Written by: Maternity Exercise Academy. Commercial partnership.
In abdominal muscle diastasis, the rectus abdominis muscles separate from one another, and the linea alba—the white fibrous band running down the midline of the abdomen—stretches. Abdominal muscle diastasis is no reason to skip exercise—quite the opposite. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind before you rush off to the gym.
Abdominal muscle separation is common among women who have given birth, but it can affect anyone, including men. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to address abdominal muscle separation at the gym and what you can do about it.
What happens when the abdominal muscles separate?
Abdominal muscle diastasis is a dysfunction of the entire core. The linea alba in the midline of the abdomen stretches, and at the same time, the entire abdominal wall stretches. The linea alba is composed of dense connective tissue, and its function is to transfer forces between the lower and upper body. When the linea alba stretches, this force transmission may be disrupted, and many people then experience a feeling of weakness in the core or difficulty activating their abdominal muscles.
Abdominal muscle separation does not automatically cause pain, but sometimes it can lead to difficulty taking deep breaths, urinary incontinence, a feeling of pressure in the pelvic floor, and symptoms of back fatigue.
If the separation of the abdominal muscles does not improve and symptoms appear, you should consult a professional.
Abdominal muscle diastasis occurs when the abdominal muscles stretch, and this is particularly common during and after pregnancy. A high amount of visceral fat—that is, fat around the midsection—also increases the risk of diastasis. The linea alba is normally about 1–2 cm wide, but during pregnancy it can double or even triple in width. Diastasis recti is completely normal during pregnancy, and all pregnant women develop it by the third trimester at the latest.
Abdominal obesity also stretches the tendon. This stretching weakens the tendon’s structure, and therefore, supporting its recovery requires a varied exercise regimen to restore the tendon’s elasticity.
Strength Training and Abdominal Muscle Separation
Strength training is an effective way to promote the recovery and rehabilitation of the abdominal wall, as well as to prevent diastasis recti, for example, during pregnancy. The abdominal muscles consist of several different layers; we refer to them as the superficial and deep abdominal muscles. All layers of the abdominal muscles can and should be strengthened in a variety of ways, even if there is diastasis recti.
A commonly held belief is that if there is a gap wider than a finger’s width between the edges of your abdominal muscles, you shouldn’t train your core. However, width alone says nothing about the functionality of the rectus abdominis and the core, so there’s no need to avoid strength training. There are, however, a few important things to keep in mind before you start working out. Let’s go over a few things to keep in mind at the gym.
Proper technique and form are important for the recovery of abdominal muscle separation
The core has often been described as a house-like structure. This house-like structure must stand upright, with all its parts aligned on top of one another. If the structure resembles a leaning tower, the core muscles cannot work together as intended.
From the perspective of recovering from abdominal muscle separation, it is important for all components of the body’s structure to work together seamlessly. Strengthening the abdominal muscles after separation requires “resetting” the body and relearning the function and activation sequence of the core muscles.
In terms of the body’s structure, we can think of the diaphragm as the roof of a house at the top of the abdominal cavity, the pelvic floor as the floor of the house, and the abdominal and back muscles as the walls. This quartet, strongly linked to the function of the upper and lower extremities, forms what is known as the deep core support. All of these components must work together seamlessly to provide strong support for the spine and intervertebral discs, as well as to control core posture.
So, especially when training with free weights at the gym, it’s really important to pay attention to your form and alignment. For example, squats and hip thrusts are excellent basic exercises and work well to support core control and strength, as long as your form is correct.
Breathing is one of the most important elements when it comes to supporting the recovery of abdominal muscle separation at the gym
The diaphragm is the most important respiratory muscle, and for many people who exercise, using their breath during a workout is second nature. The deep core support provided by the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and deep core muscles is necessary for regulating intra-abdominal pressure during movement.
You may have noticed at some point while exercising that your abdomen bulges outward as you perform a movement. This is quite common, for example, during abdominal crunches or heavy compound exercises, such as the deadlift. An increase in intra-abdominal pressure is important and is needed, for example, to support the spine. Intra-abdominal pressure rises every day, even when you stand up from a chair or cough. The more strenuous the movement, the more intra-abdominal pressure increases.
In diastasis recti, the abdominal wall is weak and prone to giving way. Furthermore, the core muscles do not work together seamlessly, which is why repeated episodes of high intra-abdominal pressure are not a good thing.
Pressure within the abdominal cavity should be distributed evenly throughout the cavity, but when the abdominal wall is weak, the pressure pushes toward the midline of the abdomen, causing the abdomen to bulge. When this strain is repeated and continuous, it places unnecessary stress on the abdominal wall and does not support the recovery of abdominal muscle separation.
Breathing plays a key role in regulating abdominal pressure. To prevent abdominal pressure from pushing toward the midline of the abdomen, you should not hold your breath during exertion; instead, coordinate your exhalation with the most strenuous phase of the movement.
Getting your deep core muscles in shape first is the be-all and end-all
The sequence in which the core muscles activate may be disrupted in cases of diastasis recti. The layers of abdominal muscles can be thought of as musicians in an orchestra who are now each playing their own part, but not in unison. The orchestra requires a conductor—that is, the diaphragm (breathing)—to be re-engaged so that all the musicians in the orchestra can play in unison again and core strengthening can progress.
Deep muscles consist largely of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which means they should be activated with long, controlled repetitions. The key, then, is to start your workout by first strengthening your core muscles with slow, controlled movements. At the same time, this allows you to practice breathing and coordinating your breath with movement to stabilize abdominal pressure.
Supporting the recovery from diastasis recti requires a varied and progressive exercise program. The goal is that once you’ve found deep core support, once your breathing flows naturally with your movements, and once your movement technique and alignment are in order, you’ll be able to do a varied workout at the gym that includes squats and deadlifts.
To strengthen your deep core and midsection, it’s a good idea to follow the guidance of a prenatal exercise specialist to ensure your workouts are safe and effective.
Would you like support to help your abdominal muscles recover from diastasis recti? Check out the Maternity Exercise Academy’s new Core Recovery program, where you can work out alongside a pelvic floor physical therapist.