If you’ve ever looked down during a core exercises and noticed your belly forming a ridge or bulge, you might have heard terms like coning or doming. This can feel alarming at first – especially pregnant – but these signs are not something to fear.

Instead, coning and doming offer valuable insight into how your core is managing pressure and stability during movement. In this post, we’ll break down the difference between the two, what they indicate about your body, and how to adjust your strategy to support recovery and strength.

What Is Coning?

Coning appears as a narrow, ridge-like bulge down the midline of your abdomen. It typically shows up during core-loading and high pressure movements and is especially common postpartum.

Coning usually occurs when the linea alba – the connective tissue between the left and right sides of your abdominal wall – is under strain. If this tissue has been stretched or thinned (as in the case of diastasis recti), it may not distribute pressure well, causing it to push outward.

Important note: You can experience coning with or without a diastasis. And having a diastasis doesn’t mean you’ll always cone. This is why individual response to movement is more important than blanket rules.

What Is Doming

Doming, in contrast, shows up as a broader, more rounded bulge across the center of the abdomen. Rather than just the midline rising, the entire abdominal wall may push forward – particularly during movements where the rectus abdominis (your 6-pack muscles) take over.

This is often a sign that the deeper core muscles – namely the transverse abdominis (TVA) and obliques – are not activating in harmony with the rectus. The result? The abs bulge forward instead of drawing inward to support the spine and manage pressure.

What’s happening internally:
The core is like a canister – with the diaphragm on top, pelvic floor on bottom, and abdominals around. When pressure increases (as it should during exertion), it needs to be managed and distributed evenly. If it isn’t, the weakest point – like a stretched linea alba or uncoordinated abdominal wall – will give way.

So Is It Dangerous? Will It Make Diastasis Worse?

There’s a common myth that if you see coning or doming, you’ve done something wrong – or worse, that you’re damaging your core.

Let’s clear this up:
– Coning and doming are not dangerous.
-They don’t automatically mean you’re worsening a diastasis.
– It is not a reason to fear movement.

In fact, recent research has shown that the typical exercises previously told to avoid during pregnancy due to increased pressure – like crunches – aren’t inherently harmful as long as they’re performed without discomfort or excessive strain. This reinforces what many professionals in prenatal and postpartum rehab already believe: It’s not about the exercise itself – it’s about how it’s performed.

What matters most is:

• How your core responds to the movement
• Whether you feel in control
• How you’re managing pressure

What Coning and Doming is Telling You

Both coning and doming give you feedback about your core system. Instead of treating them as “bad signs,” treat them as communication tools – helping you assess how your body is responding to load.

Here’s what they may be telling you:

• You’re creating more pressure than your body can currently manage
• You may be over-recruiting superficial muscles (like rectus abdominis)
• You might not be exhaling or using your deep core effectively
• You may benefit from a position change, load reduction, or breath strategy

This is why movement shouldn’t be labeled “safe” or “unsafe.” It’s all about context, capacity, and strategy.

How To Adjust Exercises

If you notice these pressure signs during your workout, don’t panic and don’t quit the movement immediately either. Instead, try a few simple adjustments:

Try This First:

• Exhale through effort (with a “HAAA” or “SSSS” sound)
• Visualize your TVA wrapping like a corset
• Cue a gentle pelvic floor lift with the exhale (although I really try not to over cue this when it should already be reflexively contracting).
• Use external prop to help cue your deep core i.e block squeeze between knees to activate your inner thighs (adductors)
• Modify the angle or position (e.g., incline instead of flat supine)
• Reduce reps, range of motion, or load
• Try the movement unilaterally to reduce pressure

If those changes reduce or eliminate the coning, great – continue with that version while you build strength and control. If the signs persist and feel uncomfortable, modify or temporarily remove the movement and revisit later.

Final Thoughts

Seeing coning or doming doesn’t mean you’re doing harm. It means your body is asking for more support and that’s something you can build over time.

This is not about fear. It’s about respecting your body’s current capacity and giving it the tools it needs to adapt. Breath, pressure control, and gradual progression will take you much farther than avoidance ever could.

So if you notice coning or doming, don’t think immediately think “I need to stop.”
Instead, ask: “What can I adjust?”

That’s where core strength during pregnancy and the real core rehab postpartum begins.

🔗 Want more support?

• 📲 Try my pregnancy and postpartum programs in the LWE app. Your first 7 days are free.
• 🧠 Learn more about pressure management and diastasis in my FREE 5 part workout series. Just create an account and you’re ready to go.
• 💬 Have questions? Let me know below or in my DMs on instagram @emsnell — I’m always happy to help