Maybe You Shouldn't Avoid Crunches and Planks with Diastasis Recti- Here's Why.
I’m about to blow your mind, blog friends, so take a seat for this one.
As a perinatal fitness coach, I’ve heard it all. I’ve gathered a non-exhaustive list of the things you may have read or been told to avoid if you have diastasis recti:
🙅🏻♀️Avoid crunches and sit ups
🙅🏻♀️Don’t do planks
🙅🏻♀️Don’t use your oblique muscles (like what the actual F, but okay…)
🙅🏻♀️Avoid rotation exercises
🙅🏻♀️Can you just not pick up your kid to lessen pressure on your core?
Here’s a quick PSA: you can;t NOT use your core.
Your core system doesn’t isolate. Okay, TVA, since we’ve got diastasis recti, we can’t be using those oblique muscles. OBLIQUES, did you hear me? You can’t sit with us!
Your core, ALL of it, is integral in daily life tasks.
If we avoided all of the what is listed above, it would make life extremely limited and difficult. Imagine trying to get out of bed or the bath without a crunch, how you would have to move your arm to hand your kid a snack or their pacifier in the back seat without rotating your abdomen, turning to put the dishes away without firing your obliques, watching your toddler tantrum because they just want to be picked up but you’ve been told that will do more harm.
Okay, so, for the real question- you know the one you tuned in for an answer to. What can you do to build a stronger core with diastasis recti?
Truth bomb time…
In order to build a stronger core…..
You have to LOAD THE CORE MUSCLES.
That’s right, my friends. You have to progressively challenge muscles to build strength in them. And, sure, there are 1,787 other exercises that can effectively load the core and build strength- and trust me, I utilize all of them in my programs.
Crunches and planks can also be effective, and safe, exercises to build strength and function with diastasis recti. They may even be what’s missing from your recovery program. I’ll pause for the aha moment
This is where the support of someone knowledgeable who aligns with your goals is key, especially if you’ve been following the information out there and still not seeing the results you want.
Do you have any questions? Comment below!
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Hungry for more? Check out these 3 diastasis recti exercises that you probably aren’t doing on my YouTube Channel!
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