Modifications help!!

[ginadv]

Hi All,

I posted this a couple of weeks ago and every time I do a tape I find that I'm still wondering about the same stuff...can someone help out? I also want to reemphasize my question about knee smashes because those seem weird to me (and I think I recall Cathe saying that she stopped kickboxing earlier than other things in her first pregnancy...why was that?)and also ab work in general.

Also, Fit Pregnancy had a thing in its last issue about diastatsis...how can you tell if you have that and if you do, should you stop doing abs? Can you heal it during pregnancy?

Anyhow, any help would be REALLY appreciated!

Here's the first post:

"I'm sure that there is info. about all of this somewhere on this board as I probably read it way before I was pregnant...of course now I can't recall exactly what the parameters are on this stuff...enlighten me?

Abs modifications: I'm about 15 weeks right now, just starting my second trimester and my belly is just starting to pooch out in a somewhat noticeable way. I vaguely recall reading that one should not do abdominal work on her back after her 4th month. What's the general rule here about lying in a prone position. Thus far I'm not experiencing any discomfort or trouble breathing when lying on my back (either during ab work or in yoga class).

Other modifications: Right now I'm modifying most high impact parts of my videos (i.e. not jumping onto the step, no plunge lunging or push-up repeaters, jumping jacks and keeping one leg planted during up/overs and up/backs). Are there any other traditional Cathe moves that should be modified or eliminated totally? I've heard that if you can't hold a kegel while doing a move then you shouldn't be doing it. Also, what's the deal with knee smashes in kickboxing? Again, I have very little belly so far, so I've been doing knee smashes (and other knee lifts) by keeping my knee extended a bit further from my stomach area when it's lifted.

Finally, weights/strength work: Like others on the board I'm not yet experiencing any relaxin effects and I'm comfortable doing squats, plie squats, static lunges (yuck!) etc. Are these all still okay?

And anything else I might be missing..."

Thanks so much!

Gina

 

[tchersue]

I can answer some of your questions...

The problem with lying in a prone position has more to do with the baby than for you. After about the 1st trimester, the weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid become significant enough that they can cut off blood flow to the baby ("vena cava"). This also why you should avoid sleeping on your back.

Diastasis is the actual separation of the rectus abdominis muscles. It is caused by the relaxin in your system which softens connective tissue to make room for the baby... in your hips, rib cage, etc. The pressure of the growing baby or other strain on the stretched stomach muscles (a bout of coughing, or even labor can cause this)exacerbate the stress at the seam (linea alba) where these muscles connect. You can check for diastasis by lying flat on your back with your knees bent (not long enough to cause vena cava ... press your fingers firmly above your navel (a couple of inches above) and do a small crunch raising your head and shoulders. If you are "split," you'll feel the hard muscles on either side of your fingers. A slight gap of 1/2 to 1 finger is normal... 2 or more fingers is considered significant. You also want to check for diastasis (same way) below your navel. You may find it easier to have someone else check for you. Some women will notice that they have diastasis when they get out of bed and notice a sort of pooch in the area of the diastasis. If you have diastasis, you may find that you have more back aches during pregnancy because the compromised strength of your abs will put more stress on the back muscles which share the work of supporting the spine.

You can continue abdominal work with diastasis, but you should not do any twisting oblique work, as this will exacerbate the problem. Try doing abdominals on your hands and knees, using your baby as your weight plate... tuck your navel to your spine, and then release (requires concentration, but it works), keeping a flat back through the whole contraction (don't "crank your hips") You can also work your obliques on your hands and knees by doing "tail wags" -- navel to the spine, and then move your shoulder toward your hips... alternating sides. Again, concentration is the key to really working those muscles.

Kegels -- as a general rule, you shouldn't do any impact moves if you find you are tinkling in your pants. No other way to say it... The muscles of the pelvic floor act like a hammock for your bladder, uterus, etc. Sometimes the muscles sag during or after pregnancy... you should make sure to rehabilitate these muscles through kegel exercises before resuming impact exercise.

Kickboxing is particularly hard on joints that are softened by relaxin becauuse of the thrusting kicks/punches. In general, pregnant women should not be doing any moves that place extra stress on the joints; however, a trained body can often "get away" with more than a less fit body. The big rule is to listen to your body!!! If it is uncomfortable, don't do it.

As for resistance exercises, my advice would be to listen to your body -- whether you notice or not, you do have relaxin in your system that can bother your joints... however, if you've been doing strength training before, and the exercises aren't bothering you, then you're probably fine (again... listen to your body!!!) If you notice that your joints are bothering you, then you might want to try using bands instead of weights. In my prenatal class, we also use resist-a-balls for squats. You put them against the small of your back with the ball in between you and the wall. The women all seem to like these squats. They take some of the pressure off of your knees. Also, you can do supported plie squats in place of traditional squats.

Hope this helps...
Susan Hyde
Healthy Moms Certified Fitness Instructor

 

[tchersue]

p.s.

If you have diastasis, make sure that you do corrective exercises to shorten the muscles before getting back into a regular ab routine...

for instance... lie on your back, take a big belly breath in, blow out while sucking your navel to your spine and using your hands to actually push the two muscles together. Depending on the diastasis, it may take a few weeks or a few months to get it back together.

In the meantime, try not to twist (like when your baby is crying in the back seat of the car and you twist to put the pacifier in her mouth... bad, bad, bad LOL and resist the temptation to do a bazillion crunches... it'll only cause the diastasis more stress.

Susan

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Susan! Just wanted to thank you so much for taking the time to give your informative response ! And a big thanks to Sheila too for providing such a thorough and educational Healthy Moms Certification program.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Gina! Susan already did such a wonderful job explaining everything so I will just add a few things to your questions. I stopped kickboxing at around my 6th month of pregnancy because not only was my belly was getting in the way (especially on knee smashes), but the sharp, fast movements used in kickbox were straining my relaxin filled joints. Kickboxing also requires heavy use of the hip flexor and pelvic region, an area of extreme sensitivity and softened ligaments, especially in the third trimester. Kick boxing also incorporates quick pivitol changes which can throw you off balance and cause a potential fall.

When I got to my 13th week, I never did anything flat on my back for more than 15 seconds at a time. All weight training exercises such as flat bench work and ab work were done on an incline. When it got to the point where my belly was so big and it got uncomfortable to even get up from an incline position (around 25 weeks), I stopped these incline exercises all together until after delivery. Lots of luck to you!