The Deep Core: Why it Matters During Pregnancy
The deep core is an important grouping of muscles for anyone’s foundational strength, but it is especially important for someone going through pregnancy. There are many reasons for this, including supporting the increased weight of the baby itself, stabilizing and improving balance and function throughout the pregnancy, tolerating the demands of the labor and birth experience and reducing the amount of stress and strain to other areas of the body that may be affected by the pregnancy. In this blog post we are going to discuss the anatomy of the deep core, how it and other surrounding muscles are impacted by pregnancy, and the importance of maintaining deep core strength throughout the pregnancy. Make sure to read all the way through for my TOP 3 deep core pregnancy exercises as well as the importance of making modifications throughout your pregnancy and some key compensations to be aware of while working on strengthening the deep core.
The Deep Core - What Is That Again??
If you’re new here, and the deep core is something you’re not exactly sure what it includes, I did a WHOLE blog post on what exactly it is, what it looks like, what muscles are included and how it affects you in the postpartum as well! Check it out by clicking HERE for a quick anatomy lesson if you need it.
But for a real quick refresher, the deep core isn’t just the front of your abdomen (6-pack abs/Rectus Abdominis), it also includes muscles that wrap from the back to the front (like the Transverse Abdominis), the pelvic floor muscles and even the diaphragm - yep, the diaphragm is a muscle too! Take a look below at the mid-section deep core muscles:
This is a really great picture showing the core muscles from the deepest to the most external…as you can see, the transverse abdominis is the deepest muscle which is a major deep core muscle player and when activated, helps to stabilize the low back and contributes to the anterior/posterior stability of the pelvis as well!
As far as the pelvic floor muscles go, here is a quick refresher on how they support the organs (far left picture) and the way the muscles are layered inside the pelvis. If you can imagine a baby’s head pointed down directly onto the pelvic floor (far right picture), you can see how much we need those muscles to continue supporting our organs and the baby throughout our pregnancy and the stretch and strain they go through to continue doing their job with the increased load and pressure put on them!
This shows a side view of the organs that the pelvic floor works to support.
This is a view from the bottom looking up at the very FIRST layer of the pelvic floor.
This is a view from the top looking down into the pelvic bowl which shows the second and third layering of pelvic floor muscles.
Think of your deep core muscles similarly to that of how a pop can looks. The diaphragm makes up the top of the pop can/deep core, the pelvic floor is the base and the abdominal muscles (pictured above) make up the front, back and sides of the pop can/deep core. They all work together and are affected by each other as well - especially when it comes to distributing pressure throughout the center.
How Pregnancy Affects the Deep Core:
All of the above pictures represent muscles that have NOT been effected by pregnancy. However, pregnancy is going to significantly impact all of those muscles for various reasons.
As the uterus grows and expands, the core anatomy must adapt to that change to accommodate the a growing baby. One main thing to be aware of is that due to the core muscles having to stretch to accommodate, the core naturally becomes weaker through the Rectus Abdominis as the pregnancy progresses, which is why deep core training is so important during pregnancy!
As far as the pelvic floor goes, it is also affected by the pregnancy. As the baby grows and gains weight along with the mother’s body retaining more fluid, the pelvic floor must adapt to support the increased pressure, weight and stress put onto it.
Another thing to consider is the affect that multiple pregnancies has on the deep core. While the deep core may tolerate the first pregnancy well due to the stronger state it may have started off in, after multiple pregnancies, especially if deep core strengthening hasn’t been a focus, the deep core can really start to weaken and present with more symptomatic issues during the pregnancy and afterwards into the postpartum time frame as well.
Fear of Movement During Pregnancy:
Aside from maybe just not knowing exactly WHAT to do for strengthening during pregnancy, another factor to consider is the fear that can be associated with movement during pregnancy. I covered this topic in depth in another blog post, “Exercise and Pregnancy: Is it Safe?”, but overall it’s important to understand that in a normal pregnancy, moderate exercise is GOOD for both you and the baby! And if your pregnancy is out of the consideration of “normal”, make sure to advocate for yourself and have a conversation with your doctor about what modifications may be necessary and what you CAN do to help support you and the baby throughout your pregnancy.
Compensations That May Require Modifications:
Due to the overall weakening of the deep core throughout pregnancy, it is important to be aware of certain compensations that may occur during movement if a specific exercise is too difficult or if you have not learned to properly engage your deep core yet. Here are a few things to watch out for:
Coning/doming through the abdomen
Excessive pressure onto the pelvic floor
Adverse symptoms (ie. leaking during activity, pain during or after the activity, light headedness from breath holding etc.)
If any of these three things occur, that is your cue that a modification to the exercise or activity may be required OR a different exercise may need to be selected all together. Most exercises/activities can be modified to better suit you depending on the stage of pregnancy you are in as well as your overall deep core strength and ability to properly engage the deep core with proper technique.
Three of my Favorite Deep Core Pregnancy Exercises:
When it comes to deep core strengthening during pregnancy (or anytime really… but especially during pregnancy), it is crucial to learn to utilize your breath and your breathing pattern to work WITH your pelvic floor, and not against it. Part of this means making sure you aren’t holding your breathe and increasing pressure down onto the pelvic floor, but instead, breathing out during the more difficult part of the exercise and keeping the deep core and pelvic floor engaged. The rest period for the core and pelvic floor is important as you are exercising as well! Make sure that on the down time, you are really feeling your deep core and pelvic floor relax and recover.
If you are pregnant and are looking for some “go-to” deep core exercises, here are my TOP 3!
1. Adductor Side Bridge - exhale as you go up (the hard part of the exercise) and engage core/squeeze ball. Inhale on the way down. This is a really great exercise for SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) prevention as well.
2. Bear Extensions - Exhale gently lifting the pelvic floor and wrapping the deep core as you come up into bear. Keep deep core engaged without holding your breath for the duration of the hold.
3. Pallof Press - Have a band secured to a post or wall. Start with a full 360 degree inhale then exhale as you step OUT to the side into the position. From here, exhale gently lifting the pelvic floor and wrapping the deep core as you push the band out, resisting the rotational pull. Inhale as you bring the band in.
*BONUS* Bear Hold + Push Away - the push away is a small motion (picture on the right). Exhale into bear, keep your deep core engaged, then as you exhale in bear again, you push away from the floor. This activates the serratus anterior muscle and will further the deep core engagement!
Wanting more pregnancy specific deep core exercises and mobility??
Check out this post by clicking HERE for 5 more pregnancy specific ideas for your next deep core workout!
And as a reminder, ALL of these can be modified and adjusted to fit you and where you are at in your pregnancy! If the particular exercise is feeling too difficult and you are noticing coning/doming, arching of the low back or excessive compensation while performing, try ditching the resistance or lowering the resistance! There is NO shame in modifying an exercise if you are finding yourself compensating despite having good deep core breath work and muscle engagement technique - in fact, I encourage it! Modifying each exercise to fit your strength and core level is the wise thing to do…remember, pregnancy is not the time to be extensively pushing yourself.
Looking for further guidance?
If you are currently pregnant or thinking you may be pregnant soon, check out my Mind Body Core Prenatal Program! If you are wanting to stay strong throughout your pregnancy, work on your deep core, and set yourself up for a successful pregnancy and postpartum as well as prep for labor, then this program is for you! Click the button below for more details.