TM Mix It Up Video: Total Body Crunch

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Trainer Momma Video: Pregnancy and Abs

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Mix It Up: Ab Unicycles

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Trainer Momma Tutorial: Oblique Crunches and Planks

Trainer Momma Tutorial: Planks

Fit Momma Question: Separated Ab Muscles

Perhaps this post applies to you, perhaps it doesn't. I decided to post it since I've received several emails about it as of late. This is regarding a condition called diastiasis recti -- basically the separation of the stomach muscles typically due to pregnancy.

From Personal Training pics

Here's the question:

I have quite a "gulf" in between my muscles--about 1-2 finger breadths wide over the umbilicus--where my rectus abdominis separated. Here I am, 15 months post-partum and I still have very little core strength.

So, I was wondering how *you* go about training someone with the same problem. I've heard the ab work like crunches and even pilates can make it worse. Because of that information, I've been afraid to do any typical ab exercises because I don't want to make anything worse! Do you have any suggestions for a mama who needs so help knitting those muscles back together?

A good friend of mine, J, had triplets and had a pretty severe case of the rectus abdominis separating. Her husband is a surgeon as well, so they did a lot of research before jumping into this surgery. I will just cut and paste her email to me. She just went through the surgery about a year ago and she's pretty candid about it:

TM: Is it true that any ab work will make this situation worse? Make the abs separate even more? It seems to be this way as I research this.

J: From what I understand, any ab work makes it worse. I know I had that problem until my husband researched it and I stopped. A friend of mine had the same problem and crunches made her situation SOOO much worse!

TM: What kind of exercise could you do pre-surgery? What would recommend to her?

J: I could do all kinds of cardio stuff, small weights, leg work, etc. Mine was pretty severe so that I was having back problems with the muscles in my back because of the separation in the front, so I had to be careful with that. Also, it was very difficult for me to even DO hard core ab work because my muscles were not functioning normally.

TM: How was the surgery? Would you recommend it?

J: The surgery was awful and I won't lie about that. I think you have to have a pretty severe problem or be a body image perfectionist to make it worth it. I am happy now, but still have a lot of numbness in my ab region that I will probably always have.

TM: How is your ab/core strength now?

J: I am still cautious about how I work out in that area, but I am getting braver as time goes on. It is definitely better, but the recovery was very painful and I had to wait until my 6 month check up before my Dr. approved any ab work. And, honestly, I didn't even want to attempt it for a long while! :) Now it is better and in the future it will be even better.

TM: Can a mom have the surgery and then get pregnant again? What are the chances they will separate again?

J: Again, this may just be my situation, but the Dr. told me to be done having kids when I got this done. I think you CAN get pregnant afterwards, but if you do it too soon, it is not a good situation because your skin obviously needs to stretch for pregnancy and it has just been really really stretched to capacity by the procedure. Also, I was told that you can only have this surgery done ONCE, so if you do it and then get pregnant and have the same separation problem, you are out of luck. I think it may be because of the scar tissue and circulation issues, among other things. I know I had some healing problems where I had circulation issues with my C-section scar and the new scar...

So, to sum up, I would only recommend the surgery to women who have a severe problem, who don't intend to have more kids, who are capable being "down" for a few weeks (i.e. have help and/or can take off work), can afford it (insurance usually doesn't cover any of it--even if you have had multiple births and are having physical problems due to it), who have support from a significant other, and who don't expect miracles!! :) I know that doesn't very positive. Again, I am glad NOW that I had it done, but it was a lot more than I bargained for. And again, mine was severe due to the triplet pregnancy, so someone else may have an easier experience, but I don't know... And, my stomach is not perfect. The scar is huge and I have the numbness and still some skin that isn't perfectly taut. And, that is considered a good result from a very good surgeon!

Exercise is not off limits for those of you dealing with this at all. It just needs to be appropriately modified. Do your cardio, your weight lifting -- but steer clear of any direct ab work. When you are lifting, I would always make sure to support your back (sit down on a bench with back support if possible) while doing upper body exercises, since typically the core is engaged in stabilizing your body when you do that. You will have to protect that back, since your abs won't be able to protect it for you.

There are some websites out there claiming to be able to "reattach" the ab muscles. I believe this is physically impossible, but what they mean is work your transverse abs --your core -- to strengthen that girdle area. Before doing this, I strongly advise you to get your doctor's opinion about this. I would hate for you to be doing more damage (see this link).

