Tricia
- Thread starter autumn
- Start date
I would be interested in Julie Tupler's workouts.
tricia
Cathlete
Hi Autumn!
I'd love to tell you about The Mummy Tummy workout. I really do think this will work for me. I wish I'd had this before/during my twin pregnancy - it may have really helped with the back pain and labor (if I'd been able to deliver naturally.)
The Tupler technique focuses intensely on the transverse muscle and strengthening it. This muscle is attached to all the other abdominals, so if you work one, you work them all. To start with, you do what Julie calls elevators. Thinking of your lungs like two balloons, fill them with air which pushes the belly button forward. Then release the air, ribs coming slightly together at the sternum area as the belly button goes back towards the spine. That's a belly breath. Every exercise starts with a belly breath. Now, think of the transverse muscle like a sideways elevator with 6 floors. The beginning of the belly breath is first floor. 5th floor would be if your belly button were pressing on your spine. 6th floor, belly button would be pushing out the back of your spine.
FIRST, in a seated position with back against a solid surface (wall, chair, carseat, etc.) - take a belly breath in, then exhale and pull transverse to 5th floor. Hold this position while you count out loud to 30 (out loud so you don't hold your breath.) Nothing should be moving while you hold this. Once you reach 30, do 5 little pulses from 5th to 6th floor. Then release and take a belly breath in. Do this exercise for 10 sets per day. This can be done while nursing, so it's the one I get to do for certain each day - and you really become aware of your abs doing this.
Next, I do the Seated Tupler Technique. This is where you take a belly breath and move to 3rd floor. Once there, move from 3rd to 5th for a set of one hundred. It helps to put your hands gently on your ribs to feel the movement, 3rd to 5th, 3rd to 5th, etc. At 100, take a belly breath to release. This takes about 2 1/2 minutes, and you start out doing 500 per day. She suggests 2 sets in the morning, one at lunchtime and one at bedtime. After doing this for 7 days, up the number to 1000 per day. Believe me, this definitely gets you in touch with your abs.
Those are the foundation moves, and can be done right after delivering your baby, until (as Julie puts it) your baby has a baby!
From there, you start doing her 15 or 30 minute routine. These are abs, upper and lower body moves with DynaBands, which was neat to see new ways to incorporate these. The workout she does isn't anything we've not done (as Catheites), but her focus is ALWAYS on the transverse. She'll be counting and say 1, belly back, 2 belly back, 3 belly back, etc. No matter what the exercise.
I like this workout (when I get to do it, which hasn't been as much as I'd like with the holidays, etc...). But I will say this - the production of the DVD is very choppy(not at all what we are used to). I.E. She stops to explain everything, and you could wait 10 minutes to do the next part at the beginning. Once she gets into the workout it's not so bad. I'm very forgiving of this - I really wanted to see the exercises being done, instead of just reading about them. But, for those who aren't, the book would be sufficient to give you the workout info.
The thing that just amazed me with this was realizing that I have a diastisis. Julie says that approx. 90% of women have them, and the ab workouts we do make them worse. (Example: Pilates Hundred, can create a diastisis if you don't have one!) From what I've read, once you repair this, you can return to other ab workouts. But until you do, you shouldn't be doing any abs that require shoulders leaving the floor. She calls them headlifts, not crunches. To make them more difficult, move your feet further from your butt. IT WORKS!
I could really go on about this, more so than I have...If you have more questions, just let me know! Now that the candy is gone from the holidays I hope to start seeing some great results.(Heehee!) But - I can already FEEL the change, and I've not been doing it every day like I should.
If you'd like to see more, the website is MaternalFitness.com . Hope that helps some!!
Tricia
I'd love to tell you about The Mummy Tummy workout. I really do think this will work for me. I wish I'd had this before/during my twin pregnancy - it may have really helped with the back pain and labor (if I'd been able to deliver naturally.)
The Tupler technique focuses intensely on the transverse muscle and strengthening it. This muscle is attached to all the other abdominals, so if you work one, you work them all. To start with, you do what Julie calls elevators. Thinking of your lungs like two balloons, fill them with air which pushes the belly button forward. Then release the air, ribs coming slightly together at the sternum area as the belly button goes back towards the spine. That's a belly breath. Every exercise starts with a belly breath. Now, think of the transverse muscle like a sideways elevator with 6 floors. The beginning of the belly breath is first floor. 5th floor would be if your belly button were pressing on your spine. 6th floor, belly button would be pushing out the back of your spine.
