We are excited to provide new exercises as a progression of our Hab It: Pelvic Floor DVD. The new 7-day workout was created at the request of many Hab It subscribers who have seen great success with the DVD, but want to further their pelvic floor and entire pelvic basket strength. Your goal may be to return to a fitness walking program, to return to hiking, triathlon, 5K’s, 10K’s, or other recreational activities.
This program will give you the core stability to resume regular training for your sport. It is a challenging program that guides you through seven different workouts, all focusing on the coordinated muscle contraction of the many muscles that make up your pelvic basket. You will note improved strength of your pelvic floor, transversus abdominus (TA), glutes, low back, inner thighs, and hip external rotators. Also, included in the workouts are strengthening exercises for postural muscles that are key components of pelvic floor stability. The exercises are provided in written and video format to ensure correct form as instructed by me, Tasha Mulligan, physical therapist, athletic trainer, personal trainer, and mom of three.
Please note that because of the advanced level of these stability exercises, it is recommended that you begin with good base strength of your pelvic basket by following the workouts on the Hab It: Pelvic Floor DVD consistently for 6 weeks. The advanced exercise program is not to be performed while pregnant and you should consult with your doctor before beginning the program if you have had a previous back, shoulder, or hip injury.
You can read more about the 7 Day Advanced Stabilization Program at http://www.hab-it.com/?page_id=29
Tasha- Thanks for the new Pelvic Floor and Core Stabalization Program. It looks like a great addition to the original DVD. I have two questions…
Have you considered making the program available in a PDF format so that it can be printed out in a more user friendly format?
There is a disclaimer that the program is not for pregnant women. I am 30 weeks pregnant and have reviewed the program. As far as I can tell the only exercises that would be contrindicated during pregnancy are those that require you to lay on your stomach. I will obviously skip those. Is there a specific reason pregnant women should not engage in this program? Or can it be modified according to what your fitness level is? Thanks for your efforts and your reply!!
Hi there, I am glad you found our Advanced Program. I am confident you will like the challenge the exercises provide and the increased stability for pelvic floor as you progress through the program. If you can give me more specifics on the snags you are running into printing the document off, I will be better able to make changes as needed. Currently the document is uploaded as a PDF file for printing purposes.
Also, re: performing the advanced program while pregnant. I do caution you with some of the Advanced moves. Remeber the hormone, relaxin, is at its highest level right now during your pregnancy and it is quite easy to have ribs, vertebrae, and other joints shift with some of the exercises. It is your body and you know your body best but risk vs. reward for performing these exercises is not a good ratio and I would highly recommend you go back to the Hab It dvd for the remainder of your pregnancy. A good example was a first rib subluxation I repeatedly experienced during my third pregnancy when trying to do a lower level quadratus lumborum exercise during my third trimester – the scapula and right arm aching that I experienced was no fun. No matter what your conditioning level, you have to use caution when exercising while pregnant.
That being said, I strongly encourage you to read through the “Knowledge of your Pregnancy Body” write up on our site and to resume the exercises on our Hab It Pelvic Floor dvd when your body is ready following delivery. Sounds like you are very active and you will be back to the Advanced Program in no time after your body goes through its recovery phase following delivery.
-Tasha
Tasha, you read my mind! I’ve been using your DVD successfully for 3 months – am very happy with the results, and have been reading around at Pilates and other exercise programs looking for a ‘next step’ and here you are with the next step! YAY! Thank you!
Linda, I love that this program will progress your goals! Enjoy it and set your sights on significant improvement of strength and stability of your pelvic floor as well as iron girl posture!!!
-Tasha
I am wondering about pelvic floor strength and how it is related to past episiotomy. I had a twin pregnancy 7 years ago and was given an episiotomy during labor. I have never had problems with my pelvic floor until recently. I feel that I have “widened” and I am wondering why I seem to be having problems 7 whole years later! Does an episiotomy do harm to the pelvic floor years later? And can the DVD work successfully for this issue?
Molly, there are so many factors that can contribute to pelvic floor weakness. It could be the episiotomy, it could be internal trauma to deeper tissues, it could be scar tissue, it could be hormone changes, it could be the stress of carrying twins, or many more “it could be’s”. The bottom line is that most if not all women will experience some level of pelvic floor weakness in their lifetime. That could be as simple as losing control of ability to hold in gas, or accidental urine leakage, or as much as prolapse of one or more organs. the answer to your question is an emphatic YES, the Hab It dvd will help you. We will look forward to hearing your progress as you work through the dvd.
-Tasha