If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve recently given birth. Congrats. We’ll also hedge our bets that, although you’re keen to get back to exercise, you’re apprehensive to say the least. Is it safe? What can you actually do? Well, Women’s Health Collective trainer and pre and postnatal expert Rosie Stockley is here to help.
‘Providing you have been given sign-off from your GP, the benefits of postnatal exercise are huge. The body makes lots of adaptations to facilitate pregnancy and birth, plus you’ll likely be weaker right after birth due to not working out for a while, the birth itself and the fatigue of having a newborn. So the right type of exercise can really help strengthen your muscles, reduce aches and pains and get you cardiovascularly fit again,’ she says.
‘Always follow my guidance, as well as advice from your GP or midwife, but remember that this is guidance for the general population, not you as an individual. I’ll give lots of ideas to make my workouts your own as we go through them, but remember that your postpartum journey is unique, as is your energy and fitness level.’
Rosie’s 4-week postpartum workout plan includes three 20-minute workouts: a full-body strength workout, a core workout and a low-impact cardio workout, which Rosie has curated into four weekly timetables, alongside recommendations for LISS and rest days. But remember that postpartum recovery isn’t always linear. ‘If you’re tired, you might want to swap a workout for LISS or rest,’ Rosie advises.
You’ll also want to consider the type of birth you had. ‘If you had a caesarean or assisted birth (where forceps were used or an episiotomy performed, for example), you might want to start with just one workout a week,’ says Rosie. ‘You want to be sure that your stitches and the surrounding areas are healed. And no matter the birth, if you feel any pain during or after your workout, ease off and have it checked by a professional.’
Rosie adds that if you’re breastfeeding, you’ll have higher amounts of the hormone relaxin in your body, which makes your ‘joints more flexible but also more unstable, so be sure to follow my alignment cues and don’t overstretch,’ Rosie says.
On days when you’re up for a challenge, Rosie has also provided progression options for each workout, as well as guidance on what to do once the four weeks are up. The plan officially begins on Monday 8th May, but you’re under no obligation to stick to our timings. Bookmark this page and come back whenever you’re ready.
Download and keep our illustrated, mobile-optimised plan for the next time you hit the gym DOWNLOAD PLAN
How to do the 4-week plan
- Rosie has put together three 20-minute postpartum workouts, each complete with a warm-up and cool-down.
- Rosie has recommended how to cycle these in an *average* week, alongside LISS, stretching or rest days, but remember that your journey is unique. Switch up the days and workouts to suit you.
- Rest means complete rest.
- LISS, a.k.a. low-intensity steady-state cardio, means a 30-minute walk, swim or jog. 'My go-to would be walking which is something you can do from those early postpartum days and is a great way to get out and about with your baby,' Rosie says.
- A stretch session can be anywhere between 5-30 minutes, and Rosie recommends keeping it gentle. 'You’ll likely find yourself stuck in positions for long periods of time, holding your baby, or feeding. This adds to stiffness, particularly in your upper back, chest and hips. Stretching will feel great, and make a big difference to your posture, how you sit and stand, and the ease with which you can do your daily movements,' says Rosie.
- Though Rosie has advised on how to cycle her workouts for each week, she affirms that the best thing you can do is 'listen to your body'. Basically, if you don't feel like exercising, don't.
Equipment needed: 1 exercise mat, 1 resistance band and a chair or bench.
The plan at a glance
Save or screenshot this handy infographic to help you keep track of what you should be doing and when.
Remember: 'Always consult your GP or midwife if you have any issues during movement after birth,' says Rosie. 'All movements in these workouts are to be taken as a guide only – you are responsible for exerting your body to a suitable level for you. If you experience any dizziness, shortness of breath, overheating, aching in your abdomen or pelvic floor, or leaking or heaviness in your pelvic floor, stop the workout and consult a professional.'
How to make the plan harder
Read on for Rosie's advice on how to make each workout more of a challenge.
