05/22/2026
DIASTASIS and ABdominal stagnation: here’s one of the most important exercises to strengthen the wall without forcing it (and why it works so well)
Diastasis of the abdominal re**um is not just an aesthetic problem: it is first and foremost a functional problem, because it is inevitably associated with weakness of abdominal muscles, especially in the lower part where the wall is thinner and less supported.
Often in these cases the advice is to "avoid or minimize abdominal exercises", and it has its logic because certain traditional exercises (crunches, sit-ups, anything that increases internal pressure) can actually worsen the separation by pushing the re**um even further out.
But "avoiding completely" is never a solution, because if you don't reinforce the wall, the wall remains weak, and a weak wall keeps crumbling.
The solution is what I call the "magic formula": GETTING HARDER without PUTTING IN EFFORT.
If you avoid training the abdominal wall, it becomes a bit like not paying a fine or taxes: nothing happens there but then... the interest is coming in !
So, of course, we want to strengthen the abdominal wall, but to do it, we need to start with the right muscle: not the abdominal re**um (the famous "turtle"), but the opposite of the abdominal.
🎯 BECAUSE CROSS IS KEY
The transverse is the deepest abdominal muscle of all: it is below the obliques, below the re**um, and it is the last layer before the organs.
His fibers run horizontal, like the bands of a corset, and his job is to compress and contain: he doesn't bend the bust (that's what the re**um does), he doesn't rotate it (that's the obliques do), he holds the wall together from the inside.
In diastasis the inverted is almost always weak, and this is one of the main reasons why the lower abdomen is bulging: it's not just fat (although it may be), it's that the inner belt that should contain isn't doing its job.
When the transverse reactivates and works again, the wall regains tone and containment, and the bottom goes back in as you can see.
But the crucial point is how you activate it, because if you do it the wrong way (with exercises that increase abdominal pressure) you risk making the situation worse instead of making it better.
💨 THE EXERCISE: DEEP EXHALE
The most effective and safest way to activate the cross is also the simplest one, and once you learn it you can do it anywhere.
Stand up, push against a wall and blow out all the air with a slow, controlled breath.
When you think you're done breathing out, just keep breathing out some more, like you're pushing your belly button back with only the force of exhaling.
At that moment you will feel the deep muscles of your abdominal activating themselves: you don't have to "contract your abs" voluntarily, it's the transverse that you contract to push out the last air, and it does it naturally and automatically.
During exhale he increases the thrust to the wall, so that the abdominal contraction increases. Do it at least 20 times, with breaks when needed.
Here's the beauty of this exercise, and why it's so diastasis-friendly.
During this deep exhale the abdominal pressure is at MINIMUM, because you’re emptying your chest instead of filling it: the air comes out, the volume decreases, and the wall is not pushed outwards.
You're strengthening the inner belt without inflating it, you're working the transverse without putting pressure on separation.
It's exactly the opposite principle of crunch (where you fill your chest, you increase the pressure, and the wall is pushed out): here you empty, squeeze from the inside, and the wall works in the right direction.
It’s a principle that seems counterintuitive (you’re doing a challenging exercise while blowing air out), but that’s exactly what makes it so effective for diastasis: the muscle works so hard, the wall isn’t forced.
🔄 BECAUSE THE VACUUM IS NOT THE STARTING POINT
Maybe you’ve heard of the abdominal “vacuum” as a top exercise for diastasis, and it’s actually a useful exercise, but it’s an advanced technique that requires good control of breathing and deep muscle.
Many people struggle even just to make a really deep exhale (they try and after three seconds they run out of air), let alone a full vacuum that you can hold for a few seconds.
Wall push deep breathing is the step before vacuum: it gives you the same kind of transverse activation in a much more accessible format that you can hold longer, and you can do even if you’re at your very beginning.
When deep breathing becomes easy and natural, the vacuum becomes the next step, not the starting point.
✅ THE PRINCIPLE THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
The concept of the background is only one and it's worth repeating because it's the principle on which all diastasis work is based: strengthening the wall while keeping internal pressure to a minimum.
It's not about avoiding working your abs: it's about working them in a way that the diastasis requires, starting with the right muscle (the transverse, not the rectangle) and with the right strategy (exhaling, non-apnea or forced inspiration).
When the triceps work again, the inner belt resumes its restraint work, the lower abdomen comes back, the back loosens because the core supports it again, and the progression towards more challenging exercises becomes possible and safe.
We’re not talking about impossible techniques: we’re talking about a well-done exhale, a wall, and the right progression 💪
This is one of the fundamental training principles that I am carrying forward with my specialized collaborator Angela Torretta.
The initiative is called "from the belly button down", because it's workouts specifically designed for people with a weak abdominal wall (for example, those with diastasis): the part from the belly button down is always the one that weakens the most 😮💨
Coach Shawn
