QuestionHi Helene,
I was hoping you could give me some advice. It has been 10 months since I had my baby via c-section and my stomach bulge is now worse than it was 2 months ago. I am very active and exercise everyday (running, lifting, spin class, pilates). I hired a personal trainer, 1 x week for 6 weeks before my vacation and she had me doing a ton of abdominal work. My stomach is odd because you can see a six pack forming on top of the bulge that makes me look like I am 5 months pregnant. Is there anything that you can do to help me - what video would you recommend and how long will it take for me to see results being that I am in very good shape? Is this a direct result of the c-section or would this have probably happened regardless?
Also - can I still run? What activities should I definitely stay away from. I have discontinued ab work from my workouts. I apologize for all the questions and appreciate your feedback.
Thanks,
Cara
AnswerIf your trainer had you doing a lot of traditional ab work without having established enough functional strength in your TvA, then this would explain why your abdomen is now rounder than it was before you started.
When the TvA is not strong enough and you do moves like crunches, bicycles, etc. then the abdominal wall will bulge outward during exertion. In fitness, what you practice is what you get. So it sounds to me that right now you have a functional imbalance in your abdominal musculature. Then external layers, the Rectus Abdominis and the External Obliques are proportionally overly strong, while the deeper layers, the Internal Oblique and the TvA are too weak.
To flatten your abdominal wall you need to first build A LOT of strength in your TvA, then perform specialized postpartum exercises that train the muscle to function properly as a stabilizer.
In the mean time, do not perform ANY abdominal exercises that lift/roll the upper body off the floor or against the force of gravity, as these types of exercises work primarily the external abs. No crunches, oblique pulses, bicycles, roll ups/roll downs, most Pilates mat work, and some yoga move like "boat pose."
Because you are athletic, if you take the time to retrain your abdominal wall to function properly, you should see results fairly quickly.
Running and spin should be OK. But lifting might be problematic until you get better functional core strength and stability.
Go to http://www.befitmom.com/abdominal_reconditioning.html for more info.
It does take longer to rehab from a C-section than an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, but since your are 10 months out, I don't think that it will impede your progress.
