Flat when you lie down, bulging when you stand? This is now recommended for “mummy tummy” (and it is not a crunch)

Summary: After coaching beginners for twenty years, Daniel Andersen explains why regular abdominal training does not get the job done after giving birth, and which one exercise really activates the deep muscles that keep the midsection in place. What most women have been doing wrong for years, and how ten minutes a day can make all the difference.

Daniel Andersen, 45, has coached beginners in the evenings and at weekends for about twenty years. He works with Flexitrener.

1“Every week I meet women who have been training incorrectly for years”

Daniel Andersen opens the door to his training room. On the wall is a sketch of a woman’s midsection, before and after giving birth. Next to it are three words: Pelvic floor. Deep muscles. Lifting effect. It is nine in the morning, and the first appointment is with a 36-year-old mother of two. Her concern: a belly that has not gone away in three and a half years.

“You could have told me exactly the same story about the woman before her and the one after her,” Daniel says. “Two years of Pilates. Crunches morning and evening. Three diets. Running all summer. And today her stomach looks almost the same as it did six weeks after giving birth.”

Daniel is a carpenter by profession. For about twenty years, he has coached people in the evenings and at weekends, mostly beginners, and he says bluntly that most come in frustrated. Not because they have done too little. But because they have done the wrong thing.

“Actually, the saddest thing is this,” he says, pouring himself a cup of tea, “these women are disciplined. They are in good shape. They eat sensibly. But they are fighting a belly that has nothing to do with discipline or diet. It is about posture and muscle function. And the more regular abdominal exercises they do, the worse it gets.”

2That is why sit-ups, crunches, and running make the situation worse

When you search online for “belly after pregnancy,” you mainly get three pieces of advice: eat less, do more crunches, exercise more. Daniel chuckles when I mention it.

“That trio is precisely what reinforces the problem,” he says. “Sit-ups and crunches work the superficial abdominal muscles. They are absolutely necessary. But they are not the problem. The problem lies beneath them.”

He draws a quick sketch on the board. The pelvis viewed from the side. “For most women, the pelvis gradually tilts forward after pregnancy. It is a completely natural process. The baby’s weight for nine months, softened ligaments, and often a forward-leaning posture while breastfeeding. But when the pelvis remains tilted forward like this, the deep muscle layer loses its grip and the lower abdomen pushes forward.”

This, he says, is precisely the reason for the symptom almost everyone describes: When you lie down, your stomach looks normal. When you stand, it bulges out. And when sitting, slightly slouched, it once again looks like you are five months pregnant.

“If you do crunches now, each repetition increases pressure forward and downward. Precisely in the direction we would like to reduce it. Running is even more insidious. Every step delivers a downward impact that stretches the pelvic floor and deep muscle layer further.”

Most women come to me because their stomach remains prominent despite exercising. My job is usually not to give them more exercises, but to explain why they can stop doing what they are doing.

It sounds almost counterintuitive. But once you understand what is really happening beneath the abdominal wall, the logic is simple.

3What the deep muscle layer is, and why it is the key

The abdominal muscles everyone knows are the superficial layer. The rectus abdominis and the oblique muscles. They form a “six-pack” when they become visible. But they do not hold the stomach in place.

“The deep layer does that,” Daniel says. “Above all, the transversus abdominis, a kind of internal corset muscle that wraps transversely around the torso. And the pelvic floor. Together, they form what is called the deep core. This layer keeps the stomach flat. Even when you stand. Even after three afternoon coffees.”

During pregnancy, the transversus stretches to several times its original length. After childbirth, it does not automatically contract back into shape. For some, this happens on its own during the first few months. For many - in fact, the majority - the muscle remains weak and stretched. The result: the core lacks an internal corset to hold everything in.

“And now comes the decisive point,” Daniel says, leaning forward. “You simply cannot reach the transversus with crunches. It lies deeper. It responds to an entirely different kind of stimulus: slow, controlled tension against light resistance. Not short, forceful movements.”

What she describes may initially sound a little underwhelming to many women. Not 200 crunches. No beads of sweat from interval training. Instead: ten to fifteen minutes a day, sitting or lying down, a calm movement against resistance while the lower back stays on the floor and the core draws inward from the inside.

