5 Diastasis Recti (Abdominal Separation) Exercises to Help Restore Your Core

Some diastasis recti exercises target closing the abdominal gap, while other workouts target multiple areas but take the abdominal gap into consideration. Below are five exercises that you can use to support diastasis recti repair and better core function. First, let’s get clear on what DR is.

What is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis Recti is a separation of the connective tissue (linea alba) at the midline of the abdomen, affecting how close the rectus abdominis, or “6-pack” muscles, are to each other. The gap can be located anywhere from near the pubic bone to the base of the rib cage. While DR is often discovered after pregnancy, diastasis recti affects many people, including men. For a more detailed description, please see What Is Diastasis Recti and How Can I Fix It?

Why and How to Address Diastasis Recti

Why? A diastasis can affect the function of your core. An unresolved diastasis can lead to back pain, lack of tone in the abdominal region (“mummy tummy”) and a feeling of just not being strong enough to do the things you love doing. Because abdominal separation in pregnancy has been fairly well-studied, we know that approximately ⅔ of postpartum women return to their “normal” baseline measure within a year of giving birth, and about ⅓ do not.¹ Furthermore, studies have shown that exercises that increase transverse abdominal muscle engagement (deep core muscles) result in a greater likelihood of decreasing abdominal separation, and thus lessening the symptoms associated with diastasis recti.”²  No matter how your diastasis originated, there is definitely hope for a more functional core.

As a movement teacher who has been working with bodies for over 19 years, I have seen women with an 8-finger-wide gap go down to less than 1 finger wide doing the right exercises. It is a myth that an abdominal muscle separation cannot close. It is also a myth that the abdominal gap needs to close all the way in order for the body, and specifically the core, to be functional. Which means that you can have a 1.5 finger diastasis recti and be considered totally functional.

That being said, there are also a myriad of exercises that are contraindicated and should not be practiced at all by someone with a diastasis recti. In fact, these exercises may worsen the condition and separate the abdominal muscles further. This increased separation can impact the core’s ability to support your movements and leave you vulnerable to lower back pain. Furthermore, these undesired side effects reduce body and exercise confidence. Some of these exercises include dead bugs, traditional sit-ups, and exercises in which extended legs lever up and down (e.g., V-ups).

How You Can Heal Diastasis Recti

The exercises below represent a sample of some tried and true diastasis recti-friendly exercises that I teach in my Restore Your Core program. These moves will help you build strength, beginning from a basic level.

Candles:

Can be done seated, standing, lying or even on hands and knees. Breathe in and on the exhale blow or hiss all the air out like you are blowing out 90 candles on a cake.  Keep the hissing/blowing slow and steady. Don’t cheat by forcing all the air out in the exhale at the beginning. Feel your abs coming in and engaging as you exhale all of the way to the end. Each time you inhale, gently release the ab contraction. The abs should not pull in hard or forcefully, they should react / respond to the slow, long exhale by moving in and tightening together with the exhale.

Tabletop/reverse marching:

Begin by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Bolster your head if necessary to keep your ribcage down. Likewise, make sure your pelvis is neutral – the common cheat here is to tuck the pelvis under and round the lower back to the floor. Inhale, then on your next exhale, blow as if you’re blowing the seeds off a dandelion or blowing out candles. As a result of the exhale, you will feel your deep core engage and move in. While you continue exhaling, slowly bring one knee in toward your body. Keep the knee bent. Your thigh will be perpendicular to the floor at the top of the move, as in tabletop. On your next exhale, bring the other leg up parallel to the first leg.

Goddess Side Bend:

Stand with your feet wide, turned out to about a 45 degree angle. Make sure that your knees are lined up with your feet, rather than collapsed inward. Exhale as if blowing out candles. Begin to bend your knees, tracking your knees in line with your feet, until your knees are over your ankles. You might need to hinge slightly forward at the hip to do this (booty moves back behind you). Press down through your heels as if you want to come up but don’t. Add a side bend by raising your arm and as you side bend, create a lot of resistance so that you do not flop into the bend. Imagine you are holding a 50 pound weight and you want to resist the pull of the weight. Exhale as you side bend. Do not arch your back. Switch sides 3 times, then push through your feet to come up.

