Class 5: Strength

Hi, my name is Georgia and this is class five, the strength class in a six part series for c-section and traumatic birth recovery. At this point in our recovery, we want to start a building strength in key muscles. And to do that, we're going to use the resistance of the reformer. So let's start. Let's start seated with our feet grounded on the floor and perched up tall on our sitting bones. And to activate our core and pelvic floor together, I'm going to give you an image of scaffolding. So I want you to place your thumbs right at the base of your ribs and then reach your fingers down towards your hip bones. And imagine scaffolding holding your ribs up away from your hips.

Imagine really firming this space in between your hands. From here. The pelvic floor image will be that of a straw pulling up. So as you take a long three dimensional breath in, expand. Yeah. And as you exhale from the space between the scaffolding and SLURP, the pelvic floor up through a straw stay lifted and tall.

As you take that three dimensional breath in, expand. And as you exhale from the space between the scaffolding and lift the pelvic floor upwards. One more big breath in, expand front, side and back. And as you exhale, the scaffolding lifts you from this space and pull up through the straw. Let's use that now with a few pelvic techs. Take that three dimensional breadth in front side and back. And as you exhale from the space between the scaffolding, pull the straw and then tuck back through your sitting bones for half roll back.

Inhale, expand like a balloon. Yeah. As you exhale, keep lifting that space between ribs and hips. Pull up through pelvic floor from the space between the scaffolding as you tuck backwards. Inhale, lift back up all the way to tall. Yeah, and exhale, firming space, lifting through Straw, tucking all the way back. Let's hold here.

Do a diastasis check. Just make sure there's no doming and that you've got some tone between the halves of your abdominals and then slowly roll all the way back up. Let's use this breath again. This time to roll through our hands. Big Breath. Expand three-dimensionally. Exhale, firming the space between the scaffolding, pulling up through the straws you tuck back and then roll to the right. Lift all the way back up for your breath in to the left. As you exhale, affirming the space, lifting through the Straw or rolling back diastasis check.

Roll to the right. Lift all the way back up center. Nice bowl with the hips. Exhale, firming the space, pulling up through this straw over to the left, rolling down center check and then over to the right back up, and then let's switch direction. Big Breath. Expand three dimensionally, front, side, and back. Exhale to the right. Ruling back. We from this space, we pull the pelvic floor up through a straw. We chat, go over to the left and then lift all the way back up. Center for that 3d breath in.

Exhale to the right tuck back from spaced. Find Pelvic floor. Check over to the left all the way back up. One more breath and XL so they're right half roll back. Find that space and check over to the left and then all the way up.

Good. Now that our hips are warmed up when we found her abdominal coordination, let's lie down flat on our back. So always remember to go from side lying and then roll onto your back. You'll notice here that we have the s the jump board already on and we're going to keep it on throughout the class. So I've got my arches just resting on top of my jump board and I've got a nice neutral spine. Your shoulders are wide in a long neck. In this position, I take a breath expanding three-dimensionally, and as I exhale I from the space between the scaffolding, I pull up through my straw and I do that pelvic tuck and then release for that 3d breath in and then exhale, firming the space, finding the straw, tucking the pelvis, and then inhale big 3d expansion. Exhale, firming the space between your scaffolding, pulling in through the straw. This time, press gently into your arms and then lift your hips halfway into a bridge.

Slowly inhale as you articulate back down your spine bone by bone to neutral. Take your breath in. 3D expansion. Exhale, tighten the abdominal space. Pull in through your Straw. Tuck the pelvis and list just to the base of the rib cage. Slowly inhale as you articulate all the way back down. Let's do it one more time. As you exhale, slowly Tuck your pelvis from that abdominal space.

Pull in through your Straw and all the way up into a low bridge. Get soften the spine. Articulate all the way down. Get. I'm going to open my knees quite wide and then sway the knees over to the right for a big breath in. Exhale, firming the space, pulling in through the Straw fighting center with my knees. Inhale over to the left. Big Expansion. Exhale, finding that hug or that firming sensation as a straw pulls up center.

Let's do one more each way. Knees sway to the right for a breath. In exhale, we tightened the space, we pull up through the straw knees center and then inhale over to the left. Expand. Exhale, tighten abdominals. Lift the pelvic floor and the knees come to the center. From here, we're going to lie on our side, so I'm on one red spring.

