After having two kids my body felt completely foreign. Not only did it transform during pregnancy, but bones shifted, muscles changed, and suddenly the movements that once felt easy were a challenge. I wanted so badly to return to the bootcamp classes, but something just didn’t feel quite right.

Can you relate?

The last five years have been a mindset shift for me. I’m an athlete, and love to train hard. But, SLOWING down has made a huge difference. I’ve spent time working on breathing, foot drills, incorporating rotation and reaching, hip shifting, breathing into the booty, and (re)building.

 My goals changed.

 It wasn’t about lifting the heaviest weight, but rather about moving without discomfort, keeping up with my kids, addressing lingering pelvic floor symptoms, and feeling good.

Are you ready to return to exercise postpartum, but not sure where to start?

 Below are six (6) key areas I focus on with every postpartum client.

 6 Key Components to Your Postpartum Strength Program

1.     Breathing and Expansion (building a dynamic ribcage)

• Reestablish the connection between the breath, pelvic floor, and abdominals.

Rib cage mobility and establishing a 360-breathing pattern. When your rib cage can expand 360 degrees, your diaphragm, deep abs, and pelvic floor can communicate and work better together which leads to less leaking, less aches and pains, and a stronger core.

• Posterior Pelvic Floor and Glute length: Mamas often have a tight booty. It’s super common to clench the backside and shove the hips forward in an effort to find stability at the pelvis. When this happens we are also locking down the muscles on the back side of the pelvis. Our glutes attach to the sacrum, so if we are clenching and pushed forward (maybe on one side more than the other), we are also decreasing available movement at the pelvis. We need space on the backside to shift into, which will be important when walking.

• Not only does this impact the hips/pelvic floor, but it also impacts what’s happening up top at the ribcage. Up and down the chain we need expansion on the backside (posterior expansion). This will allow our ribcage to find a better position to come back and meet our shoulder blades, an important piece to finding a stacked position. Posterior expansion —> happy shoulders :)

2.     Pelvis Orientation – Finding a Stacked Body Position

What is a stacked body position?

 The “stack” is a ribs over pelvis position. The goal of the “stack” is to allow the diaphragm to sit over the pelvic floor so we have the most optimal position to manage pressure flow. When we are in a more extended position or we have a lot of compression on the back of the ribcage and our pelvis is tilted too far forward or back it can make it hard for the diaphragm/pelvic floor to coordinate. Our body is also working really hard to stand upright against gravity and breathe with ease.

• Finding a full exhalation without crunching from the top.

  • Exhaling the lower ribs back while keeping the sternum lifted.

• Finding your hamstrings (specifically your proximal hamstrings), which act as an anchor to pull the pelvis underneath us.

• Orient the pelvis utilizing the hamstrings and deep core without squeezing the glutes

In postpartum and prenatal fitness programming I incorporate a lot of hamstrings and deep core work, as well as constraints/props to help you find that position within your strength training. Once you are able to access this position, we can load it up!

3.     Hip shifting

Once we’ve released the backside a bit, introducing hip shifting is key. Hip shifting is the foundation of athletic movement and being able to more effectively and propel from one side to the other while walking.

 When we shift into our hip we are essentially shifting into the back of the hip, sliding the femur (leg bone) back into the acetabulum. This produces a relative internal rotation down the chain. When we can load into the ground, we are essentially compressing down and loading into the ground, getting ready to spring back out of it to the other side. Think of hip shifting to then produce force to move to the other side, something that is necessary for walking, running, etc.

 The glutes are STRONG and powerful, but we need to be able to fully load them to create power. If you’ve ever struggled with something like a pistol squat or skater, we can work up to those more advanced movements.

 Learn to shift into and be ON one side.

4.     Reciprocal Motion / Rotation

 In an effort to not walk around like SpongeBob SquarePants, adding in elements of rotation will be key to unlocking the ribcage, and feeling good. We want to think about that rotation and counter-rotation up and down the chain, from the feet to the pelvis to the ribcage.

