUTU Core and MUTU Breathe in the 12 Week Program, or the MUTU Focus daily exercises, stretches, realignment cues, and yoga breathing audios… they will!
START THERE my Lovely. And that flat tummy will be yours :)
I developed embilical hernia during my pregnancy with my now 2.5 yrs old. I became pregnant again when he was 9 months old. My youngest son is now a couple weeks shy of 1yr. My family physician has referred me to a specialist. I’m awaiting the call to meet with them. In the mean time I’m I’d like to exercise but I’ve read so much online about doing the wrong exercises. I’ve gained a sickening amount of weight during both pregnancies. Before my first son I was about 135 lbs. At the end of my pregnancy with my second son I was 237lbs. I am now at 186 lbs. I do as best I can to eat healthy and stay active with the boys but I am scared to exercise and worsen the hernia. Is it safe to do these programs before surgery? How long after surgery should I wait to begin?
Hi Wendy,
I am three months post pardem. I have an umblical hernia caused by the extreme abdominal pressure of polyhydramnos during the pregnancy. I have a red finger gap and my doctor is giving me time to exercise before I see a surgeon. I have purchased the tupler technique but I am very interested in your program as it addresses the whole body. Would you recommend the 12 week program for me? That is what I was looking at. As I am already 5 weeks into tupler and jogging slowly for cardio. Thanks for your help. Hopefully you answer soon so I can purchase ASAP
Janine
Hi Wendy,
I am three months post pardem. I have an umblical hernia caused by the extreme abdominal pressure of polyhydramnos during the pregnancy. I have a red finger gap and my doctor is giving me time to exercise before I see a surgeon. I have purchased the tupler technique but I am very interested in your program as it addresses the whole body. Would you recommend the 12 week program for me? That is what I was looking at. As I am already 5 weeks into tupler and jogging slowly for cardio. Thanks for your help. Hopefully you answer soon so I can purchase ASAP
Janine
Hi Janine, the MuTu Focus program is the one we recommend for any abdominal or pelvic issues such as hernia.
The 12 Week Program contains all the core healing work of Focus, plus it contains more intensive (no impact) exercise routines for after healing has taken place. So you could buy 12 Week to have these for later if you like, but intensive exercise is NOT recommended with a hernia. You can read more on hernia here http://mutusystem.com/herni…
Hi Wendy,
I am three months post pardem. I have an umblical hernia caused by the extreme abdominal pressure of polyhydramnos during the pregnancy. I have a red finger gap and my doctor is giving me time to exercise before I see a surgeon. I have purchased the tupler technique but I am very interested in your program as it addresses the whole body. Would you recommend the 12 week program for me? That is what I was looking at. As I am already 5 weeks into tupler and jogging slowly for cardio. Thanks for your help. Hopefully you answer soon so I can purchase ASAP
Janine
Hi Janine, the MuTu Focus program is the one we recommend for any abdominal or pelvic issues such as hernia.
The 12 Week Program contains all the core healing work of Focus, plus it contains more intensive (no impact) exercise routines for after healing has taken place. So you could buy 12 Week to have these for later if you like, but intensive exercise is NOT recommended with a hernia. You can read more on hernia here https://mutusystem.com/hernia-and-diastasis-recti-postpartum-umbilical-hernia.html
I’m pregnant with my 4th right now, just starting my 2nd trimester. I experienced umbilical hernia with my last pregnancy and have just pushed it back in but I can tell that now being pregnant again, I’m going to need to focus on keeping it from getting worse as I get bigger. Can you tell me which exercisesrogram would be best to use DURING pregnancy to keep it from getting worse?
I’m pregnant with my 4th right now, just starting my 2nd trimester. I experienced umbilical hernia with my last pregnancy and have just pushed it back in but I can tell that now being pregnant again, I’m going to need to focus on keeping it from getting worse as I get bigger. Can you tell me which exercises rogram would be best to use DURING pregnancy to keep it from getting worse?
The Focus Program would be perfect for you Lindsey.
