Pilates for Pre-Natal Strength & Post-Natal Core Conditioning
Pre-Natal Pilates
Body Connection has many pre- and post-natal success stories. From pushing for only 10 minutes to deliver a first baby to repairing a split abdomen after three babies, the strength, support and stability provided by Pilates make a huge difference in how you feel during and after your pregnancy.
As we know, a woman’s body goes through lots of changes during pregnancy. Ligaments relax throughout the body, and as the belly grows, the abdominal muscles extend with it. The abdominals and skin are designed to stretch in this way during pregnancy and then reverse after delivery.
While the female body is designed for this, the new weight in the front of the body can pull the low back forward into what is called a posterior tilt position. This can cause low back pain that can be minor, or sometimes quite extreme.
Pilates will maintain the strength in your abdominals, back, and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy. This helps support the weight shift and physical changes to your mid-section, as well as facilitates delivery by strengthening and priming the pelvic floor muscles.
As we know, a woman’s body goes through lots of changes during pregnancy. Ligaments relax throughout the body, and as the belly grows, the abdominal muscles extend with it. The abdominals and skin are designed to stretch in this way during pregnancy and then reverse after delivery.
While the female body is designed for this, the new weight in the front of the body can pull the low back forward into what is called a posterior tilt position. This can cause low back pain that can be minor, or sometimes quite extreme.
Pilates will maintain the strength in your abdominals, back, and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy. This helps support the weight shift and physical changes to your mid-section, as well as facilitates delivery by strengthening and priming the pelvic floor muscles.
Post-Natal Pilates
After delivery, the same abdominal and pelvic floor muscles need to be strengthened to avoid prolapse, incontinence, and decreased sexual pleasure. Think of a strong, stable pelvic region as a corset around the whole body.
Strength in the pelvic region is extremely important postpartum, as it’s a precarious time when the muscles have not yet recovered to their original shape, but a new mother needs the core strength to care for her baby, and deserves to feel good at the same time.
We often hear “kegels, kegels, kegels!” but the core is more than that. In addition to the muscles strengthened by kegels, strength in the lower abdominals (transverse abdominals) and the low back (multifidus) are crucial—and Pilates is a perfect exercise modality to achieve this strength.
A common problem post pregnancy is diastis recti, where the outermost layer of abdominals split causing a wide gap between the “six pack” abdominal muscles. Regular crunches will not fix this. Only Pilates abdominal exercises that emphasize neutral pelvis and proper body alignment will decrease the gap in these muscles.
Strength in the pelvic region is extremely important postpartum, as it’s a precarious time when the muscles have not yet recovered to their original shape, but a new mother needs the core strength to care for her baby, and deserves to feel good at the same time.
We often hear “kegels, kegels, kegels!” but the core is more than that. In addition to the muscles strengthened by kegels, strength in the lower abdominals (transverse abdominals) and the low back (multifidus) are crucial—and Pilates is a perfect exercise modality to achieve this strength.
A common problem post pregnancy is diastis recti, where the outermost layer of abdominals split causing a wide gap between the “six pack” abdominal muscles. Regular crunches will not fix this. Only Pilates abdominal exercises that emphasize neutral pelvis and proper body alignment will decrease the gap in these muscles.
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