5 effective ab exercises that aren’t crunches!

These are some of my favorite core exercises. I also love the fact that they aren’t crunches. For some people crunching is fine, but it can be an issue for others. For those dealing with hernias, diastsis, pelvic organ prolapse, or other pressure-related issues, crunching can be problematic. Crunching inevitably creates a good deal of pressure out and especially down into the pelvic floor. There are so many other great core exercises that I rarely resort to crunches. I know they were a staple measure of fitness in every PE course and many a fitness class but I’m just not a fan. A few pointers with these exercises- if you have pressure related issues like I mentioned above work on syncing your breath with the movements so that you are exhaling on the exertion phase. Play around with a pursed-lip exhale or an open mouth (think fogging up a mirror) breath. I will often sync a bit of intentional pelvic floor lifting and contraction along with that exhale on exertion. It’s okay to experiment with different breathing strategies and see what works. If you know you have a “tight” (hypertonic) pelvic floor, then an intentional contraction/lift of the pelvic floor might not be the right strategy for you right now. Questions? Ask in the comments! #postpartum #abs #pelvicfloor #crunches #corework #corestrength #abexercises #abworkout #coreexercises #strongcore #corestrengthening #abs #postpartumfitness #pelvicorganprolapse #prolapse #pelvichealth #perinatalfitness #postpartumexercise #hypermobility #hypermobileEDS