Training for the Main Event

A recent trend in the field of sports conditioning advises us to “train the movement not the muscle.” Now what, you may ask, does this have to do with prenatal exercise? In many ways, pregnancy is an athletic event. Think about it. Your body must adapt to changes in your center of gravity. As the hormone relaxin takes effect, balance and stability are challenged.

The human body works as an integrated system, and should be trained with programs that use the sum of its parts working in concert, as opposed to single muscles working in isolation. Motherhood is the ultimate form of multi-tasking. Being a Mom is a dynamic activity. It requires dynamic strength, dynamic balance and dynamic flexibility. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “dynamic” as being “characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress,” and being “related to energy or to objects in motion.” The movements of motherhood involve consistent changes in energy, direction and intensity. Nothing is predictable. Toys are dropped. The baby gets bigger week by week. Mom is in constant motion as she goes about her day. Have you ever seen a mother stand still and “bicep curl” her baby? I think not!

Transverse Logic

Dynamic motherhood requires a dynamic training plan. Programs that enhance functional strength, balance and flexibility are more effective than static isolation exercises. The body’s core stabilizers keep the “function” in the word functional. The core, sometimes called the “inner unit”, consists of the transverse abdominus, the multifidus, the pelvic floor and the diaphragm. The transverse abdominus is the deepest unit of abdominal muscle. Research performed by the Australian physiotherapist Paul Hodges, showed that people who have healthy, pain free lower backs will activate their transverse abdominal muscle along with the other stabilizing muscles, 30 milliseconds prior to shoulder movements, and 110 seconds prior to leg movements. You can find the transverse by exhaling. It will press against the diaphragm to expel the air. Imagine you are hugging your baby with your stomach.