Here we go again! I know those Instagram ads full of people telling what you should do to get that body back after baby (insert eye roll). Do me a favor though....if your trainer tells you to pull your belly button to your spine....ask why? Then RUN. Just kidding but seriously, this needs to stop.
Crunches have gotten a bad rap postpartum. The reason being most people don't do them correctly. When doing a crunch correctly, you should get good transverse abdominis engagement (those deep core muscles that wrap all the way around and attach to the spine) versus rectus engagement (those muscles on the top that run up and down).
Now the question is how do we properly cue exercise to get the transverse abdominis on board?
Before you start any core exercise, start with a 360-degree breath into those ribs. As you exhale, I want you to think about zipping up a zipper. Start at the button and zip it all the way. Another cue is to think about using your breath to pull up the string from the pelvic floor.
Breathing is the foundation of a strong core.
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