I have a few questions, if you're willing. When you do this, do you maintain the "brace" throughout an entire exercise routine - meaning, not just a rep, or set, but the whole workout? And, if so, is it ideal to hold this brace throughout the whole day? Does it eventually just become subconscious or is part of your brain always thinking "brace brace brace"? You instruct to exhale in order to feel the brace in the deep abs; do you maintain the brace during the inhale as well? And, if you are doing it through the inhale portion, is it a diaphragmatic breath? When I try to hold what I think is a brace, it feels like I can only breathe in to my gut a certain amount before I hit a "wall". If these muscles are like a corset, this would make sense, I guess, but I'm going off guesswork. Last question: what percentage of the brace are you firing? Meaning, is it maximum effort or sort of a low tension you train until it just happens automatically? As I said before, I feel like there is a balance here between being able to maximally inhale and maximally brace. It doesn't feel like you can do both. Thank you for any advice and your time in answering my questions. Have a nice day.
Hi, thanks for the questions! 1) I won't maintain a brace throughout an entire workout, but I will try to maintain is during the set of a certain exercise. 2) I definitely wouldn't try to hold a brace all day. Just by being upright against gravity, your core muscles will already be 'switched on' to keep you upright. It's only when we're doing certain moves, or lifting things, movements that put more load on the body, you may need to focus on a slight brace. 3) During an exercise I try to maintain the brace through the inhale. So your abs will remain 'active', and as I inhale I try to breathe into the backs and side of my ribs. So the stomach remains flat, but we're still getting a good breath in. When maintaining a brace, you're correct in that you won't be able to do a full belly breath and might feel like you 'hit a wall' - that's okay, as long as you're still breathing and getting good rib movement with the breaths. 4) A brace is typically low-level tension. Maybe 40%? Overdoing it can create a lot of intra-abdominal pressure which we don't want. And just to add, our bodies are made to move. We should be able to move through a variety of positions, provide the right amount of stability needed for the tasks we have to do, and this will always change. We actually don't want to use the same movement strategy all the time in every situation. We want to adapt according to the task at hand. I'd try not to think about it too much all the time. Concentrate on good form, and usually the right muscles will fire. If you're having any pain or other issues, then it might be a good idea to consult a physiotherapist. Hope this helps!
It is yes. Coning is just a sign of not being able to manage pressure in the abdomen correctly. You can see it in children, those with hernias, or even in those with large guts. It usually means there is weakness in the abdominals and strengthening is needed in some way.
Coning doesn't necessarily mean you have diastasis recti, more that you may not be activating your deep abdominals correctly. However, the majority of pregnant women will get some degree of abdominal separation which can make coning worse. A physical therapist can assist in checking your diastasis recti, and this video may also help! ua-cam.com/video/_Jc_Akuw_Is/v-deo.html
Anyone can see coning (pregnant or not) if the deep abdominals are not fully activated or if the abdominal load is too much, and the way to correct it (through abdominal bracing) remains exactly the same. Hope this helps!
Unfortunately it has worked when lying on back/sitting, but still happens when on all fours, hand and knee position😢 when on hands & knees, I am unable to press 2 fingers on hip / muscle and it just happens...any tipps? Thank you
If you're still really struggling, then may need to make the movements easier or choose different positions to work out. Also, in all-fours there will be more of a rounded bump due to gravity, but don't let this be confused with the pointy belly associated with coning.
I can't believe how simple this is and how much it actually works!
I have a few questions, if you're willing.
When you do this, do you maintain the "brace" throughout an entire exercise routine - meaning, not just a rep, or set, but the whole workout? And, if so, is it ideal to hold this brace throughout the whole day? Does it eventually just become subconscious or is part of your brain always thinking "brace brace brace"?
You instruct to exhale in order to feel the brace in the deep abs; do you maintain the brace during the inhale as well? And, if you are doing it through the inhale portion, is it a diaphragmatic breath? When I try to hold what I think is a brace, it feels like I can only breathe in to my gut a certain amount before I hit a "wall". If these muscles are like a corset, this would make sense, I guess, but I'm going off guesswork.
Last question: what percentage of the brace are you firing? Meaning, is it maximum effort or sort of a low tension you train until it just happens automatically? As I said before, I feel like there is a balance here between being able to maximally inhale and maximally brace. It doesn't feel like you can do both.
Thank you for any advice and your time in answering my questions. Have a nice day.
Hi, thanks for the questions!
1) I won't maintain a brace throughout an entire workout, but I will try to maintain is during the set of a certain exercise.
2) I definitely wouldn't try to hold a brace all day. Just by being upright against gravity, your core muscles will already be 'switched on' to keep you upright. It's only when we're doing certain moves, or lifting things, movements that put more load on the body, you may need to focus on a slight brace.
3) During an exercise I try to maintain the brace through the inhale. So your abs will remain 'active', and as I inhale I try to breathe into the backs and side of my ribs. So the stomach remains flat, but we're still getting a good breath in. When maintaining a brace, you're correct in that you won't be able to do a full belly breath and might feel like you 'hit a wall' - that's okay, as long as you're still breathing and getting good rib movement with the breaths.
4) A brace is typically low-level tension. Maybe 40%? Overdoing it can create a lot of intra-abdominal pressure which we don't want.
And just to add, our bodies are made to move. We should be able to move through a variety of positions, provide the right amount of stability needed for the tasks we have to do, and this will always change. We actually don't want to use the same movement strategy all the time in every situation. We want to adapt according to the task at hand. I'd try not to think about it too much all the time. Concentrate on good form, and usually the right muscles will fire. If you're having any pain or other issues, then it might be a good idea to consult a physiotherapist. Hope this helps!
@@bellystrong thank you guys both, I really benefited from both of the questions and the answers.
This was really helpful thank you!
It's a pleasure!
Is it possible to experience coning without ever have been pregnant and what is the reason for it?
It is yes. Coning is just a sign of not being able to manage pressure in the abdomen correctly. You can see it in children, those with hernias, or even in those with large guts. It usually means there is weakness in the abdominals and strengthening is needed in some way.
Hello! I have conning in my abdominal, does that mean I have diastasis recto?
Coning doesn't necessarily mean you have diastasis recti, more that you may not be activating your deep abdominals correctly. However, the majority of pregnant women will get some degree of abdominal separation which can make coning worse. A physical therapist can assist in checking your diastasis recti, and this video may also help!
ua-cam.com/video/_Jc_Akuw_Is/v-deo.html
what if i have this when im not pregnant
Anyone can see coning (pregnant or not) if the deep abdominals are not fully activated or if the abdominal load is too much, and the way to correct it (through abdominal bracing) remains exactly the same. Hope this helps!
Unfortunately it has worked when lying on back/sitting, but still happens when on all fours, hand and knee position😢 when on hands & knees, I am unable to press 2 fingers on hip / muscle and it just happens...any tipps? Thank you
If you're still really struggling, then may need to make the movements easier or choose different positions to work out. Also, in all-fours there will be more of a rounded bump due to gravity, but don't let this be confused with the pointy belly associated with coning.
Can rib flare causes Doning?
Rib flaring won't necessarily cause coning, but they can co-exist. Working on a good abdominal brace should help both of them.
thanks alot 🤍
You're welcome 😊