Knowing when your postpartum body is ready for exercise
The general rule of thumb for postpartum exercise is to wait until your 6 week postnatal doctor’s visit before resuming an exercise program to ensure your body has had adequate time to heal. This is usually when your doctor will clear you to resume exercise. If you’ve had a c-section you may require more healing time. However, it is advised to begin walking and performing your kegal exercises very soon after pregnancy to promote recovery.
It’s also important to check in with yourself and see when you feel ready. There are a lot of physical and emotional changes that come after pregnancy. It’s absolutely normal to not feel yourself as you learn to care for this tiny human. You may experience mood swings, depression, fatigue and a general feeling of overwhelm. Take this process slow and don’t overdo it too soon. Always listen to your body and what feels right for you. If you feel any pain or uncomfortable pulling particularly in your abs don’t push through. Dial back the intensity of your workouts until your body has recovered fully.
Rebuilding your core post-pregnancy
Your core after pregnancy is going to be both an area of increased weakness and an area that requires a lot of attention. Most women will experience at least a mild case of diastasis recti as a result of pregnancy due to the increased demand put on the abdominal muscles during pregnancy and in labor. In some cases, this muscle separation in the abdominals can be so severe that surgery is required to correct it. However, most times this can be resolved with the proper training. It’s a good idea if you’re currently pregnant to do prenatal exercises to begin strengthening your transverse abdominis before delivery. This can help decrease your risk of developing severe diastasis recti.Â
Here are three core exercises that are great for postpartum exercise to help with strengthening and rebuilding your core.
- Pelvic tilt: For this exercise, you want to lie on your back with your feet planted and arms at your sides. Focus on inhaling as you tilt your pelvis forward forming an arch in your lower back and exhaling while contracting the core and pulling the pelvis in towards the floor. Repeat this sequence for 10-15 reps. This exercise is great for working on regaining proper pelvic alignment and strength and stability in your transverse abdominis.
- Side plank extension: For this exercise, you want to start on your side resting your bottom arm on your forearm. From here stack your feet and extend the legs. Then, drive the hips up towards the ceiling keeping your hips stacked on top of each other. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 reps on each side. This exercise is great for strengthening and stabilizing your transverse abominis and your oblique.Â
- Dead bug:Â To perform this exercise first lie on your back with your legs elevated above your hips and your arms above your shoulders. Then slowly lower the opposite arm and leg towards the floor while exhaling and contracting your core. Inhale and relax the core as you bring the arm and leg back up to the starting position. Repeat this exercise for 10 reps on each side. This exercise is great for strengthening and stabilizing your core as well as your spine and back muscles.Â
When to start postpartum exercise after normal delivery
Where to start with postpartum exercise will in large part depend on how active you were prior to and during pregnancy. If you never did strength training before or if it’s been several months you should start by using very light weights or doing body weight strength training only. If you are accustomed to weight training you should start by regressing down at least in the amount of weight you are using and start slow to see how your body feels.
Tips for safe strength training after pregnancy:
- Form is most important here. Never compromise your form in order to lift heavier.
- Don’t overdo it. Less is more. Only do what your body feels comfortable with and rest if you feel any pain or discomfort in your core. Be particularly mindful of this if you had a c-section.
Safe postpartum exercises to target total body
Here are four functional postpartum exercises you should be doing to work on building total body strength and conditioning.
- Push-ups: To modify this exercise you can start by doing wall push-ups and gradually work up to doing them from a lower incline until you can do them from the floor. To perform this exercise make sure your hands are positioned shoulder width apart and feet are hip width apart. Starting from a straight arm plank slowly lower your chest towards the wall or surface you’re on while bending the elbows back at 45 degrees. Make sure to keep a long neck and shoulders down and back. Try to perform 5-8 reps to start out. This exercise is great for targeting your chest, triceps, shoulders, core and serratus anterior muscles.
- Squat into overhead press: To modify this exercise you can start with body weight air squats or box squats. Gradually as you get stronger you can start doing weighted squats and then add in the overhead press. Start by standing with your feet hip width apart and practice squatting over a chair to ensure correct form. As you add in the weight make sure you’re keeping your chest open, shoulders down and back and core tight. You should press the weights overhead directly in alignment with your ears. Make sure to fully extend your elbows at the top of the press. You should aim for at least 8-1o reps with this exercise. This exercise is great for hitting hamstrings, glutes, quads, core and shoulders.
- Pull-overs: To modify this exercise start by using a light weight while lying on your back on the floor. Start with your feet planted and arms holding the weight above your chest. Slowly bring the weight overhead to tap the floor while flaring your elbows and keeping only a slight bend in the arm. As you bring the weight overhead pull your pelvis back by contracting your core and pressing your back into the floor. As you progress you can do this exercise from an elevated surface such as the bench to gain a bigger depth and stretch at the bottom of this motion. Aim to perform 10-15 reps of this exercise. This exercise is great for targeting the upper back including your lats, chest, triceps, serratus anterior and core muscles.
- Romanian deadlift with a row: This exercise can be modified by standing with your feet turned out slightly and using lighter weights. As you get stronger you can slowly increase the amount of weight you’re using and the number of reps and sets you’re doing. Start by standing with your feet about hip width apart and arm hanging down in front of the body. Then, slowly hinge forward with your chest by sitting back into your hips until your back is at a 45 degree angle. While keeping a flat back row the arms back towards your hips driving your elbows past your back. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 reps. This exercise targets your glutes, hamstrings, core, back and biceps.
Showing yourself grace post-pregnancy
Getting your body back to where it was pre-pregnancy is going to be a process that takes time. Be patient with yourself and learn to love and appreciate your body along the way. Your body just went through a ton of changes and created a human life, which it deserves recognition for. The female body is truly a miracle worker! The best thing you can do for yourself is help your body recover and get back to its strongest self by being consistent in your training, eating a well-balanced macro-friendly diet and listening to your body’s needs.
If you need help getting started we have trained prenatal and postpartum professionals who are here to help. We work a ton with moms and often times we work with our moms through multiple pregnancies. We understand the delicate balance between wanting to get back to your pre-pregnancy body and showing yourself some grace through this transition period. The important thing to remember with postpartum exercise is that there’s nothing your body can’t do with the right training and proper guidance.