QuestionI met with a trainer who said I had Diastasis (though under 2 fingers). She said more concerning was it appeared my TVA muscles were "locked up and not engaging", which she said sometimes happens after a trauma like pregnancy, and that I should focus on the inner core and stabalizing it. She suspects I'm using other muscle groups to compensate for the TVA....she thought I was using my glutes. Though I've lost the weight, my belly is soft and pregnant looking, and I'm 18 months post partum. I'm interested in your book & DVD, but am unsure if doing TVA exercises will unlock the muscles. Have you heard of this? Can I just go forward with exercise or will I possibly just cause more damage? Is there another way to unlock the TVA first? Is it getting too late to change things at 18 months post partum?
Thanks!
AnswerFirst off, a mid line that measures less than 2 finger-widths is not wide enough to be considered a diastasis. So that's good news.
Sometimes muscles do become quiescent, meaning that they don't engage when they should. (This can occur for various reasons.) I think this is what you trainer means by "locked up." But this is not the same thing as a muscle in spasm that "locks up."
Your trainer is correct that when we have a area in our bodies that is not functioning properly that we try to compensate by using other muscle groups. So it's likely that your glutes are trying to provide pelvic stability.
You could also be dealing with a functional imbalance between your external abs, and your TvA. Very common after pregnancy. To flatten your abdomen, you need to do two things. First, strengthen your TvA, second, train it to function as a stabilizer. My program will teach you how to do both of these steps. Plan on spending at least three weeks on the "Belly Lacing," "Belly Scooping" and the exercises that require you to maintain the belly scooped position when you move your legs. Even though these may seem pretty basic, you need to set these techniques into your body, so that when you engage your abs, the moves happen automatically. After the basics become engrained in your nervous system, then you can progress to more challenging exercises.
You should also stop doing ALL abdominal exercises that flex the upper body off the floor against the force of gravity.
As to the book or the DVD, start with the one that fits your learning style. Many women get both to have more variety in their workouts.
Ending up "still pregnant looking" is a total bummer and actually fairly common. Hundreds of women, many a lot more post-postpartum then you have successfully flattened their tummies. You can too.
