
The STUPIDEST thing I have ever done weightlifting happened when I was 5 months post-partum. I had been working out in the house and slowly getting back to a gym routine. I was doing EVERTHING that I was doing before I got pregnant. Coming from a Crossfit, Weightlifting, Powerlifting background – all I wanted to do was get under the bar and lift some heavy stuff.
So, one Saturday evening (I know, Saturday at the gym – sad!) I was working out, things (I thought) were feeling good and I just kept popping on plates. I got to 102kg on my back squat, and that’s were it all went a bit wrong. I stepped the bar out, squatted down and that’s where it ended. I got stuck. My legs weren’t budging. There were NO SAFETY BARS. My head started to get lower to the ground and my hips were staying in the same spot. Then the bar rolled up my neck. My face was pretty close to the floor at this time and then it rolled over my head. Aside from my ego, luckily, I was not hurt. (I’m pretty bendy and flexy for a chunky chick)
So now that I’m older and wiser – lets look at what went wrong: I did NO core rehab or even prehab what so ever. NOTHING. I couldn’t maintain my IAP and I couldn’t hold myself upright. No lifting belt would have helped me that day. I was sinking like the Titanic. I had NO core strength what so ever.
This little incident was a bit of a wake up call. Over the course of the 9 months when you are growing your little one, your abdominal muscles stretch. You NEEEEEEED to rehab them, get them strong again. If you want to get back to doing what you LOVE, take a small step back and do it right.
Like I said, a belt will 100% give you extra support when you lift, but it should not in anyway be a replacement for having a strong core. It should be the icing on the cake. From one weightlifter to another not all rehabilitation needs to be boring.
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