Postpartum Abdomen: How to Tone and Define Your Core After Pregnancy

Question
Helene
Its been over a year since my pregnancy and I have gotten back close to my pre pregnancy weight.
My tummy, however, still protrudes quite a bit.
Its not fat-its quite firm.
How can I push it back in?
I have been doing lots of core exercise work and I can now see muscles that I couldnt see before I was pregnant!
Yesterday while on the treadmill I strapped on the weight lifting belt hubby uses. I cinched it in real tight, and concentrated on sucking in my tum while running.
For several hours after it looked flatter.
Is that just a temporary thing or am I on to something?
Thanks for any help!

Answer
A hard protruding tummy is a sure sign that your deepest abdominal muscle, your Transverse Abdominis, or TvA, is weak and/or not functioning properly. This is a common side effect of pregnancy, especially for women who try to rehab their abs with exercises like crunches.

The TvA is the body's internal "girdle" and when contracted compresses the abdominal wall. Most fitness pros agree that it is better to build a girdle than to wear a girdle.

The weight belt you wore, did the work (or greatly assisted in ) the work that your TvA is designed to do. And it also gave you proprioreception, or neuromuscular awareness, or external cues to help maintain focus.

The problem with weight belts, and all other abdominal splints, is that with continued use, the TvA tends to stop working, because it doesn't have to. Over time, the muscle will weaken and atrophy. Exactly what you don't want. I'm OK with very limited use of abdominal wraps, but only if the women is doing lots of TvA isolations and other postpartum exercises that train the belly to pull inward during exertion.

Weight lifters use belts because it allow them to lift heavier weights than their bodies are functionally capable of on their own. Weight lifters are also trained to forcefully push their abdominal wall into the belt as they lift. This is improper usage of the TvA. For this reason, it's not uncommon for heavy weight lifters to develop diastasis recti (abdominal separation) above the belly button.