I'm going to bring my bottom hand under my head for support. I've got my hips stacked, one on top of the other, and I'm going to press my top hip gently away to create some length from my rib to my head. There's that idea of the scaffolding, keeping the hip away from my rib. I'm going to take my top foot and press right in the very middle of the jump board until my leg is long here. Just check. Your hips are stacked, your hip is long, your scaffolding is in place, your top hand is on the shoulder. Rest from here. Bend your knee halfway down just to the point that your heel doesn't lift. We're going to exhale, tighten through that scaffolding, suck in through the pelvic floor, and then slowly bend the knee for the breath in. Again, my heels not lifting as they X-ITE progress up to straight tighten, abdominals, lift, pelvic floor. Inhale halfway down.

Keep the heel anchored. Exhale, press all the way to straight leg. Keep long from rib to hip. Inhale down. Exhale. So here's, here's where we want to make sure that we're in a comfortable position because as we start to press up into little jumps, we want to make sure that we're not creating any extra force on the pelvic floor. So at this point, if you feel any increase in symptoms or pain, bring it back to pressing out, keeping that tight scaffolding and lifting the pelvic floor. This is where you start. If it feels good and you're able to maintain that distance between your ribbon, your hip, this is where we can start to do little jumps.

As I bend my knee, I'm keeping my heel anchored and then I press up, point my toes, and exhale. Finding that scaffolding, tightening my pelvic floor lifts into my body on every jump I exhale and exhale. And every time I land and keeping my heel heavy, not bend very much. So if this is feeling good, and again, we're doing our little checks to make sure there's tone through the center of the abdominals, there's no increased pain or symptoms. We're going to do a little lift of that top leg. So we're really working in layers here and I want you to go to where you're most comfortable and build as it feels appropriate in your body.

There's no rush keeping that. Exhale, the hip away from the rib. The scaffolding is in place to support the body. And as you exhale, you're pulling up and in on the pelvic floor, little lift. Now as we do this little lift, see if he can sweep your toes on the jump board, almost like a match strike. And exhale for that scaffolding pelvic floor every time. Tons to think about here. Five more, four, three, two and one. Slowly bend all the way in.

Release and relapse and gonna stay on this side. Keep my hips stack, take my top arm to the ceiling. From here you can take a breath in and just allow your arm to reach back. Not really rotating my ribs and just trying to open the chest a little bit and then bring it forward. Inhale, reach your arm, FAQ, expand and forward. And one more time. Inhale, expand.

Good. And this time as you bring your arm forward, reach for your loop. So again, I'm going to stay on one red spring this whole time. Hips are going to stay in a and neutral. I've got my scaffolding in place to keep my ribs and hips apart. I'm going to take a breath in as a firm, my arm up into my strap. Notice my pinky finger is going to lead the action here. On Your exhale, you tighten your abdominals, pull up through the straw and pull your rope down towards your hip.

Inhale like a wing opening upwards. Expand low belly, and as you exhale, the scaffolding tightens up your pelvic floor lifts. Then you push through the pinky finger side of your hand, pressing all the way down. Inhale, opening up through the underarm, expanding XL, pressing down all the way. Really should be feeling the back of the arm work, keeping the abdominals as your focus. Inhale and open. Exhale, pull in through the straw.

Pull into that low belly and then arm drags down. Do One more like that. Big Breath in. Expand. Okay. Kinky finger, arm, low belly, pelvic floor, and then press. Let's hold it and I'm going to twist my hand and then bend my elbow so I fingertips are pointing forward. And as I exhale, a straighten the elbow all the way in.

Haylock span axle from the abdominal space. Pull in through the strop. Press the arm inhalation. 3D breath. Keep that hip away from your ribs. Exhale, and from the abdominal space, find your pelvic floor. Press the arm. Two more. I am the pelvic floor every time.

Okay. Big Expansion. Three d breath. Exhale, low belly, then pelvic floor, then arm presses. Good. Let your arms sweep up to the ceiling. Release. Relax it all the way down. Okay, so now we're going to take this same spring, same strap, and we're going to bring our top leg into the strap. All right, so now that we've got that, we're going to double check.

