QuestionI had twins 13 months ago. I was very fit before/during pregnancy (taught-practiced yoga through 6 month) and am also in great shape now. I teach fitness/aerobics/yoga but no one seems to have an answer for me about my small/pregnant looking pouch. The fourth person asked me just yesterday when I was due...so now I am looking for answers! I gained 60 pounds with pregnancy, was 4 feet around, but have lost all and maybe a couple more pounds. Am pretty much skinny everywhere but my waistline just isn't the same! I did have some separation of the abdominal muscles, before I started back to exercise at 4 months post i had about three-finger separation and am now down to one. I can see my six pack underneath the roundness...and it is a firm round, not soft. I don't mind having extra stuff, just not in a way that people think i am pregnant when i am not. it is embarrassing for me and for them to explain this! Any info is appreciated. Thank you!
AnswerYeah, being asked when the baby is due when you're not pregnant is the worst, especially when you teach fitness classes!
It's great that your abdominal separation resolved on its' own, after twins no less, so give yourself some major points there.
I suspect that you have a functional imbalance between your external abdominal muscles that flex the spine and your Transverse Abdominis, or TvA. If the TvA is too weak, or doesn't engage properly, then the muscle will not be able to contain the intra-abdominal pressure, abdominal wall will balloon outward in exercises that flex the upper spine against the force of gravity. Basically, muscle specificity theory states that what you practice is what you get. This is a fairly common problem post childbirth.
To flatten your abdomen you need to first build strength in your TvA, and then train it to function properly as a stabilizer is that you can maintain a flat abdominal profile during exercise. Depending on your physical habits and how you have done abdominal exercises in the past, this re-education phase might be easy for you, or it might be challenging at first.
For more in depth info on how to train your abs this way go to:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_reconditioning.html
