Abs bulging out as I do crunch type exercise

Question

I have started my exercise journey and over the past 6-8 months been actively following programs to build up my fitness and lose weight.

I am generally getting stronger and losing fat/gaining muscle but one thing I have noticed more and more as I lose fat around my belly is that certain exercises cause my abs to bulge up like they are making a hill just above my belly button.

This only really happens when I am doing exercises on the floor, mainly lying on my back, anything that involves me crunching or tensing my core.

Is this a normal thing to see given I have had maybe 20 years of not exercising my core and just a case of giving it time and they will flatten out as they build muscle, or is it an indicator of poor technique or some other issue?

Answer 1

I do assume that you do not speak about your abs suddenly being visible because you lost body fat. This is hardly worth any concern. I do also assume that when you talk about "a hill just above the belly button", you literally mean at the center of your abdomen, not right and left. I do have that myself, a bit higher up, and this was therefore discussed at length in my training as physiotherapist.

In the middle of your abs, there runs the linea alba. Sometimes, especially when

• you are pregnant (which I assume you are not since you are male)
• you have a lot of visceral fat (like a significant belly)
• your transversus abdominis, which is a muscular belt from your spine all around your abdomen to the other side of the spine, is too weak relative to your other abs and the internal abdominal pressure when doing core exercise

this fibrous line can open up given enough abdominal pressure coupled with the abs (mainly obliques, pulling their origins left and right of the linea alba towards your ribs and pelvic bone respectively) contracting in situations like when coughing, laughing, and during intense exercise. This allows your abdomen to buldge out between the three layers of abdominal muscles that are right and left of the center line, above the tranversus, since the transversus and the connective tissue in the center cannot hold together against the pressure (out) and pull (towards the sides) anymore.

This condition is, beyond a certain degree, called rectus diastasis or diastasis recti.

Generally, a good idea as a first counter-measure is to more consciously activate the pelvic floor and transversus abdomini (pulling your anus, urethra, and belly button slightly towards your heart and holding them there) before starting the exercise. You should still be able to breathe into you (upper) abdomen, even though it will certainly be shallower. As soon as the buldging starts, the intensity is too high for your current condition and you should make a break since otherwise, it could worsen the condition and prevent the linea alba from closing up and healing.