Hope Zvara

Most people would love to have a killer core—that is, a waistline to die for—but at what cost? Diastasis recti is a splitting of the fascia of the rectus abdominis down the linia alba, or midline, that separates it into left and right halves. The condition occurs primarily in infants and pregnant women, but can also be the result of obesity, particularly when excessive fat surrounds the abdomen. Diastasis recti can also be cause by certain abdominal exercises and heavy weightlifting— which is a… Show more

Most people would love to have a killer core—that is, a waistline to die for—but at what cost? Diastasis recti is a splitting of the fascia of the rectus abdominis down the linia alba, or midline, that separates it into left and right halves. The condition occurs primarily in infants and pregnant women, but can also be the result of obesity, particularly when excessive fat surrounds the abdomen. Diastasis recti can also be cause by certain abdominal exercises and heavy weightlifting— which is a common cause of the problem among men. Show less

Transversus … is that some kind of car part? Well, if you are talking about the transversus abdominis, then yes, it is kind of like the body of a car. Without this core muscle, nothing works right and many things start to fall apart.

Our transversus abdominus (TvA) is our deepest core muscle. It acts as a corset around our torso surrounding our spine and is literally the motherboard of our strength and core support.......

Here are ten key tips to stop treating pain and to start treating dysfunction:

1. Get off the floor. Unless you are a mechanic, training yourself, especially your core, solely (or the majority of the time) on the floor will not get you the results you are hoping to achieve. Think about how you can do what you are trying to do on the floor standing up. Lying flat on your back for core work only triggers about 10% of your transversus abdominus, your core most muscle (which is also a back… Show more

Here are ten key tips to stop treating pain and to start treating dysfunction:

1. Get off the floor. Unless you are a mechanic, training yourself, especially your core, solely (or the majority of the time) on the floor will not get you the results you are hoping to achieve. Think about how you can do what you are trying to do on the floor standing up. Lying flat on your back for core work only triggers about 10% of your transversus abdominus, your core most muscle (which is also a back muscle). So how about a standing “Pilates” 100 or what about the standing “Saw”? Look at what the movement is trying to achieve, not necessarily what it looks like, so you can morph it into a more body-friendly version. Show less