I’m pregnant with my 4th right now, just starting my 2nd trimester. I experienced umbilical hernia with my last pregnancy and have just pushed it back in but I can tell that now being pregnant again, I’m going to need to focus on keeping it from getting worse as I get bigger. Can you tell me which exercisesrogram would be best to use DURING pregnancy to keep it from getting worse?
The Focus Program would be perfect for you Lindsey.
Hi! When you do the test to see about your muscle separation? What is the normal gap at your belly button?
Hi! When you do the test to see about your muscle separation? What is the normal gap at your belly button?
Hi! When you do the test to see about your muscle separation? What is the normal gap at your belly button?
Just realized (and doc confirmed) that the bump in my tummy is an umbilical hernia. I had three babies within 3.5 years and my tcore is definitely a mess…but my youngest is about to be 3. Is it too late for me to train my core?
Never too late to make a difference Steph… :-) Check out this article too http://mutusystem.com/herni…
Just realized (and doc confirmed) that the bump in my tummy is an umbilical hernia. I had three babies within 3.5 years and my tcore is definitely a mess…but my youngest is about to be 3. Is it too late for me to train my core?
Never too late to make a difference Steph… :-) Check out this article too https://mutusystem.com/hernia-and-diastasis-recti-postpartum-umbilical-hernia.html
hey i really liked this site n proved very helpful to me.. i was doin many abs n crunches to get flat belly bt still it dint work out.. i delvd ma baby in 2012,, n i do ve an umbilical hernia n the dr said its nt that serious.. i really need ur help as ma full body is back into shape except for ma belly.. please help wid excercise diet or yoga…
Hi there, please refer here for info regarding dealing with a hernia http://mutusystem.com/refer… Our Focus program will complement your care perfectly, safely + effectively http://mutusystem.com/mutu-…
hey i really liked this site n proved very helpful to me.. i was doin many abs n crunches to get flat belly bt still it dint work out.. i delvd ma baby in 2012,, n i do ve an umbilical hernia n the dr said its nt that serious.. i really need ur help as ma full body is back into shape except for ma belly.. please help wid excercise diet or yoga…
Hi there, please refer here for info regarding dealing with a hernia https://mutusystem.com/referral-to-a-womens-health-physiotherapist.html
how long does it take to move from easy exercise to more intense exercise if you have diastasis recti
Hi Andrea, depends on many factors – the severity of your gap, how long ago you had your baby, + the level of core weakness, as well as your alignment + nutrition! The 12 week program deal with every factor to get you there!
how long does it take to move from easy exercise to more intense exercise if you have diastasis recti
Hi Andrea, depends on many factors – the severity of your gap, how long ago you had your baby, + the level of core weakness, as well as your alignment + nutrition! The 12 week program deal with every factor to get you there!
I had a c-section september 13 2010 and I am having another around the first week of september 2012. I have to admit that I have not exercised as much with this pregnancy as I did with my first. due to some really bad hip pains. but even if my body is not in shape, will it be safe to start these training’s for when I can exercise after my c-section?
Hi Sarah, I would suggest starting with the MuTu Focus program, & then moving onto the subscription MuTu Mama Club after that. The program will re-program your core & pelvic alignment & function, preparing you for a return to safe, effective exercise. The MuTu Mama Club is a subscription service open only to women who have completed one of our programs – its is very low cost way of continuing & applying everything you have learnt about correct core function to intensive, fat burning & toning workouts afterwards!
I had a c-section september 13 2010 and I am having another around the first week of september 2012. I have to admit that I have not exercised as much with this pregnancy as I did with my first. due to some really bad hip pains. but even if my body is not in shape, will it be safe to start these training’s for when I can exercise after my c-section?
Hi Sarah, I would suggest starting with the MuTu Focus program, & then moving onto the subscription MuTu Mama Club after that. The program will re-program your core & pelvic alignment & function, preparing you for a return to safe, effective exercise. The MuTu Mama Club is a subscription service open only to women who have completed one of our programs – its is very low cost way of continuing & applying everything you have learnt about correct core function to intensive, fat burning & toning workouts afterwards!