- 20-min postpartum core workout:
'Core exercises are best repeated often, focusing on form and building strength, so the best thing you can do here is follow my pace, and make sure you are perfecting your technique and activating your abdominals as much as possible.'
- 20-min low-impact postpartum cardio workout:
'The cardio is in circuits, so to progress, you can increase the exercise time from 30 secs to 45 secs, or even 60 secs. If you’re doing this, also increase the rest time from 10 secs, to 20 or 25 secs.'
- 20-min full-body postpartum strength workout:
'For the strength workout, you’ll need to build endurance and strength week by week, and you may find just repeating the video to run through it twice is enough. You could also swap the resistance bands for weights, or increase the time working from 30 secs to 45 secs, with a 15-sec rest.
- All workouts: Consider tackling two workouts together. Rosie wouldn't recommend doing her strength and cardio workout back-to-back, but if you feel up to it, try adding your core workout onto the end of your strength or cardio session.
Mobility stretches
Each week, Rosie recommends either 10, 15 or 20-minute mobility sessions. Here are her recommended moves.
- Child’s pose, arms out in front, 30 sec hold
- Child’s pose, arms out to left then right, 30 sec hold each side
- Kneeling thoracic spine stretch, lift arm up and thread the needle, 30 sec hold each side, repeat x 5
- Kneeling hip flexor stretch with arm reach, 30 sec hold each side
- Kneeling side stretch, 30 sec hold each side
- Pigeon stretch, 60 sec hold each side
- Supine twist, 30 sec hold each side
- Hug knees to chest, rock side to side, 30 secs
- Lie supine, palms facing up, 1 minute
Your 4-week postpartum workout plan
Workout 1: 20-min full-body postpartum strength workout
Equipment: 1 exercise mat, 1 resistance band, bench or chair.
Warm-up:
Do each move for 35 secs before moving onto the next.
- Shoulder and arm rolls
- Walkout to plank, knees down
- Walkout to plank, lunge and twist
- Cat-cow stretch
- Thoracic spine rotation
Workout:
Do each move for 30 secs, take 10 secs rest before moving on to the next, and repeat the exercises three times through.
- Squat with resistance band
- Push-ups, knees down
- Static lunge with resistance band (15 secs) each side
- Triceps dips
- Lateral lunge
- Overhead pull with resistance band
Cool-down:
Do each stretch for 45 secs.
- Side bend
- Chest and back opener
- Arms swings and release
Workout 2: 20-min postpartum core workout
Equipment: 1 exercise mat.
Do each exercise for 30 secs, resting for as long as needed between each move. Run through the whole workout once.
- Supine core activation
- Supine leg slides
- Dead bugs
- Glute bridges
- Glute bridges with arms
- Supine heel lowering
- Four-point kneeling core activation
- Bird dog, leg and arm extension
- Bird dog, elbow to knee tap
- Four-point hover
- Supported side plank
- Supported side plank, thread the needle
- Child's pose
Workout 3: 20-min low-impact postpartum cardio workout
Equipment: 1 exercise mat.
Warm-up:
Do each move for 30 secs.
- Hip mobility rotations
- Walk with knee pulls
- Walk with quad stretch
- Walk with glute stretch
- Full swings
Workout:
Do each move for 30 secs, take 10 secs rest before moving on to the next, and repeat the exercises three times through.
- 8 x air punches and turns
- Run out to plank
- Squat rises
- Plank commandos
- Side gallops
- Modified burpees
Cool-down:
Do each stretch for 45 secs.
- Shoulder and arm rolls
- Forward fold
- Arm swings and releases
What to do when the 4 weeks is up, from Rosie
- 'Consider combining your workouts. For example, you might do my strength and cardio workout on the same day.'
- 'Introduce weights to my strength workout.'
- 'Try a cardio workout with some light impact. For example, try some jumping jacks.'
- 'Consider joining my MAMAWELL Method programme, with resistance bands and cardio in each workout.'