I really don't post this to cause you to be paranoid, just educated. It is what it is. It does happen to about 1/3 of all pregnant women out there to some degree, so we might as well get a game plan, right?

If you'd like to know if you have diastiasis recti, here is a link with some techniques to use to determine that.

Any thoughts, Fit Mommas? Your experiences here are worth more than my research...

Fit Momma Question: Bulky Abs?

Fit Momma Vanessa asked this question:

I've got a question about ab exercises. I want strong abs, but definitely don't want bulky muscles there. Is there a wrong way to work out the abs that will add bulk?

First of all, Vanessa, there is good form and bad form:

Good form: Think of pulling your navel down into your spine and then perform the ab exercise that way. Go slowly and deliberately (1/2/1 count for most exercises).

Bad form: Sloppy and too fast.

(Check out this weeks' AB tutorial for more details)

That stated, however, I don't think it is such a fine line that you are going to do abs, walk out of the gym that day, look down, and say "Crap! I'm too bulky in my stomach!" It just doesn't happen. You won't pooch out your ab muscles permanently or even temporarily. That's a myth.

I've had some ballet teachers and pilates instructors threaten that if I did my abs wrong that I would build my abs "out" (if that makes any sense at all). One teacher gave the visual of building your abs muscles to look like a loaf of bread on the front of you. Well, I've been in the gym for a long time now, worked with many clients and not one have I ever met who had stomach could have been mistaken for a loaf of Wonder Bread. I don't buy it.


I have seen a lot of poochy bellies, however, and I really feel a lot of this comes down to three things:

Core.
Posture.
Nutrition.

I called my sister, Carley, who is a certified Pilates instructor and professional modern dancer. She brought up some valuable points:

Core.

First of all, it is beneficial to use good form while performing your ab exercises because it will reach and work those inner, deeper core muscles that are so important. These are called the transverse abdominis muscles or your core. These muscles can be described as your "girdle" or "waist cinchers". They are located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles (muscles of your waist) and wraps around your spine for protection and stability.

From Personal Training pics

Posture.

When strong, the core also helps support the spine and back, helping you stand up straighter, pulling that tummy in, and basically have better posture. A lot of times, I see women with their pelvis tilting forward, in turn letting their belly hang out as the main attraction.

From Personal Training pics

Not cute, sistas.

With a strong core, it will help us stand up straighter, and naturally pull the belly in without even thinking about it.

Nutrition.

I've written on belly fat before... and I'll say it again: the best way to get a lean, six pack set of abs is nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. Often that six pack is under there -- but there's too much fat on the tummy to show it off. Reduce calories, eat the right kinds of foods... Gotta do it. You just can't ignore this.

So, I know I've gone off on a tangent -- what else is new, eh? But, good questions, good stuff.

ABS: The Crunch

First thing's first:

From Personal Training pics

IT IS THE LAST DAY, LADIES!
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The winner we be announced tomorrow! Yeeha! Is this fun, or what?!?

Secondly, I must say that these weekly tutorials are to introduce and go over the basics of exercise. I really feel it is important to create a strong foundation and be sure that form is correct, because so many more advanced exercises build on these basics.

Moving on... The Crunch.

We've seen it a million times: someone at the gym doing crunches like a piston working over time in my minivan. Really? Is it working? More often than not, the form and tempo people use to do a crunch is incorrect, resulting in - well - no results.

I actually hate the term, "crunch" because that's what many people do: crunch up into a ball, with their head hiding in between their elbows and do mini sit ups really fast. If I could change the world, I would call them "lifts" because that is a more accurate description of the movement: deliberately lifting up to the ceiling. In my next life, I will be a lobbyist on behalf of personal trainers everywhere, and work the hill in DC and have Congress officially change this terminology :)

ABS Workout Part 1:
The Crunch

Objective:
To build strength in the abdominals and core.

Equipment:
Your hot momma bod.

Starting Position:
Lay on your back, knees bent. Put your hands either behind your head or cupping your ears. Elbows are flared out to the side. Lower back is pressed to the floor. Belly button is pulled into the spine.

From November 2009

Movement:
Using the ab muscles, lift the shoulder blades off the floor.

