Third Wheel sit-up questions

Hi Veggiemom – I’m probably not the best one to answer this question, but I will have to do until someone better comes on! I personally don’t do the situps with legs up in the air, because I am not as strong and flexible as Christine, and I feel some strain in the abdomen when I do this. Targeting my abs is just not high on my list – I’ve learned to live with and love what I have. I have space there to house my pelvic organs, and I’m not giving that up!! I can’t say whether this particular move is good or bad for diastasis recti. If you feel a strain there, or a need to hold things together, then I would suggest you don’t do it.

The WW work is all about “un-learning” the traditional teachings of our practitioners and exercise gurus. I would suggest following Christine’s breathing instructions for this exercise, not worrying about why she’s telling you something different from what you are accustomed to hearing. That is precisely why we need her. We have reversed natural breathing, and we need to get it back. Several things were not intuitive to me. Firebreathing was hard for me at the beginning for that very reason. -- Surviving

I have been able to do these exercises on the third wheel yoga successfully without any adverse affects, but I don't have diastasis recti either though, so wouldn't know if these would be good for that or not.
I too never questioned the breathing sequence because I have been breathing wrong all this time, so it all felt strange to me, and very much a new learning experience.

Hi Veggiemom,

Unlike the rest of the exercising world, we really do very few WW exercises while on our back because the natural leverage from the lumbar spine is diminished in that position. If you think about it, in nature very few quadrupeds spend a lot of time on their backs either. We have an essentially horizontal spine too and we, like four-leggeds, evolved or were designed to be either pronograde (facing down), or bipedal and looking forward. Our whole structure is geared to go forward, and it is the lumbar curvature that creates the spinal engine propelling us forward. Unlike animals though, our “tail” has flexed under, which makes lying on our back comfortable for sleeping and relaxing. Humans really have this amazing choice of living with the tailbone up or under, which has huge implications for health.

The way I am doing that sit up, and all other similar exercises, is breathing in when I come up and out when I lower to the floor. This allows the belly to come forward and the lumbar spine to flex forward on the in-breath, which is natural, WW breathing. You are right that all other Pilates-type exercises would be sucking belly toward spine while raising up. We take advantage of natural spinal mechanics even it that position.

Given that is the case, I would not bind the diastasis because you are just making it harder on your lumbar spine and more difficult to achieve a reasonable level of the natural dynamics of the spine and abdominal wall.

Really push your midriff area (below the breasts) forward when you come up on the in-breath. Notice that this is just another version of pushing the abdominal wall into its natural shape. You know best how this exercise makes you feel, so use your best judgment. From my perspective it is a great exercise for strengthening into WW posture and one that I have forgotten about. Thanks and I will add it to my morning mix.

Christine

P.S. Make sure your chin stays tucked in. ;-)

Dear veggiemom,
Doing the sit - up exercises and also using the baton in full human extension among all the other exercises, has for me tightened my tummy button, along with many other benefits.

I did have some muscle separation around my button and now I can barely fit my pinky nail into my button when standing in WWP, and it does look smaller in that stance.

I understand that the pelvic organs are also pinned forward into the belly while breathing in on lifting up for the sit - ups.

I don't miss feeling nauseated, or the grueling muscle pain/discomfort when doing the conventional sit - up, and also all the other risks, I am aware of now!

I am so glad I hated them! And so did my body... we need to listen to it much more....I also hated and refused to run before WW running... yay!

Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

This is an interesting question and I was glad to see the responses. I used the Tupler Technique and splinting after several babies to heal my diastasis. But after my last baby and less than a year of the exercises and splinting, I ended up with prolapse. (I think the splinting caused it.) Still though, it is hard for me to shake this frame of mind when doing the sit ups.

I also thought about this the other day, when I was doing the Goddess Belly workout and the part where I lie on my stomach and lift my head/shoulders/legs off the floor at the same time. I started wondering if that would make diastatis worse and am now to lift up as high as I can. (My diastasis is only a "two finger" separation - yet my belly looks huge.)

I'm trying hard to forget things I've learned though, and just follow what Christine teaches. It can be hard sometimes!