Top 3 Exercises to Fix Your Diastasis!
Diastasis Rectus Abdominus (DRA)
It is a HOT HOT HOT topic right now and I understand your concern with making your diastasis worse so I am here to give you a tip on how not to make it worse AND give you the TOP THREE exercises to FIX YOUR DIASTASIS!
First, let’s talk about the facts.
What is Diastasis?
Diastasis is a natural adaptation that typically occurs in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy to allow room for the baby to grow. WOAH WAIT ——- Did I just say “natural adaptation”? YES. Yes I did. Meaning you can not prevent it! Meaning it is supposed to happen so that baby can grow! *Insert sigh of relief here*
As the baby grows in your uterus, so does your belly. As this happens, the ‘6-pack’ abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus) will start to move away from your midline, and the linea alba will stretch creating an increase in inter-recti distance.
This may only happen around the belly button, above or below the belly button, or all the way from the ribs down to the pelvis (along the midline aka the linea alba)!
Can I prevent my Diastasis?
No, you can not prevent Diastasis during pregnancy and that is okay! As I said, it is a natural adaptation and most people will see their linea alba return to “normal” within 6-12 months post-pregnancy. Are you past that timeframe and your diastasis is still prevalent? Keep reading!
Will Exercise Cause or make my Diastasis worse?
No! I encourage you to exercise, and to continue exercising in all the ways! A recent research article (Gluppe et. al 2023) found that curl-ups helped strengthen all the muscles in your belly and did not make the diastasis worse. Additionally, many leading experts on diastasis (Antony Lo, Grainne Donnelly) believe that strengthening and moving in all the ways is the way to help decrease your inter-recti distance (aka “fix” your diastasis).
How do I know how much exercise is too much?
If you note doming (a visible bulge along your midline) during an exercise & if that doming is hard to the touch, scale that exercise back a little until that doming is soft. For example, If you are doing hollow holds and you note hard doming, try bending your knees!
Top 3 Exercises to Fix Your Diastasis!
_________________
_________________
_________________
That’s it! There is the BIG secret. There is no top exercise to fix your diastasis because there are so many options and none of them are wrong. The best way is to get you moving in all the ways! But let me be a little more specific for you.
When thinking about what exercises to do consider including:
a forward or back motion exercise (sit-ups, v-snaps, deadlifts, etc.)
an exercise that includes a side-to-side motion (dumbbell side bend, overhead side bend, etc.)
a rotational exercise (pallof press (with a twist), Russian twist, kettlebell windmill, etc.)
Essentially, you want to get your whole body moving in all the ways AND you want to be stressing your body at 70 % of your 1 Rep Max. That is where the hard doming comes into play. If you get to hard doming you are likely at your capacity for that tissue; come back to a place with soft doming and work there. Questions about hard vs soft doming? Book in for a quick assessment and we can discuss what this looks like for you!
How long will it take for my Diastasis to go away?
It takes six weeks to START seeing strength & tissue changes, so give it time. You will get there. You may start to see those changes within 6-weeks, but it could take up to a year. Diastasis may not go away completely for everyone, so if you have given it a year and you have been working with an exercise-positive Athletic Therapist, that is when we would talk about other options.
When should I come in for an appointment?
If there is any doubt in your mind on whats going on or what to do I always encourage an appointment. Aditionally, you can come in if:
you want a bit of guidance
you are unsure of what you are seeing or feeling
you have questions
you want confirmation on whether you even have a diastasis or where you are at with your diastasis
you are not sure if you have doming or hard doming
you want guidance with picking exercises that are right for you
you have been working at it for 4-6 weeks and you are not seeing changes
If you have pain —> diastasis is not linked directly to pain so if you have pain come in and get it checked out!
How do I book with you?
You can call or text me at 204-999-7802 or book online!
Difficulty getting into the clinic? Maybe you can’t get away from baby, maybe you are short on time, or maybe you don’t live close to the clinic - I got you! Book in for a video appointment!
Thabette AA. 2019, IOC 2016, Mottola et al. 2019, Gluppe S. et al., 2021, Saleem et al 2021, Gluppe et al 2023
