5 Best Diastasis Recti Exercises for Women

Diastasis recti is a prevailing problem among pregnant women. The separation of the ab muscles during pregnancy is quite common among women. That happens due to the expansion of the abdominal muscles as the pregnancy progresses. The muscles of the abs separate as the tissue lining of the centre stretches out to accommodate the growing baby.

While this ab separation is common among all expecting mothers, in some cases, it can get severe. When this gap is significantly large, it's considered diastasis recti, faced by approximately 1 in 12 pregnant women. It is characterised by excessive back pain and abdominal weakness postpartum.

Diastasis recti does heal on its own over time, but to avoid surgery, there are some exercises one can perform to make it heal quicker.

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Best exercises for diastasis recti

If you’re a victim of diastasis recti, fear not. We have the five best exercises to help you get your core strength back and tighten those muscles:

1) Kegels

Kegels aren’t just for older women. They come in handy postpartum as the muscles of the pelvic floor are also weakened after delivery. They’re super simple to do and can be at any time, anywhere.

• Seat yourself on a chair on on the floor. Contract your pelvic floor muscles. Hold the tension for 15 to 20 seconds.
• Relax the pelvic muscles completely for about ten seconds before contracting again.
• Repeat these movements for 15 to 20 reps.

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2) Bird-dog

This is a great exercise to strengthen the entire core and bring your ab muscles to the middle. Here's how it's done:

• Get on your hands and knees on the floor.
• Raise your right arm up, and hold it straight out ahead of you. Extend your left leg out behind you simultaneously. Point your fingers and toes in opposite directions.
• Bring both limbs in by bending at your elbow and knee, and crunch at the centre.
• Return them to the starting position before repeating this movement with your left arm and right leg.
• Perform these movements for 10 to 15 reps on each side.

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3) Deadbug

Like the bird-dog, the dead bug is also an effective core strengthening exercise that helps reverse the effects of diastasis recti. It's done as follows:

• Lay on your back on the floor. Straighten your arms and legs out in front of you, and bend at your knees, maintaining a 90-degree angle.
• Drop your right arm towards the floor above your head. At the same time, extend your left leg out, and bring it close to the floor.
• Return both limbs to the starting position before imitating it with your left arm and right leg.
• Perform these movements for ten to 15 reps on each side.

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4) Toe dips

This exercise is popular to strengthen the lower belly and also helps significantly to reverse the effects of diastasis recti. It's done as follows:

• Lay on the floor on your back.
• Straighten your arms out beside you with palms facing down.
• Raise your legs in the air, and keep them bent at the knees close to your chest.
• Drop one foot toward the floor while maintaining the bend in your knee, and bring it back in to the starting position.
• Perform these movements for 10 to 15 reps on each side.

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5) Hip bridge

Also known as the glute bridge, this is another effective exercise to strengthen the midsection of the body, aiding with the recovery from diastasis recti. Here's how it's done:

• Lay on the floor on your back; bend your legs, and place your feet hip-distance apart.
• Place your arms straight out on either side of you.
• Raise your hips up while ensuring your shoulders and feet are firmly on the ground.
• Lower your hips back to the ground.
• Perform this movement for 12 to 15 reps.

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Diastasis recti is definitely not easy to recover from, but you can make it better by incorporating the above-mentioned short, simple exercises into your daily routine. They’ll only take a few minutes to perform and will help you reap big rewards in the long run.