Flat Stomachs & Diastasis Recti

You must use your transverse abdominis and pelvic floor, otherwise known as your inner core muscles. You will find these exercises on all Moms Into Fitness DVDs, specifically the CFS Method and Boot Camp 2.

You must get used to the idea of not doing “traditional” ab training where you only feel your abs burn. And learn to use your inner core, which you don’t “feel the burn”.

Keep in mind all women have fat overlying the muscle. To get rid of this fat you must also do cardio exercise (the exercise that makes you huff n’ puff) and watch your nutrition.

1. Do a variety of exercises. There is no such thing as spot reduction.
2. Bump up your cardio. These are exercises that make you huff n’ puff! All moms have fat overlying the abdominal muscles. The ONLY way to get rid of this fat and see the muscles is through exercise and caloric reduction.
3. You must watch your nutrition, it's half the battle. Calculate your Metabolism to see how many calories you should consume to lose weight, you can find this calculation in our Weight Loss Calculator.
4. Give it time! It took time to put weight around the mid-section, it will take time to get it off.
5. Most importantly, train your Inner Core! Toning the abdominal muscles from the inside-out helps pull the waistline in like a corset. You should start with training the pelvic floor and transverse abdominis. You can find these exercises in the CFS Method, Boot Camp 2, Shed 5 Fast and Core Metabolic Jumpstart DVDs.

*Also, you need to make sure you do not have Diastasis Recti (a separation in the abdominal wall) before continuing with abdominal training. See below.

Please watch the following video to determine if you have diastasis recti. After pregnancy diastasis recti usually goes away within a few weeks. Some moms (less than 5%) have diastasis recti 2-20 years after having a baby. If you are one of these moms you must use the Moms Into Fitness modifications found on Boot Camp 2 and the CFS Method DVDs.

Diastasis recti is a common condition encountered during pregnancy. It is a temporary separation of the abdominal wall and usually goes away after the baby is born. It is not harmful, but during pregnant exercise you need to modify your workout. This is done for you on the Moms Into Fitness pregnancy DVDs.

*If you have had diastasis recti or currently have it, it is best to stay away from traditional abdominal work (crunches, twisting etc.) You need to slowly work back into traditional ab work. The best way to do this, and create a flat stomach, is to train the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor. Boot Camp 2 and the CFS Method focus on this inner core training with workouts that get more challenging as your core strength bounces back and continues to get stronger.

Test yourself for Diastasis Recti

The Pregnant Test for Diastasis Recti

What is the Core Firing Sequence?