Sample Postpartum Workout
As a coach I continue to learn and expand my toolbox. While there are a few principles I consider with every client (e.g. stacked body position + posterior pelvic floor work), all mamas are unique and have different goals and training backgrounds.
I’ve been training one of my clients for two years - let’s call her Sam :) Sam is six years postpartum, and has made huge progress in movement and how she feels in her day to day life. She no longer sees a chiropractor 1-2x/week to manage low back pain, sleeps better, and feels confident running after and keeping up with her kids.
Below are movements from two different workouts with Sam. There are endless possibilities, but I love learning new ways to help Sam and YOU move and breathe better and feel like a bad ass.
Accessory Work from Workout 1
Below are accessory movements from Sam’s workout. The main lifts for the day were a single leg hinge variation and a vertical pull exercise.
1) Decline Alternating Press: Sam sits at a desk a lot, so I find fun ways we can get some alternating movement at the ribcage and drive air into the chest Sitting into that front working hip, adding that reach through on the press for some serratus. Inhale as you extend working arm back, breathing into the chest wall, watching that the shoulder blade doesn’t tip forward.
2) Hip Shift Mid-Range Squat: You can use wedges, or in this case I used the TRX and bench as a reference point. Maintaining a stacked body position we added that hip shift at the mid-range on inhale, exhale come through to stand.
3) Heel to toe co-contraction bridge: Goal here was hamstrings, stack, and overall pelvis stability. A long lever variation is a great option if a hamstring curl is too difficult. Opposite knee drives into chest. Inhale onto the ball of foot, exhale drag down with the heel.
4) Core/Pelvic Floor: Half Kneeling to stand upward chop: goal here was to get explosive off the ground and add the rotation. Think of the pelvic floor lift as you propel forward and chop. **We worked rotation during her warm-up to prep.
Below are a few chop variations
Workout 2 - Pelvic Floor/Dynamic + Core Focused
Below are some movements from Sam’s Pelvic Floor/Dynamic + Core focused workout. I love to sneak in pelvic floor work within training as well, teaching us to work on both:
Concentric pelvic floor activity: pelvic floor contracting as you propel and “explode” forward
Yielding: Eccentric control of the pelvic floor and concentric yielding. In the lateral lunge below we are “catching” and lifting the pelvic floor in a lengthened position.
1) Co-contraction hinge to step: I incorporated this within her warm-up. She often has to “explode” to run after kiddos or make quick movements while hiking, jumping in a bouncer, or hey - selling girl scout cookies. Co-contractions are key for power/skill development, joint & tendon health, and for building coordinative movement.
2) Slow concentric squat: fancy way of saying, SLOW on the way up. When I think of internal rotation I think of compression, concentric, overcoming. Sometimes the hardest part for moms is generating force “out of the hole” so to speak. One way to manipulate that is with tempo.
3) Half kneeling to knee drive: concentric power. Once again, driving force out of the whole. Concentric pelvic floor activity. Think pelvic floor contracts as you propel forward.
4) Lateral Lunge Switch: being able to shift in and out of a hip is key for athletic movement, and walking forward. In this variation I cued her to exhale and catch the weight while shifting into the hip. Essentially a contraction of the pelvic floor in a lengthened position.
5) Rotational chops: we performed this different left to right.
- Right side: Low to high. Focus on propelling off the right side.
- Left side: High to low. Focus on turning into the left side.
There are so many iterations of this exercise in different positions. I’ve included a few more below :)
These were a few exercises we worked through today (not in this order). I put A LOT of time and love into each session / program for clients. If you’re interested in learning more about these exercises, programming for your body, and feeling strong AF - I’d love to chat. I provide postpartum fitness coaching 1:1 in San Diego and virtually. You can also check out my DIY programs.
Feel good mama <3
xoxo,
Erica