Our scaffolding is in place, so my a rib is a way from my hip. My knee is at a 90 degree angle from the hip, and then my foot, 90 degree angle from my knee. Notice how the strap is right in front of the Shin. That's how you know you're in a really nice position. So doublecheck, scaffolding, top hand to shoulder rest. Good. Find your breath in. As you exhale from this space between the scaffolding, pull up through the straw and then press the leg all the way back.

Now only going to about 180 degrees. I want to be in a perfectly straight line. My scaffolding is intact. And notice how the strap is right in front of my leg from the Shin all the way up my thigh bone right in front of my face. It's an a perfectly straight line. That's gonna keep me really neutral. I bend my knee, the leg comes forward a little bit and again, notice the strap is right in front of the Shin. Check the scaffolding, exhale and press through all the way the rope is touching the front of my thigh. Inhalation. I stay long from rib to hip.

Exhale and press. Find that straw and then dominal activation. Inhale n Ben, long hip from ribs. Exhale and press dominoes. Pelvic floor active. Let's do two more long scaffolding, then tighten zip up through that pelvic floor.

Pressing back. One more inhale. And so 90 degree angles, long hip from rib dry in through abdominals. Pull up through pelvic floor and press back. Amazing Arc. Slowly bend your knee. Bring the left foot out of the strap and relax.

Use Your top hand to press yourself up to seated position. From here, we're going to turn and do the same thing on the other side. Okay, so funny years have on the second side when it makes sure your top hip is pressing away from that top rib and you've got your scaffolding in place. Again, we're gonna take our top foot to the very center of the board and then gently push all the way out to straight. Here's a really good place to double check. Hips are square. Hip is away from rib. Scaffolding is strong, so my foot's in the middle of the board and I bend my need just to the point that my heel wants to lift, but I'm going to keep it anchored.

And then Xcel tighten the space between the scaffolding. Pull up through the straw, finding the pelvic floor. Inhale as you bend, just to the point, the heel stays anchored. Exhale, firming the space between scaffolding, pulling in through the straw, straightening the leg all the way. Inhaling, halfway down. Feel that anchored heel.

Exhale, pressing up, strong abdominals, pelvic floors active. So here we go. Adding a little bounce to it, a bend. The heel stays heavy. Exhale, really tiny. Push away. This is where you test for diastasis. You start to assess if there's any pain or pressure in the pelvic floor or any increase in symptoms. That just means you've got to pull it back to bend and stretch with that strong activation of abdominals and pelvic floor coordination. Otherwise you keep going.

Small bounces really little just to warm it up. Every time we take our foot off the board, we exhale to from the space between the scaffolding and pull up through the straw every time. Remember that coordination is what's going to build a healthy and strong core recovery. Exhaling from and pelvic floor every time. Good. So if that's feeling good and you're feeling strong, your heels anchoring down. Every time your scaffolding is strong, you start to do a little sweep up and back.

Exhale, the scaffolding. The hip is long, the little bellies engage. The pelvic floor is active and I brush my toes along the board almost like I'm striking a match, and exhale that abdominals from the pelvic floor draws up and exhale. Find that nice strong coordination, dominoes and pelvic floor really coordinated every single time. Remember to drive back any time you're feeling discomfort or pressure through the pelvic floor and five more time the heel is anchored. The scaffolding is there.

We exhale the from the abdominal space and pull up through the pelvic floor. One more time, press and then gently release all the way in. Let your knees stack one over. The other hip is long scaffoldings in place. We'll reach the top arm to the ceiling so you can just open the chest. I'll take a breath in and reach my arm back.

On Your exhale, hug. Just gently relaxing it forward. Inhale and open and exhale. Reach the arm forward. One more big breath. Reach the arm back and then exhale forward. From here, reach for your strap. We're going to take our top arm to the ceiling.

We're going to take our breath in to really find a breath and from your head and your arm into that strap. My pinky fingers pointing downwards. I've found my scaffolding. Strong hip away from rib. That's the breath in. On Your exhale, you tighten the abdominal space, pull up through the straw and then pull the arm all the way down towards the hip. Inhale, reach through that baby finger as you take your breath XL, firming the abdominal space, finding the pelvic floor. Then pull the arms straight down towards the hip. Big Breath in. Expanding three dimensionally is the arm releases up. Exhale, hub, dominoes, pelvic floor, and then arm.