This type of movement is called an upward lifting movement. The pelvis is gently aligned through the direction of the pull, and the deep muscle layer learns to hold the core in place again.

4Maria, 38: “After six weeks, the trousers that had been sitting in the closet for three years fit again”

Maria, a name changed at her own request, came to Daniel nine months ago. A mother of two, with her youngest three and a half. A project manager, in good shape. Her problem: a stomach that had not recovered after her second childbirth. Yoga three times a week. A Pilates class during her lunch break. A half marathon nine months ago.

“She was in better shape than most women who come to see me,” Daniel says. “And yet an acquaintance asked her at the store if she was pregnant again. That was when she realized she needed a different strategy.”

Daniel put her on a program with two parts. First: no crunches, running, or high-intensity exercise for the time being. Second: ten to fifteen minutes of targeted deep-muscle training every day with a resistance band with foot supports. The exercise: lying down or sitting, feet supported, pull the handles toward the chest, exhale slowly and in a controlled manner, actively drawing the stomach inward. 25 repetitions, three times a week.

Maria wrote in her training journal in the third week: “Today, for the first time, I didn't have a protruding stomach when I stood up.” In the sixth week: “The trousers that had been sitting in the closet for three years fit again. Without dieting.” In the tenth week she sent Daniel a short message: “Yesterday I stood at the playground, and no one asked me which month I was in.”

Over twenty years, I have received hundreds of messages like these. What changes is not just the stomach. It's posture. Trousers. The way you look in the mirror.

Maria's story is not an exception. It is, Daniel says, almost the rule when women stop training incorrectly and start doing the right thing.

5The one exercise that changes everything, in ten minutes a day

What Daniel explains can be summed up in one core movement. It does not require a studio, a trainer, or expensive equipment. It only requires a foot-supported resistance band, a spot on the living room floor, and about ten minutes.

“Sit on the floor with your legs straight. Place the supports on your feet. Take a handle in each hand. Slowly lean backward until your upper body is at about a 45-degree angle. Now comes the crucial part: pull the handles toward your chest in a controlled manner as you exhale, while simultaneously pulling your stomach actively inward, as if you were buttoning up trousers that are far too tight. Hold for two seconds. Then slowly return. 25 repetitions.”

What happens during the movement? Two things at once, Daniel says. The pelvis tilts back into the correct position through the pull. And the transversus, the deep core muscle, activates against the band’s gentle resistance, precisely the slow and controlled stimulus it needs.

“If you do it correctly, you feel clear activation throughout the entire lower abdomen. There is no burning like after 50 crunches. Rather, it feels like a deep warmth, as if you were lifting something from the inside. Your lower back stays on the floor. That is important. If it arches upward, it takes over the work and you lose the effect.”

Three times a week is enough for most people, Daniel says. If you want to do it every day, that works too. The load is gentle on the joints, with no impact, no jumping, and no pressure on the pelvic floor. Many people notice the first visible changes after four to six weeks. For some, it happens faster; for others, it takes longer. It depends on their starting point and how regularly they train.

I’ll say it honestly: there is nothing magical about this. It is simply the right training for the right muscle. But that is exactly what makes the difference.

6What I recommend now: Flexitrener

When we ask Daniel which foot-supported resistance band he specifically recommends, he hesitates for a moment. “I don’t sell anything myself. But for about a year now, I’ve been giving the same recommendation, and it is Flexitrener.”

According to him, the reason is fairly simple. First: the band has six resistance tubes instead of two or three. This makes the resistance more stable and consistent throughout the entire movement. Second: the foot supports are shaped so that your feet do not slip off, which is especially important during longer seated sets, because many people otherwise have to readjust their position every three repetitions. Third: the handles are ergonomic and covered with soft foam, so they do not press into your palms even after 25 repetitions.

“They may sound like small things. But if the equipment is uncomfortable, people stop using it within two weeks. Comfort determines whether you train three times a week or not at all.”

Flexitrener is delivered to Finland with free shipping and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you use it regularly for four to six weeks without noticing any change, you can send it back.

«This is also the point where I can say: give it a try. If it doesn't work, you haven't lost anything. If it does, and it works for most people, you have a tool you can use for the next ten years.»