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This is an easy-to-use guide to getting started after giving birth
You can use it even if your abs are split. However, always consult an instructor to help you get started if you don't feel like you can fully master your abs, or attend a Afterbirth classes.
Getting fit after giving birth is actually quite easy.
If you want to get started quickly and save time, it pays to start slowly.
You need to find your pelvic floor and train it just like you learnt when you were pregnant. Are you unsure how to find and train your pelvic floor? (Pelvic floor training isn't as complicated as you might think, but your pelvic floor needs to be trained to get strong, just like you need to train your biceps if you want guns).
Quite simply. And! When a muscle needs to be trained, its fibres must contract and stretch, contract and stretch, contract and stretch...
The easiest way to train your pelvic floor is to activate the largest muscles in your pelvic floor. You do this by imagining that you have to hold on to a fart that is pushing.
You can vary your workout by doing a few, very powerful squeezes (strength training), more light squeezes for longer periods, for example up to 10-20 seconds per squeeze. On the other hand, don't waste time trying to maintain a constant tension. It doesn't provide much of a training effect and can make the pelvic floor less functional for some. You should also practice combining the pelvic floor and breathing, and breathing with normal everyday movements).
If you need to know if you're training correctly or would like to know more, contact us for a personal training session with a Pilates instructor.
You need to find out how to use your inner abdominal muscle in particular and practice activating it as part of your postnatal training. For an easy trick, read here:
(Your inner abdominal muscle is the one you use when you pull your stomach in. However, walking around sucking in your stomach all the time won't train it. Just like any other exercise, you need to train the muscle by contracting and releasing it. The inner abdominal muscle is a bit tricky as it doesn't create any movement. But if you take a deep breath and then focus on exhaling all the air until there's not a millilitre of air left in your lungs, you'll feel a slight muscle tension, especially in the lower abdomen. A bit like the feeling you get when you have to close a pair of trousers that are a little too tight.
You may want to position yourself on all fours, i.e. on your hands and knees. Then you can more easily feel how you lift your stomach when you activate your inner abdominal muscle).
Now you need to work on getting the pelvic floor and inner abdominal muscle to communicate with each other.
Read more here: (An easy way is to stay on all fours: breathe in and let your abs relax. Squeeze your pelvic floor while lifting your abs on your exhalation. When you feel strong, you can make the exercise harder by:
1-knife
2-Lifting the abdomen
3-Lift your knees off the floor without losing your grip
The inner abdominal muscle is integrated into the inner and outer oblique abdominal muscles, as well as the large, straight outer muscle.
So the next step is to integrate your pelvic floor and inner abs with your obliques and straight abs. Now begins a more comprehensive abdominal workout. And here's a tip to get you started:
Lie on your back on the floor or on a mat.
Step 1: Put your hands behind your head. Do a few warm-up rounds where you practice relaxing on an inhale and exhale while squeezing your pelvic floor and contracting your abdominal muscles.
Step 2: Inhale: relax, exhale: squeeze the pelvic floor, lift your head and shoulders off the floor and pull your abs inwards at the same time. Check that the pelvic floor closes and the abdominal muscles flatten and don't ”pop up”. If you see your stomach distend and it looks like someone has put a Toblerone on your stomach, you have lost contact with your inner abdominal muscles. Go back to step 1 and practice again.
And once you've mastered step 1 and step 2, you're ready to challenge your abs training even more.
Read here for the basic version of the five classic abdominal exercises that are always used in Pilates. Always be aware of keeping a small, light tension in the pelvic floor and the innermost layers of the abdominal muscles so that your stomach doesn't pop up. And remember that your exhalation should be followed by a squeeze and activity in the inner abdominal muscles.
Single Leg Stretch
Lie on the floor or on a mat and pull both knees to your chest.
Hold the right shin with both hands.
Take a breath, squeeze your pelvic floor and lift your head and extend your left leg forwards over the floor, possibly stretching towards the ceiling at first.
Breathe and switch legs. Exhale and feel the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles contracttogether
Repeat eight times.
Double Leg Stretch
Lie on your back and pull both legs to your chest
Breathe in and stretch your legs and arms up towards the ceiling.
Exhale as you bring your arms forward, bend your legs and hug your arms to your chest.
Scissors
Lie on your back and bend your legs in towards your chest.
Breathe in and lift your head and shoulders up, breathe out and find your stomach and pelvic floor.
Stretch your legs towards the ceiling and grasp both hands as high up on your right leg as possible. Pull your right straight towards your body and pulse twice on one exhalation. Breathe in and switch legs, exhale and repeat on the left. Repeat five times on each leg.
Lower Lift
Supine position. Hands under the sacrum, lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Legs are stretched towards the ceiling. Feet can be in a V-position and knees slightly bent, or feet can be parallel, with legs straight.
On an inhale, lower your legs and on an exhale, give your pelvic floor an extra squeeze, find your abs and lift them back up to the starting position.
Criss Cross
Supine position. Hands behind your head, lift your head and shoulders off the mat. Legs bent towards the chest.
Extend your right leg on a high diagonal and rotate your upper body towards your left leg. Inhale and switch legs, exhale and rotate your body in the opposite direction while squeezing your pelvic floor and working all your abdominal muscles.
As it becomes easier and easier for you to activate and integrate your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles in these individual exercises, you can also start adding more strength-based training.
Among other things, you can work on this at pilates class and when you feel ready, you can sign up for more extensive functional training, for example TRX.
It's important that you start your training right after giving birth.
Be aware that slow, thorough rehabilitation at your body's own pace results in a faster recovery. Therefore, it can be a waste of time and effort to train too hard, too soon after giving birth.
If you have any doubts about abdominal exercises or need advice, please write to us at info@pilatescph.dk or info@trxcph.dk.
We offer both small and large team training at multiple levels, as well as personalised training and training.