Press breath in. As you reach your fingertips back up to the ceiling. Keeps intention into the strap. Exhale the space between the scaffolding firms. The pelvic floor draws in through a straw. You press your arms straight down, so one more big. Reach up, keep tension.

Exhale, have dominoes from pelvic floor draws in through a straw and the arm presses down. Keep the arm down. Just twist your hand forward. Keeping strong. We bend the elbows and now my fingertips are pointing in front. And then as we exhale, abdominals tighten. Pelvic floor pulls in, you press the arm to straight in. Have Three d breath. Exhale, firming the space between scaffolding, pulling up through straw, and then press the arm to inhale. Expect, exhale and contract.

And then Straw press. Inhale, big breath, bending the elbow. And as you exhale, tighten the abdominal space. Find this drop for us the arm to street. Two more like this. Big Breath in bending your elbow. And then as you exhale, tighten the space. Find the straw, press the arm to straight. One more big breath. Expand three. Dimensionally, bend the elbow. Exhale, tighten the abdominal space. Find the straw and straighten your arm.

Arm goes straight up to the ceiling. Gently Park your carriage. Amazing. So from here we're going to take our top leg and we're going to step into the strap. Okay, so I've got my top hand now on the shoulder. Rest in front of me. My hips are stacked. I'm pressing my hip away from a rib. There's the scaffolding again, my knee is bent 90 degrees from the hip and then my foot is 90 degrees from my knee. The strap is directly in front of mission and I'm going to try and keep the strap in front of my Shin the whole time. Find your breath in.

Expand the space. Exhale, contract. Press through the leg all the way till it straight and rope ends up right at the front of your thigh. Nice and long. With that scaffolding, inhale, bend the knee to 90 degrees. The strap should say in front of your shit. As you exhale, tighten the abdominal space, suction up through the straw with your pelvic floor, straightening the leg. Inhale as you've been slowly expanding, keep that hip away from your rib. As you exhale, tighten the space.

Find that Straw sucking up into the body. Gently inhale and slow bend. Exhale, tighten the space. Pelvic floors next, then press through the leg all the way to street and three. Inhale, slowly bend your knee. Keep the hip long. Exhale, tighten the space, pelvic floor. Then like press inhale slowly bend to 90 degrees. Keeping the strap in line with your Shin. Exhale, tighten the abdominal space. Find your pelvic floor. Push through. Let's do it one more time. Ready? Bend the knees.

Slowly keep along through that top waistband. Exhale, tighten the space between scaffolding. Press through as you pull up through the straw. Good. Slowly bend your knee. Release your foot from the rope and relax. All right, let's make our way up to a seated position.

From here, let's come into a mermaid with one knee bent forward and pointing towards the jump board and the other knee bent backwards with our shins up against the shoulder rest. We're going to try to sit tall on her sitting bones. Feel the scaffolding, lifting your ribs up off of your hips and lift through the crown of your head. We'll place one hand just on top of the board and I'm still on a red spring. Take one arm out to the side, find a breath in, and as you exhale, lift your ribs up off of your hips before pressing away. See if you can feel that Straw.

Lifting the pelvic floor up and into your body. Slowly reverse and take a breath in. As you exhale, you lift your ribs up off of the hips, press away, find the pelvic floor. Okay, and then gently reverse. As you inhale, feel front side and back. Expand evenly. Exhale, lift up, and then over as you pull the pelvic floor upwards and then gently release and rebound back to center.

Exhale, lift ribs up, fill it, scaffolding. As you press out and this time rotate gently down towards the board. Let your spine twist comfortably. We're going to start to look up, lift the chest, and then lift your heart up under the chin. Gently reverse. Tuck the chin, round your spine and then press away. Let's do that one more time. Inhale, opening up, and then as you exhale, dropping the chin, rounding the spine, lift your top arm up to the ceiling.

Feel that space between ribs and hips and slowly where you bound all the way back to the center. Good. Let's do the same thing on the other side. So one leg bent backwards, shin up against shoulder rest the other knee pointing towards the jump board. Feel your sitting bones nice and anchored as best you can. Pull your ribs up off of your hips using the scaffolding image. One Hand is on the board, the other arm reaches to the side you inhaled.

