Gentle Postpartum Gym Workout to Get You Moving Again

Exercise Instructions

3-Dimensional Breath

1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight. Place your hands on your lower ribcage.
2. Inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your ribs expand outward and upward into your hands.
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your ribs return to their starting position.

Pelvic Tilts

1. Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
2. Inhale as you allow your tailbone to untuck and your lower back to arch slightly (forward tilt).
3. Exhale as you gently tuck your tailbone under and round your lower back (backward tilt).

Transverse Abdominis (TA) Strengthening

1. Sit on a firm surface or an exercise ball with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your lower belly.
2. Take a deep breath in, letting your belly relax.
3. As you exhale, draw your abdominal muscles upward and inward toward your spine. 
4. Hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds while continuing to breathe, then relax.

Exercise Ball March

1. Sit upright on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Brace your core by engaging your TA.
3. Slowly lift one knee toward your chest without letting your pelvis tilt.
4. Lower the foot back to the floor with control and repeat on the other side.

Doorway Pec Stretch

1. Stand in a doorway. Place your forearms on the doorframe with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Take a small step forward with one foot until you feel a gentle stretch across the front of your chest and shoulders.
3. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds, then step back. Alternate which foot steps forward for each rep.

Squat with Ball

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outward. Hold an exercise ball in front of you.
2. Inhale as you bend your knees and lower into a squat, keeping your spine straight. Lower only as far as is comfortable.
3. Exhale as you press through your heels to stand back up, raising the ball overhead as you rise.

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Side-lying Hip Strengthening

1. Lie on your side with your bottom leg bent for stability and your top leg straight. Engage your core to keep your hips stacked.
2. Slowly lift your top leg to hip height.
3. From this position, move your leg forward, then back to neutral.
4. Lift it slightly up toward the ceiling, then back to neutral.
5. Extend it slightly backward, then back to neutral. This completes one rep. Perform all movements before lowering the leg.

Bridge

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
2. Engage your core. Exhale as you squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
3. Hold for a moment at the top, then inhale as you slowly lower your hips back down.

Child’s Pose with Side Bend

1. Start on your hands and knees. Sit back on your heels and lower your torso toward the floor into Child’s Pose.
2. Walk your hands over to the right side until you feel a stretch along your left side.
3. Hold and take 3-5 deep breaths, then walk your hands to the left side and repeat.

Butterfly Groin Stretch

1. Sit on the floor with your spine straight. Bring the soles of your feet together.
2. Gently pull your heels toward your body until you feel a comfortable stretch in your inner thighs.
3. Hold the position, breathing deeply.

How Many Times a Week Should I Workout Postpartum?

When you’re first starting, consistency is more important than duration or intensity. Aim to complete a gentle workout like the one above 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days. This frequency provides enough stimulus for your muscles to adapt while allowing ample time for recovery, which is crucial postpartum.

On the days you don’t do a structured workout, stay active with light activities like walking. A 15-20 minute walk each day can do wonders for your physical and mental well-being (7). As you get stronger and your energy levels increase (usually around 12-16 weeks postpartum), you can consider increasing your workout frequency to 3-4 times per week.

Always listen to your body. If you feel overly fatigued, notice an increase in lochia (postpartum bleeding), or experience pain, it’s a sign to scale back. A postpartum workout plan week by week should be flexible enough to accommodate the unpredictable nature of life with a newborn.

Read more: Postpartum Workout Plan at Home: What You Need to Know and Exercises to Try

What Workouts Not to Do Postpartum?

Just as important as knowing what to do is knowing what to avoid. Certain exercises can hinder recovery or even cause injury in the early postpartum period.

Here are workouts to avoid until you have rebuilt your foundational core and pelvic floor strength, typically at least 12-16 weeks postpartum and with guidance from a professional:

• High-Impact Exercises: This includes running, jumping, burpees, and other plyometrics. These activities create higher ground-reaction forces, which can feel like a lot when you’re returning to impact. Prematurely returning to high-impact activities can increase the risk of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence (8).
• Traditional Abdominal Exercises: Crunches, sit-ups, and double leg lifts increase intra-abdominal pressure. This can put excessive strain on the linea alba (the connective tissue between your rectus abdominis muscles) and potentially worsen diastasis recti (8).
• Heavy Lifting: Lifting heavy weights with improper form or breath-holding (the Valsalva maneuver) also dramatically increases intra-abdominal pressure (9). Wait to reintroduce heavy lifting until your core and pelvic floor can effectively manage this pressure.
• Any Exercise That Causes Coning or Doming: “Coning” is when the middle of your abdomen bulges outward into a cone shape common in diastasis recti (10). This is a sign that your deep core cannot manage the intra-abdominal pressure, and you should stop or modify the movement.

For those eager to get back to more intense cardio, it’s essential to build a solid foundation first. If you are a runner, understanding the specific considerations for running postpartum can help you return to the sport.

When Can I Lift Weights Postpartum?

You can start lifting weights postpartum, but the approach must be strategic. In the initial phase (the first 6-12 weeks after clearance), “lifting weights” should focus on light resistance and bodyweight exercises. The postpartum gym workout plan detailed earlier is a perfect example of this phase.

You can begin incorporating light dumbbells (5-10 lbs) or resistance bands for exercises like rows, bicep curls, and squats once you’ve mastered the bodyweight versions and can perform them with good form and proper core engagement. This is a key component of a postpartum gym workout plan for weight loss, as building muscle tends to boost metabolism.

The transition to heavier lifting should be slow and deliberate, usually starting no earlier than 3-4 months postpartum. Before lifting heavier, you should be able to:

• Maintain core and pelvic floor engagement throughout the movement.
• Breathe correctly without holding your breath.
• Perform the exercise without any pain, pressure, or pelvic floor symptoms.

When you do start lifting heavier, reduce the weight to around 50-60% of your pre-pregnancy max and gradually increase it over several weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I do HIIT workouts postpartum?

It is not recommended to do High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in the early postpartum period (the first 3-4 months). HIIT often includes high-impact, explosive movements that can place a lot of demand on the pelvic floor and core, especially when you’re returning to exercise. 

You should build a solid foundation with low-impact strength training before gradually reintroducing HIIT.

• Can I do Ab workouts postpartum?

Yes, but you must choose the right kind of ab workouts. Avoid traditional exercises like crunches and sit-ups. Instead, focus on deep core exercises that strengthen the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor, such as TA breathing, heel slides, and bird-dog. These movements can help manage diastasis recti and restore core function gradually  (11).

• Can you do jumping jacks postpartum?

Jumping jacks are a high-impact exercise and should be avoided in the early postpartum phase. The repetitive jumping motion can be too much for a recovering pelvic floor (5). 

Wait until you are at least 12-16 weeks postpartum and have no symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction before attempting to reintroduce them.

The Bottom Line

Returning to the gym after having a baby is a marathon, not a sprint. The most effective postpartum gym workout plan is one that honors your body’s need for recovery while systematically rebuilding your strength from the inside out. By focusing on foundational movements, listening to your body, and progressing gradually, you can build a strong, resilient body that is ready for the demands of motherhood and beyond.