What Is The Best Workout After Pregnancy?
You’ve gone through the hard part and brought your beautiful baby into this world. Life is completely different but you’re ready to get some of your usual routine back, like your workouts. But your body is different and it’s hard to know what are the best exercises to do postpartum.
If this is you, I know exactly how you feel.
It can feel confusing to know how to work out after having a baby but with an easy-to-follow post-pregnancy workout, you’ll be ready to tackle your workouts effortlessly. The most important things about a workout after giving birth are that it focuses on your core and pelvic floor, is quick enough to do during this busy season of life, and makes you feel stronger.
I’m sharing the perfect post-pregnancy workout for the new mom who wants to heal her abdominal muscles in 20 minutes or less. Try it out and feel the difference in your strength.
When Can I Start A Postnatal Workout Routine?
You can start a postnatal workout routine when you feel like your body is ready for exercise. If your body feels recovered from giving birth, you’ve taken a few walks without feeling exhausted or with increased bleeding, or if your doctor clears you for exercise are all great signs that you should begin exercising.
If you start exercising and notice dizziness, blurred vision, or increased bleeding, stop exercising and let your body rest. The exercise program discussed below are very gentle and should not cause any of these issues, but ease into it and make sure you feel good throughout the workout.
Is This Postpartum Workout Safe After A C-section?
Yes, this workout is safe to do after a c-section. These pelvic floor exercises avoid laying on your stomach and focus on core activation.
If you feel tightness or pulling from your incision site, you may need to massage the tissues to loosen up scar tissue gently. Only perform this if your incision is completely healed and you feel comfortable doing it.
Post-Pregnancy Workout That Shrinks Your Tummy
These gentle exercises are perfect if you are newly postpartum and want to help tone abdominal muscles and pelvic floor after giving birth. There is no equipment needed and they can be done on a mat or on your living room floor while your baby does tummy time.
These movements are unlike anything you’ve done in the past so it may take a few times to get the exercise right. You can do this workout for a few weeks until you feel like it’s very easy to complete. Once these movements feel comfortable, you may start adding in exercises that incorporate major muscle groups.
Each exercise lists the number of repetitions to perform and do 2-3 rounds of each exercise.
Supine Breathing
- Begin on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your back and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- Relax and repeat for 10 breaths.
Quadruped TA Bracing
- Begin on all fours with your butt resting on the back of your heels.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your back and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor. This position helps you to feel the relaxing and contracting of your pelvic floor physically.
- Relax and repeat for 10 breaths.
Side Knee Fall
- Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and your back completely flat on a mat.
- Brace your core by bringing the pelvic floor up and in, and breathe normally.
- Bring your right knee out to the side about 45° or as far as it is comfortable for you while holding that brace, and then bring it back to the center.
- You can place your hands on your hips, pointing upwards to ensure they are not rotating during the movement. You want to focus the movement only in your legs.
- Alternate bringing your left and right knees out while keeping your core braced. If you don’t feel your core engaged anymore, reset and begin again. Periodically check to make sure your glutes are not activated through this movement. You don’t want your glutes taking over the exercise.
- Perform this movement for 20 repetitions, 10 on each leg.
Clamshell with Bracing
- Begin lying on your right side with your right arm stretched out and your head resting on it. Your knees are bent 45° and stacked.
- Place your index and middle fingers inside your left hip bone to check for core engagement.
- Engage your core by pulling your stomach towards your spine, engaging your pelvic floor, and breathing normally.
- While keeping your feet together, raise your left knee as high as possible without shifting your hips and keeping your right leg on the floor.
- Once you’ve reached your max height, bring your leg back to the starting position.
- Perform 10 repetitions and repeat on the left side.
Deadbug Arms
- Begin lying on your back with your arms straight above you and your lower back pressed to the floor. Bend your knees 90°.
- Inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach and chest while relaxing your pelvic floor.
- Exhale through your mouth, bringing your stomach towards your spine and lifting your pelvic floor up and in. Audibly make a shh or hiss sound to help expel all the air and activate your pelvic floor.
- Bring your right arm behind you towards the floor as much as possible without arching your back.
- As soon as you feel your back arching, bring your arm back to the starting position.
- Repeat this for 10 repetitions on each arm, 20 total.
Feel Strong After Your Postnatal Workout
Exercising after a baby is definitely a different experience but with effective exercises to target your weaknesses, you can build strength and complete your workout in no time.
Skip long workouts at the gym after pregnancy and opt for a core-building workout that can be done right next to your baby at home. Get stronger and feel good as a mom with this perfect workout postpartum.
Do you prefer home workouts? Let me know in the comments.