Men often notice an abdominal bulge or protrusion that looks like a cone-shaped ridge either above or below their belly button, known as diastasis recti, caused when abdominal muscles separate along their midline of stomach.
Popular core exercises like crunches and sit-ups may actually exacerbate diastasis recti by increasing intraabdominal pressure and further isolating recti muscles. Thankfully, there are effective diastasis recti men exercises available that may help.
Marches
diastasis recti, commonly referred to by its medical term diastasis recti, is more often found among pregnant women after delivery than men – particularly middle-aged and older ones who may never have had pregnancies at all. Men should be aware of their risk for this condition and make efforts to strengthen and correct it through exercises.
Abdominal separation can cause back pain, weakness in the abdominal region (“mummy tummy”) and pelvic floor dysfunction, including urinary incontinence. This is especially true if abdominal muscles are constantly working to hold in their abdomens without receiving any rest or recovery time. Diastasis recti can be corrected through core strengthening exercises which target deep abdominal muscle, improving their function to restore abdominal separation.
Marches are a simple yet effective exercise for improving core function by activating transversus abdominis – one of the deepest and most stable core muscles. Marches can be done anytime of the day to start rebuilding strength in your core and reduce diastasis recti.
Movement teachers with over 19 years of experience understand that diastasis recti isn’t always caused by pregnancy; oftentimes, the weakness in core muscles often results from improper breathing and poor posture that increases intraabdominal pressure. Therefore, rest and recovery time must be provided in order to keep these vital core muscles strong.
Correct postural alignment can put undue strain on the linea alba, negatively impact core muscle recruitment, increase load on abdominal contents and altering angle of rectus abdominis muscular attachments – these factors are common among larger men or those engaging in high intensity sports such as powerlifting or field athletics such as discus or shot put that place repeat strain on abdominal muscles, such as powerlifting or discus/shot put. It is likely to see abdominal separation for individuals engaging in such sports. It is particularly noticeable among men engaging in high intensity sports that requires repetitive strain on abdominal muscles such as powerlifting or field athletics like discus/shot put. This phenomenon occurs frequently among men involved in powerlifting and field athletics due to repeated strain being put onto abdominal muscles such as powerlifting/athletics performed that subject abdominal muscles repeatedly throughout a match/race that require repeated strain such as discus/shot put/discus/shot put. It often seen in men who engage in such activities such as powerlifting/field athletics such as powerlifting/ field athletics like discus/shot put/ discus/shot put competitions like discus/ shot put. It often seen in men participating in such high intensity sports that place strain upon abdominal muscles such as powerlifting where repeated strain is put upon abdominal muscles such as powerlifting/athletics such as powerlifting where strain on abdominal muscle strain / sports which require repeated strain upon abdominal muscle tension-intaili/shot put competitions where repeated strain or perform high intensity sports like powerlifting which subject their abdominal muscle strain to perform high intensity sports like discus/shot put who perform repetitive strain, such as/ shot put, discus etc…etc where separation occurs etc /shot put throwing competition etc… etc requiring repeat strain repetitive strain is put or shot put throwing/discus/ shot put or other field athleticis performed repeatedly puts are repetitive strain occurs upon them repeatedly placed or field athleticis repeated strain are placed repeatedly strain on abdominal muscle attachment points… etc… etc…etc…… etc… etc…… etc…etc… etc….. etc…etc… etc…. etc…etc, etc…etc on abdominal muscles due to repeated strain is placed repeatedly put or similar sports required such as power lifting/ shot put or more commonly experienced athletes who engage e….. etc, that require repeated strain which put performance; etc etc…… etc, power lifting……….. etc….. etc… etc… etc….etc… etc….etc… etc…etc…etc… etc…..etc… etc…. or power lifting/or sports that strain is required as when performing such as performing or field athletics etc… These strain on such repeated strain such exerte…….etc…etc and repeated strain such sports require repeated strain….etc…… etc….. etc….. etc…. etc…. etc…etc….. etc…. etc… etc…..etc etc…… etc……etc…..etc…etc…. etc…..etc… etc…. etc…etc etc etc… etc….etc… etc etc….etc….. etc….etc…. etc….etc….. etc….. etc…. etc…. etc…. etc etc….. etc….. etc….. etc….. etc…. etc….. etc…. etc…. etc…. etc…..etc…. etc…. etc…. etc….etc… These athletes such as powerlifting etc…. etc…. etc…. which repetitive strain on abdominal muscle weakness…..etc…………etc…..etc….s…….etc……etc……etc…………..etc so much more commonly see separation…….etc etc…..etc…. etc……etc…..etc……etc…..etc etc……etc….. etc….. etc…..etc….