• Internal and external rotation at the pelvis

• Movement at the torso requires ribs that move.

• Rotation at the lower limb is supination and pronation of the feet.

 Rotation has been a HUGE component to my strength training. In order to effectively load single leg exercises like a lunge, step up, and single leg deadlift, we need rotation up and down the chain.

 Regardless of who you are and where you are in your postpartum journey, we need access to both internal and external rotation at the joints. If all we do is banded squats, clamshells, and banded hips thrusts (external rotation), we are missing out on a key piece of rotational movement at the pelvis (internal rotation).

 Without access to internal rotation, we may notice movement compensations at the feet, hips, and ribcage, which may lead to low back, hip, and knee pain (always consult a Physical Therapist when “pain” comes into play).

 Many moms lack internal rotation, so it’s a big staple in pregnancy and postpartum fitness programming.

 Are you a runner?

Efficient running requires rotation. The whole pelvis needs to be able to rotate side to side and the thorax (ribcage) needs to move as well so we can continue running and moving forward.  When thinking about the gait cycle, maximum rotation happens at toe-off. By the time the foot strikes the ground, that side of the pelvis and torso are already rotating back, thus reducing impact on the body.

 Allison dives into this further from a runner’s perspective in this post.

 A few example exercises:

• Thread the needle with hamstrings

• Quadruped band pull

•  90/90 knee rolls

• Kickstand hinge with towel rotation

• Step and Row

• Kickstand hinge

5.     Co-contractions and hip extension before knee extension

 Co-contractions are the contraction of muscles around a joint (primarily the knee and ankle). When we contract agonist and antagonist of the lower limb we can stabilize the knee and practice maintaining control while extending through the hip.

Do you notice your knees lock out in standing? I notice this a lot with moms. The hips are often pushed forward, weight towards the toes, and the knees locked out. A simple cue I like to provide is “soft knees,” which brings awareness to this position.

Many people extend through the knee before the hip, which often leads to overuse injuries. This is more obvious in something like a hinge/deadlift or a squat where the knees fully extend before you reach the top of the movement and “lock out.”

Working through co-contractions have made a huge impact on my knee health and overall athleticism. Another reason I LOVE adding them to client programs. Even outside the gym we can think about how co-contractions and hip extension before knee extension play a role in motor control and quick movements, like catching yourself before a fall.

Benefits of co-contractions:

1.     Pre-tension the muscles around your joint, protecting the joints and helping you store elastic energy to keep moving forward.

2.     Practice hip extension before knee extension: a big piece in knee health, minimizing injury, and driving power from toe-off using your glutes. Hip extension —> GLUTES!

I often include co-contractions in warm-ups and accessory work. A great example to start is a long lever co-contraction bridge and a standing single leg co-contraction hinge.  

6.     Working in different planes of motion and progressing to more dynamic movement

Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to add challenge in different planes of motion:

• Sagittal: front to back

• Frontal: side to side

• Transverse: Rotational

 Working in all planes of motion is key for addressing pelvic floor symptoms and preparing for the demands of everyday life. Walking/running is rotational in nature, so we can prep for those movements within our strength training too.

As we continue to advance, we can play with plyometrics and dynamic movement to prepare for absorbing force and rebounding. Can we land and absorb force? Propel forward and generate power off the ground?

 Practicing landing, loading, and rebounding can help your body prepare for the demands of running and sport, and help you train a more responsive pelvic floor.

Throughout your postpartum return to sport I incorporate all of these six principles in a progressive way. We still squat, lunge, row, press, etc., but keep these components top of mind to ensure we’re getting a balanced approach, considering the pelvic floor and pressure management, and helping you build a stronger and more resilient postpartum body.

 Curious to learn more about postpartum training? I offer 1:1 personal training virtually and  in person + mobile in San Diego. I also have DIY Postpartum programs. Next year I’ll also be releasing mini DIY programs, accessible via a mobile app. Stay tuned, and hop on my email list to get all the details straight to your inbox.

Feel good mama.

 Xoxo,

Erica