Keep the elbows flared out and LIFT UP TO THE CEILING. Your focus is UP at the ceiling.

From November 2009

Trainer Momma Tips:
The tempo here is important. Go up in 1 second, hold for 2 seconds at the top, then down in 2 seconds. This is called a 1/2/1 count. This is a good, steady pace. DO NOT RUSH.

Make your ABS do the work, not your hands, head, or neck. You should never yank the back of your head up with your hands. That is bad form -- and you are jipping your ABS. My favorite place to put my hands is cupping my ears.

From November 2009

Always been sure those shoulder blades are as far from the floor as you can get them. Make the abs do the work, not an overactive neck!


It is better to do less crunches with good form than it is to pump out a million crunches with poor form.

Cheater, Cheater:
Keep those elbows out! None of this nonsense:

From November 2009

Bring It Up a Notch:

Feet Up: Raise your feet up to the ceiling. Crunch up.

Feet At An Angle: The lower you can put your feet, the more difficult the movement. Be sure to keep the lower back on the ground when you do this. Only go as low as you can with straight knees.

From Collages

Workout Ideas:
Do 25 crunches. Repeat 3 times.

Do the Feet At An Angle method. Do 25 crunches. Repeat 3 times.

From November 2009

Hey, even his form is right! We start 'em young around here.

The Greatest Mystery: Belly Fat

With nearly EVERY female client that I work with, and nearly every other woman that I talk shop with, this is their overriding, burning desire:

“I just want to get rid of this”

(accompanied by pinching the fat on their belly and jiggling it a little)

From Personal Training pics

There are many myths, books, DVDs, pills, and quick fixes swirling around in the fitness world as to how to battle the bulge. I have had people try to pay me to just come up with an AB workout that they will do everyday in order to get rid of that extra tummy roll.

It is time. I must take a stand for truth. I am finally standing on the top of Mt. Blogosphere and yelling in my loudest Mom, "I-really-mean-it-this-time" voice:

Doing a bajillion sit ups is not going to get rid of belly fat.
Doing hours of cardio a day will not get rid of belly fat.

What?!? Then, HOW IN THE HECK DO YOU GET RID OF BELLY FAT?

The answer is one I’ve already given you – it is explained in the Analogy of The Tree. It is a good idea to go back and read this post.

From Tree analogy

In a nutshell, the way to get rid of belly fat is trifold:

eat right.
do cardio.
lift weights.

Let's MC Hammer this thing to death and break it down:

Nutrition: This area is the #1 reason people are still carrying around that spare tire; they just cannot moderate their eating. The inches around that waist will reduce DRAMATICALLY if calories are reduced and if the right kinds of food is eaten.

With clients that I see regularly but that belly is not budging, I will tell them that they need to decrease their calories and eat the right kinds of foods. Whole grains, bucket loads of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, good fats. Ax the refined sugars and flours and cut the bad-for-you-fats. Drink a gallon of water a day.

Cardio: Cardio 6 days a week for 30-60 minutes. You’ve got to SWEAT, sister. It is a misconception that just doing more, more, and more cardio will single handedly flatten that stomach. THIS IS WRONG. Yes, you must do cardio religiously, but you need to couple it with proper nutrition and weight lifting. The San Antonio Marathon was just this past weekend, I guarantee you that there were plenty of those runners who have been training for months, and ran across the finish line with their bellies bouncing. Also, it is very effective to use interval training while doing your cardio. This will result in more calories burned during and after your workout which mean only one thing -- inches lost around the waist.

Weight Lifting: Lift weights 2-4 times a week. I’m talking lift weights for your entire body: upper body, lower body, and ABS. Yes, doing some serious ABS a few days a week will build a great six pack. However, if it is covered with fat because you are eating too much you’ll never get to get to know those muscles! By building muscle all over your body, you will become a calorie burning machine, and in turn rip through those calories. Lean muscle is essential here.

Another muy important fact: Your body loses weight as a whole unit, not only in certain places that you desire. You can try to do only ABS every day and night, but I guarantee you your results will be minimal. You must lose weight ALL OVER your body and eventually, your belly will get with the program and follow suit.

There, you have it – the solution to the great belly fat mystery:

Have great nutrition.
(Don't eat so much food. Eat the right kinds of food.)
Do cardio regularly.
Lift weights regularly.

Case closed. Now go do it!