Planks
Planks can strengthen deep abdominal muscles to close gaps caused by diastasis recti. Furthermore, planks are effective at relieving lower back pain and improving posture while being easy to perform anywhere and anytime of the day. They’re an especially convenient diastasis recti exercise for men who don’t have access to core-training equipment like yoga mats.
To perform a basic plank, lie on your stomach with arms by your sides and palms on the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles while pushing through palms to raise chest, shoulders and knees off of floor until in a straight and stable position – hold this pose for 10-15 seconds then slowly lower back down onto floor again; repeat for 15 repetitions on either side.
Bird Dog exercise is another easy diastasis recti exercise designed to strengthen core muscles and help decrease separation of ab muscles. Simply lie on the floor with arms at sides and knees bent, breathing slowly in and exhaling out to blow out 100 birthday candles until breath is stretched to maximum capacity; slowly lift right leg outward and touch with left hand before returning slowly back down towards floor and repeat with left arm/leg set-up.
If you need help developing an appropriate diastasis recti workout routine, consult an obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) or medical doctor specializing in treating pregnant people for advice or a referral to a physical therapist who can offer guidance and recommendations regarding safe core exercises that will help heal diastasis recti.
Dependent upon the severity of your diastasis recti, you may need to continue this beginner workout for several weeks or longer until your abdominal muscles have healed enough to progress to more advanced programs. Although exercises such as these may help improve conditions such as diastasis recti, other strategies like muscle stimulators or core strengthening techniques will likely also need to be employed in order to fully heal diastasis recti.
Side-Lying Abdominal Exercises
Diastasis recti, commonly associated with women during and post pregnancy, can also affect men. This condition, which results in a gap between left and right sides of abdominal muscles, can lead to back pain as well as weak core strength that results in a “mummy tummy.” Exercise can be beneficial in helping reduce ab separation for men by strengthening core muscles from both front and back.
Lay down on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the ground, tighten your ab muscles, and raise your upper body slightly off of it. Press your fingers into your abdomen from its base down towards your pubic bone; if any gaps can be felt between abdominal muscles, this could indicate abdominal separation.
If the gaps between your abdominal muscles are larger than two finger widths, seeking out professional assistance could help treat them effectively. You might also need to temporarily cease performing some exercises like crunches and sit ups until they close up the gaps.
One of the best exercises for abdominal separation in men is side-lying bridge. Begin by lying on your back on the floor. Next, raise both legs so they are perpendicular to the floor above your hips. Lower them slowly toward the floor without arching your back or straining core muscles – repeat this exercise on each leg until complete.
Men looking to increase abdominal separation may benefit from performing the Quadruped Pelvic Tilt exercise, which can be performed both seated or standing. To do this exercise, begin by lying flat on your back with your feet behind you on the floor and your back flat against it. To perform it effectively, move back onto a chair when starting.
Engage your core muscles and press down on your lower back, while simultaneously lifting both arm and leg off of the floor simultaneously – leaving one arm on the ground while lifting one off as soon as the other leg goes out straight towards your side – in one movement. Hold this position for several seconds before returning back to starting position while keeping core engaged and lower back pressed down onto floor – repeat this exercise using other arms/legs!
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Diastasis recti is most frequently manifested when abdominal muscles form an opening or tenting that is palpable when contracting your stomach muscles (for instance during sit-ups or crunches). Diastasis recti can be visible or invisible; often felt at the center of belly but also upper or lower portions. It can lead to abdominal pain, low back or hip pain, poor posture and even incontinence in women.
Importantly, it’s essential to remember that gaps in your abs aren’t indicative of weakness and don’t need to close completely in order for you to remain healthy and functional. What’s most crucial here is being wary of exercises which cause strain on abdominal muscles as this could contribute to widening instead of narrowing. We have seen 8 finger wide gaps narrowed to less than 1 finger width with the appropriate program and exercise selection.
Physical therapists can help you develop a program of movement designed to strengthen your core, prevent further ab separation and heal the gap. Furthermore, physical therapists provide strategies for controlling forces that transfer across your body from legs to core and how to avoid tension on connective tissues in general.
If you are experiencing diastasis recti, Vitality Pelvic Health offers consultation with specialist pelvic floor and core strength physicians who can develop a plan of care to address the gap and build abdominal wall strength safely – this will not only alleviate your symptoms, but will ensure you’re performing all activities and movements without further damaging abdominal muscles.
