If you are pregnant, you have likely heard of abdominal coning, or “doming.” This is a natural occurrence that happens when the middle of the abdomen bulges outward in a cone-like shape due to increased intra-abdominal pressure. Coning is quite common during pregnancy and is nothing to be afraid of! It is simply a sign that you are putting too much of a strain on the midline of your abdomen. If you experience coning intermittently throughout your pregnancy, you likely will not cause any significant damage to your abdomen. However, repeated coning is a major contributor to diastasis and should be addressed immediately.
In order for your baby to grow, it is normal for your abdominal muscles to stretch and separate a little bit. Putting excess stress along tissue that is already being stretched may delay your body’s ability to heal that abdominal separation postpartum. Follow these guidelines to reduce abdominal coning during pregnancy:
Train Your Core
Training your core is one of the most beneficial things you can do during pregnancy, as it connects to your pelvic floor and prepares your body for labor and delivery. If you notice coning or doming during any of your core exercises, it is in your best interest to modify the movement and scale back for now. You are either lifting too heavy or have lost the ability to engage your deep core properly.
It is a misconception that you need to train your core every single day during pregnancy. Like any other muscle group, the core needs the appropriate amount of recovery time in order to become stronger. If you add too many core-specific exercises to your daily workouts, your abdominal muscles will never have time to repair and grow. Studies show that it is better to sprinkle in core stability movements just a few times per week in order to train your brain to connect with your core. Additionally, dedicating one day per week to working your entire core system, low back, pelvic floor, and abdominals, has also been shown to have more beneficial outcomes than training core every day.
Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing, or 360 breathing, is an excellent tool to help connect your abdominal muscles to your pelvic floor muscles. This is especially important for those who are used to holding their breath during exercises; pregnancy is not the time to hold your breath! To practice diaphragmatic breathing, it is best to start sitting upright. Place your hands along your ribcage. Inhale through your nose and feel your ribs expand beneath your hands. Exhale as you draw your belly button back toward your spine. Do not hold your breath at any point. Inhale slowly for four seconds, then exhale slowly and intentionally for eight seconds. Practice this breathing drill for a few minutes every day. This translates directly to lifting weights. When you are lifting something heavy, forcefully exhale during the toughest part of the exercise. For instance, you would inhale during the descending portion of a deadlift, and forcefully exhale as you ascend back into an upright position.
Remember, coning is a natural occurrence and should not be feared if you know what to look out for and how to prevent it! Training your core and practicing diaphragmatic breathing are two essential steps to preventing coning and decreasing your chances of developing diastasis postpartum.
Sara French, ACSM CPT, NASM CNC
Sources
https://www.pelvichealthnj.com/pelvic-floor-blog/how-can-i-get-rid-of-abdominal-coning
