Hypopressives accountability thread 🧵 🧘‍♀️

[CortieTat]

I’m 12 weeks post-partum and want to start doing hypopressive exercises regularly, for 15+ minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

I’m quite fit and I exercise regularly, my reasons for adding hypopressives are 1) vanity - I want to get my pre-pregnancy abs back faster 💪 2) stronger pelvic floor - I do kegels regularly but I don’t want to stop, think, concentrate and contract every time I have to sneeze 🤧

If anyone wants to join me and share tips, progress and motivation, you’re more than welcome 🤗.

I’ve done my first workout today, under 20 minutes. I’m learning hypopressive breathing so it was very relaxing.
I watched a couple of YouTube videos before starting and then followed two short workouts for beginners. Right now I need to have my hands on my ribs to make sure they are moving correctly. I have also tried leaning forward and the vacuum is much more visible in that position.

I practiced hypopressive breathing in front of the mirror today and every time I get it right it looked impressive, the vacuum effect is definitely visible.

I did this workout today as well: my goal is to make sure I’ve got the technique correct in various positions.

I'm really interested to hear how you get on with this - I'm pregnant with baby number 2 and really interested in hypoprrssives postpartum. Good luck with it and well done!

Hi @Yogaandcrochet! I’m still at the stage where I mainly focus on the breath to get the vacuum correct. I want to make sure that it’s more or less automatic and I don’t have to keep my hands on the ribs.

It seems to be easier than I expected, I can definitely see my belly getting sucked in and I can also feel it in my throat. It’s very little effort and compared to pilates and other workouts it feels like nothing happens.

Great to hear that you seem to be getting the hang of it - hypropressives have sometimes sounded quite technical / complicated (although very effective!). I've felt a bit intimidated despite having done lots of pilates and weights previously, so it's good to know that you're finding it OK!

Are you just using free resources from YouTube or are you paying for a programme at all?

I’m using free resources, there are several channels on YouTube. I’ve also read a bit and looked at photos (including Arnie Schwarzenegger). I had quite strong core before pregnancy and visible abs, so I feel this both helps - I have good proprioception and can isolate different muscles, and hinders - I have to learn to let it go and let the vacuum just happen instead of drawing in the transverse abs.

Yesterday I tried the first serious workout, definitely a mistake! I am still lacking technique to do the ones on all fours. Leaning is the easiest, then standing and lying on the floor. The exercises themselves are very easy and relaxing, I am a bit paranoid that they do nothing, as there’s no burn 🔥

I've been attending a class with a local instructor for about 5 years, some of the positions are certainly stronger than others. It does take a while to get the hang of it and as with other forms of exercise some sessions are better than others. We do a 45 min class weekly with a whole new routine each time. I still put my hands on my ribs sometimes, gives them a little extra work by pushing against them.

I'd recommend finding an instructor for at least a few initial sessions, to make sure you really are getting it right.

This is fantastic, I have at least 500 km to the nearest local instructor and that’s if I’m lucky. I consider attending an online teaser event run by the lady whose videos I have been following.

Yesterday I did a beginner floor workout again. I did it after a high intensity Les Mills workout (LM Strength Development) and it felt great, very relaxing.

I also watched a couple of videos that explained how to spot and correct common mistakes. Both my pelvic floor and the skin behind my collarbones are drawn in so it looks like I’m doing the vacuum correctly.

Beginner sitting workout yesterday. It was good, I have yoga blocks at home so I sat on one of those and felt professional 😅.

There’s so much contradictory info about how to do the breathing online! I decided to stick with one instructor (linked her videos above), she seems common sense and goes straight to exercises with minimal waffle

Did my workout yesterday after a proper workout (Les Mills Shapes), a beginner flow again. I also practiced in front of the mirror to check my posture.

I haven’t updated the thread but I have been doing the exercises regularly, every day for the last two weeks. I am getting really good at this, I started incorporating the hypopressive breathing into my normal exercise routine, especially LM Body Balance. I noticed that my pelvic floor is definitely stronger, I caught myself sneezing and not thinking much about it 😀

Brilliant, well done. I've been doing it for several years and I am
convinced is the reason my prolapses have remained very manageable.