Watch out for the following cheats:

Hips move when leg lifts, using lower back to stabilize, pushing through non-lifting foot to lift the leg. If you can’t bring the second leg up without hips shifting or belly bulging, do reverse marching: alternate lifting and lowering one leg at a time. Having a hard time with not bulging, you might try tabletop with your pelvis up on a block or half roller—some people find this angle a bit more accessible. If your hips aren’t at all stable when you take the first leg up, do this move AS IF—engage as if you’re going to lift the leg but keep the leg down. This move is surprisingly hard. I see many clients get into it with all of the above cheats and not realize they are bulging their core or not stable in their hips. Be patient as you learn this move.

Goddess Squat with a Twist.

Come into goddess again, this time stacking your arms on top of each other in front of your body. Exhale and twist slowly (again, against resistance – no flopping) to one side, initiating the movement from your ribcage, not your arms. Come back to center and twist the other way. Repeat 4 times on each side.

Lunge With a Twist and Chop:

This move is great for practicing stability and moving in more than one plane. Keeping feet pelvis width apart, take a big step forward. Back heel can be off the floor but outside edge of the foot should be pointed straight ahead. Bend the front knee so that knee stays above ankle. Straighten your back leg slightly. Push your feet into the floor to keep the lunge active. Bring your arms straight up in front of your face, palms of the hands together. Keeping your legs and pelvis stable, twist toward your front leg and bring your arms down in a chopping motion across the thigh. The movement here should initiate from the chest, not the arms. Again, imagine you are holding a weight in your arms so that you can load your muscles against resistance.

To get the most benefit, be sure that you are not bulging, bracing, or bearing down while exercising. These 3 common cheats can worsen a diastasis recti.

Try not to hold your breath for the exercises. Not breathing well, belly breathing, and rigid breathing are a common culprits in diastasis recti and can hinder your recovery—they contribute to increased intra-abdominal pressure. Exercises for diastasis recti work best when used in conjunction with work on breathing patterns and re-aligning the body for optimal function.

5 Exercises for Diastasis Recti

As with all exercise videos of mine, this video is not medical advice.

What’s next?

Need to address other core issues or pelvic floor problems? Curious about how to assess and correct your breathing and movement patterns?

You may need a comprehensive, step-by-step exercise program that helps close the diastasis recti gap. Restore Your Core is that program. It has been used by women all over the world with tangible, powerful results.

“Cassie: I can jump and flip and do all sorts of wacky things on our trampoline again. Thanks to RYC™ I ride horses again and I can actually enjoy my kids and family again!”

If you’d like individualized attention or prefer to exercise in a group, check out my Restore Your Core teachers and their offerings.

1. Studies:(Mota PG, Pascoal AG, Carita AI, Bo K. Prevalence and risk factors of diastasis recti abdominis from late pregnancy to 6 months postpartum, and relationship to lumbo-pelvic pain. Man Ther. 2015; 20: 200-205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016./j.math.2014.09.002Boissonnault J, Blaschak MJ. Incidence of Diastasis Recti Abdominis During the Childbearing Year. Physical Therapy. 1988; 68: 1082-1086.Lee D, Hodges PW. Behavior of the Linea Alba During a Curl-up Task in Diastasis Rectus Abdominis: An Observational Study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016; 46(7):580-9.
2. Gitta, Stefánia & Magyar, Z & Palancsa, Máté & Tardi, Peter & Füge, I & Járomi, Melinda & Acs, Pongrac & Boncz, Imre & Hock, Marta. (2016). Prevalence, Potential Risk Factors, Sequelae of Diastasis Recti Abdominis and The Treatment. Value in Health. 19. A605. 10.1016/j.jval.2016.09.1488.