To prepare. Lift the ribs up off the hips, and as you accell pull the pelvic floor up with a straw as you side bend towards the board, gently reverse rebound. Come all the way back in for a breath three-dimensionally expanding back side and front. Exhale, lift your ribs upwards from that abdominal space. As your pelvic floor pulls up through a straw you side bend towards the board, and then river slowly inhaling three dimensional breath. Exhale up with the ribs first, then over as you pull up through the pelvic floor side stretch, and then reverse gently all the way back in. One more like this. Exhale, lift those ribs up. Feel that scaffolding as you push away.

Side Bend, rotate down towards the board. Let your spine stretch naturally here into the twist. Inhale, look up, lift the chest, lift the heart, lift the chin gently and the next l Knob the chin around the spine and push through. One more. Look up. Inhale lifting the chest. And then exhale. Nod the Chin around the spine. Can you pull up through the pelvic floor here to lift the top arm up and then slowly rebound all the way back in to a tall seated position?

Good. So let's bring one foot to the floor and the other leg. We're going to rest on the reformer in your lunge position. I've got my foot that's on the floor right in line with the jump board and my other foot is up against the shoulder rest hands gently rest on top of the board with straight rests. Got a little downward pressure into the board. Should help you feel the back of your arms and down the side where that scaffolding is holding your ribs upwards. So let's use that. We're going to take our breath to prepare and as we exhale, do a little pelvic tuck to find the pelvic floor in that tight abdominal space.

Then gently push back with the back leg. My arms are pressing down, my glute is turned on there and I have quite a bit of weight into my standing leg as well. And then just bringing it back in for a breath. As I exhale, I do a tiny pelvic Tuck, a lift, that scaffolding, I feel it tight and then gently push back. If you get that Nice Pelvic Tuck, you don't have to go back very far to fill your hip. Open arms are pressing, head is lifting. The scaffolding is keeping my ribs up off the hips. And then inhale to rebound. Exhale, pelvic tuck. Pull up through the pelvic floor from the space to the abdominals.

Push into your arms, feel that little glute activation, that long, front of hip, and then inhale. And then one more time, little pelvic tuck. The pelvic floor, the space between the scaffolding arms. Press down the leg, presses back, see if you can keep this position, that pelvic tech is strong, the hip is open, so that leg that's behind you, you're going to take the same arm up and then side bend away. Breathe there. And then release everything all the way back in. Get. Let's come over to the other side.

Standing leg on the floor, right in line with the jump board and the other foot right up against the shoulder. Rest again, we want to have our arms strong, wrist straight, and feel that sense when you push down into the board that the underarms, the scaffolding lifts you upright, gut, nice and tall. Breath in to expand three dimensionally. And as you exhale, you're gonna Tuck your pelvis and a gentle press backwards. My arms are strong. Glute on that side is active. And then inhale, big breath to rebound XL Tuck, pull up through the straw, tighten that abdominal space to the leg and the arms grow through the crown of your head. And then bringing that back yet XL, press into the arms, Tuck your pelvis, tighten the space, and then back.

Get that power Vivek floor, pulling up through a straw and then slowly in. And then one more time. Ready? Little Pelvic Tuck. Press into arms. Lift the pelvic floor from that space as the leg pushes back. So the leg that's behind me, I'm going to take that same arm lifted up to the ceiling. And then side Bat, make sure you don't lose that pelvic tuck. Breathe and then rebound gently all the way back in. Great. Come to a seated position on your reformer.

We're going to sit nice and tall. Feel that scaffolding. Lifting your ribs up off of your hips. Try taking your right ankle over your left knee. Grow tall for that three dimensional breath in. And as you exhale, just fold forward. Okay, rolling up the spine bone by bonum. Vote by bone living all the way.

Release one foot. Take your left ankle over the right knee. Grow Tall. Feel is scaffolding, lifting upwards, and exhale, fold forward over the left leg. Breathe there and as you exhale, just turn on your roll up slowly. Good. Release that leg. Relax. Listen.

So we've built a lot of strength in key muscles here. Most of the exercises should be very safe for diastasis, but remember to keep doing your checks as you go. And if you feel any pain or increase in symptoms, that means stop. Take it back to the previous class. All right. Join me for my next class where we're going to learn how to transition back into everyday PyLadies exercises.