Hypopressive Exercise: Perfect for Mothers

This form of exercise was created by a kinesiotherapy doctor named, Marcel Caufriez. It's a technique especially designed for women, and in particular, those recovering after surgery.

Many women are in great physical shape after giving birth. How do they do it? The answer is hypopressive exercise. Perhaps a better question is: what is hypopressive exercise and how does the technique differ from traditional exercises?

Hypopressive exercise: effort controlled from the inside

Unlike the abdominal routines that we do at the gym, hypopressive exercises use pressure and controlled breathing in order to strengthen the body. The force created internally and near the diaphragm, is how the muscles are toned.

The technique employs practices involving a lot of effort and little muscular movement. This discipline allows women to work out without eroding their pelvic floor. On the contrary, the aim is to strengthen it.

The philosophy behind these routines draws on aerobic training and weightlifting. As we can see, these routines have been designed to allow pregnant women to strengthen their pelvis, thereby helping to avoid complications.

The science of reducing your waistline in record time

In adding to increasing strength, this type of exercise is also useful for trimming your waistline. This is why many women opt for this practice after giving birth. Basically, it works the abdominal area in a specialized way.

The fundamental basis of this technique is breathing control and abdominal suction. As a result, there’s less movement, and the spine is unaffected. Basically, all of the routines are performed by holding your breath.

The impact of each exercise takes place directly on the strip covering the viscera. In short, it’s about working the abdominal muscles, starting from their structure, in order to strengthen their external appearance.

What are the benefits of hypopressive gymnastics?

The advantages of these exercises go beyond slimming the abdominal area and strengthening the pelvis. In fact, by adopting this discipline, we gain benefits such as:

• Improving sexual activity. The act of strengthening the pelvis is key to controlling orgasm during sexual activity. By obtaining greater control over this area, you can enjoy a pleasurable and longer-lasting experience.
• Preventing urinary incontinence. When we reach a certain age, wear on the abdominal muscles implies less control of urinary flow. As a result, people over the age of 70 develop problems related to incontinence. With this kind of exercise, we can maintain the firmness of the muscle for longer.
• Correcting the spinal column. In principle, hypopressive exercises imply a certain amount of effort in respect to the posture of the spine. In addition, the suction aspect helps to accommodate intervertebral discs.

The beginnings of hypopressive exercise

In order to start this practice, your best option is to begin under the supervision of a specialized instructor. The professional expert will evaluate your physical condition in order to assign you with a particular routine.

Personalized lessons are a good idea. This is because there is a certain amount of complexity to the postures and types of effort required. For example, an instructor will teach a woman to lift her navel over her diaphragm. Breathing must also be rigorously controlled. These are the important details that you can’t simply learn from a YouTube tutorial.

Begin by training for two days a week. Classes usually last for about 45 minutes, at least at the beginning. Little by little, the frequency and duration may increase. After six months, you can combine the routines with other techniques, such as Pilates.

Exercise adjusted to maternal realities

For new mothers, the best part about hypopressive exercises is that it doesn’t mean neglecting their infants. Professional instructors almost always allow children to be present for the sessions. Those practicing the discipline tend to organize self-help groups for pregnant mothers and mothers who have recently given birth.

Once you’ve mastered the main techniques, you’ll be able to perform the routines from the comfort of your home. Another benefit is that you don’t need weights or machines to strengthen your muscles in this way. All in all, it’s a highly effective exercise, designed for today’s modern mothers.