FIRST, in a seated position with back against a solid surface (wall, chair, carseat, etc.) - take a belly breath in, then exhale and pull transverse to 5th floor. Hold this position while you count out loud to 30 (out loud so you don't hold your breath.) Nothing should be moving while you hold this. Once you reach 30, do 5 little pulses from 5th to 6th floor. Then release and take a belly breath in. Do this exercise for 10 sets per day. This can be done while nursing, so it's the one I get to do for certain each day - and you really become aware of your abs doing this.
Next, I do the Seated Tupler Technique. This is where you take a belly breath and move to 3rd floor. Once there, move from 3rd to 5th for a set of one hundred. It helps to put your hands gently on your ribs to feel the movement, 3rd to 5th, 3rd to 5th, etc. At 100, take a belly breath to release. This takes about 2 1/2 minutes, and you start out doing 500 per day. She suggests 2 sets in the morning, one at lunchtime and one at bedtime. After doing this for 7 days, up the number to 1000 per day. Believe me, this definitely gets you in touch with your abs.
Those are the foundation moves, and can be done right after delivering your baby, until (as Julie puts it) your baby has a baby!
From there, you start doing her 15 or 30 minute routine. These are abs, upper and lower body moves with DynaBands, which was neat to see new ways to incorporate these. The workout she does isn't anything we've not done (as Catheites), but her focus is ALWAYS on the transverse. She'll be counting and say 1, belly back, 2 belly back, 3 belly back, etc. No matter what the exercise.
I like this workout (when I get to do it, which hasn't been as much as I'd like with the holidays, etc...). But I will say this - the production of the DVD is very choppy(not at all what we are used to). I.E. She stops to explain everything, and you could wait 10 minutes to do the next part at the beginning. Once she gets into the workout it's not so bad. I'm very forgiving of this - I really wanted to see the exercises being done, instead of just reading about them. But, for those who aren't, the book would be sufficient to give you the workout info.
The thing that just amazed me with this was realizing that I have a diastisis. Julie says that approx. 90% of women have them, and the ab workouts we do make them worse. (Example: Pilates Hundred, can create a diastisis if you don't have one!) From what I've read, once you repair this, you can return to other ab workouts. But until you do, you shouldn't be doing any abs that require shoulders leaving the floor. She calls them headlifts, not crunches. To make them more difficult, move your feet further from your butt. IT WORKS!
I could really go on about this, more so than I have...If you have more questions, just let me know! Now that the candy is gone from the holidays I hope to start seeing some great results.(Heehee!) But - I can already FEEL the change, and I've not been doing it every day like I should.
If you'd like to see more, the website is MaternalFitness.com . Hope that helps some!!
Tricia
tricia
Cathlete
By the way...
This is to Autumn or anyone who is interested -
When I received my Mummy Tummy DVD, there was included as a free gift, a cassette for pain management during pregnancy and labor. It's called Coming Contractions and is labeled as "Pain management for Labor, Proven Effective by Hundreds of maternal fitness clients".
Side One is for Pregnancy - "Listen to side one frequently during pregnancy. Side Two: Labor - To prevent possible onset of premature labor, side two should only be listened to after labor has begun.
Anyone who is interested in this cassette, let me know and I'll pop it in the mail. I am not going to need it, and I'd love to see it put to use if anyone wants it.
Tricia
This is to Autumn or anyone who is interested -
When I received my Mummy Tummy DVD, there was included as a free gift, a cassette for pain management during pregnancy and labor. It's called Coming Contractions and is labeled as "Pain management for Labor, Proven Effective by Hundreds of maternal fitness clients".
Side One is for Pregnancy - "Listen to side one frequently during pregnancy. Side Two: Labor - To prevent possible onset of premature labor, side two should only be listened to after labor has begun.
Anyone who is interested in this cassette, let me know and I'll pop it in the mail. I am not going to need it, and I'd love to see it put to use if anyone wants it.
Tricia