Your body just pulled off the most insane physical feat imaginable, it built and birthed an entire human. Now, between the 3 a.m. feeds and that weird new relationship with your sweatpants, there’s this quiet itch to feel like you again. Maybe it’s the old you who ran 5Ks or hit the gym three times a week, or a new you who just wants to feel strong and capable again. Getting back to exercise after delivery isn’t about “bouncing back.” It’s about rebuilding trust with your body, learning its new rhythms, and moving because it feels good.
Let’s break down what the journey back to exercise actually looks like—week by week, muscle by muscle.
Step One: Redefine What “Exercise After Delivery” Means
In the first two weeks, the only movement you need is healing. Your uterus is shrinking from the size of a watermelon to a pear, your joints are soft thanks to relaxin (the hormone your body produces during pregnancy to loosen ligaments, helping make room for the baby and prepare for birth), so your core has zero interest in stability right now. Walking to the bathroom or changing positions in bed is exercise after deliver. Forget planks and Pilates, your focus now is circulation and breathing. Deep belly breathing (also called diaphragmatic breathing) is your first workout. It reactivates your core and pelvic floor, supports blood flow, and helps your organs settle back into place.
By week three or four, you can begin gentle pelvic floor work. The pelvic floor is the network of muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and bowels and often weaken after childbirth, causing leakage or pelvic pressure. To rebuild them, lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Inhale deeply, letting your belly and ribs expand. As you exhale, gently lift your pelvic floor as if pausing the flow of urine, while drawing your belly button toward your spine. Hold briefly, then fully relax. This simple breath-linked exercise restores coordination and control, laying the foundation for higher-impact exercise later.
Step Two: Listen to Your Core, It’s Talking to You
Your abs didn’t “disappear”, they stretched, separated, and protected your baby. The connective tissue between them (linea alba) thins during pregnancy and takes time to regain its strength. According to the NHS, around week six, if your doctor gives the all-clear, begin reconnecting with your transverse abdominis, the deep core muscles that wraps around your midsection like a corset.
Try heel slides, gentle bridges, and dead bugs (do a quick YouTube search to find easy tutorials for each) with focused breathing. You’ll know you’re doing it right if you don’t feel your belly bulge or dome. These small, controlled moves help your body relearn how to steady your spine and protect your core. Avoid crunches and planks for now, they put too much pressure on your belly and can slow down the healing, instead of helping with recovery.
Step Three: Walk Before You Run (Literally)
Once your postpartum bleeding (more on that here) has stopped and you feel stable, start walking. Think of this as your re-entry to endurance. Start with 10 minutes at a relaxed pace. Notice how your pelvis feels. Any heaviness or pressure? Stop and rest. That’s your pelvic floor asking for time.
At around 8–10 weeks, you can increase your distance and pace. Brisk walking builds cardiovascular health, gently tones your legs, and reduces cortisol levels, key for managing postpartum stress. Around the three-month mark, you can begin adding inclines or short intervals.
Remember, low impact doesn’t mean low benefit. A 20-minute walk that doesn’t wreck you tomorrow is far more valuable than a run that leaves you leaking or sore.
Step Four: Rebuilding Strength with Intention
At around 10–12 weeks, start reintroducing strength work but think function over aesthetics. Your goal isn’t “toned arms.” It’s strong glutes to support your pelvis, stable shoulders for nursing, and a resilient back for carrying your baby. Start with bodyweight squats, glute bridges, and knee push-ups (again, look up easy tutorials on YouTube). These build the foundation.
When that feels solid, move to light resistance bands or dumbbells. Strength training helps rebuild lost muscle mass, counteracts the bone-density dip that often comes with breastfeeding, and improves circulation for healing tissues. Aim for two short sessions a week, 20–30 minutes each. Form trumps everything here, every rep should feel controlled. Remember, ligaments stay lax for months due to relaxin, so avoid jerky or high-impact moves.
By the 4–5 month mark, most women can safely progress to moderate resistance. Compound movements like squats, deadlifts and rows teach your body to move as one system again. These mimic everyday motherhood, picking up a baby, lugging groceries, or hoisting a stroller. Done right, this is where you start feeling strong again.
Step Five: Building Cardio Capacity
At about 12–16 weeks postpartum, once walking and light strength training feel easy, start layering in gentle cardio that challenges your breath but not your joints. Stationary cycling, swimming, or low-impact circuits work wonders. Avoid running until your core and pelvic floor show no signs of weakness (no heaviness, leaking, or pain). A pelvic floor therapist can assess this.
When you do return to running (usually around 5–6 months postpartum), start with intervals—1 minute jogging, 2 minutes walking. Build slowly. Your pelvic floor and connective tissue need time to adapt to the impact. Science backs this up, research shows women who wait at least 12 weeks before high-impact exercise recover pelvic floor strength faster and experience fewer setbacks.
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Step Six: Lifting Heavier, But Safely
By 6–9 months, your body feels more like yours again. This is when you can lift heavier, increase intensity, and reintroduce core-loaded work like planks and side planks, if your midline feels stable. This phase is about reclaiming power. You’re not fragile anymore, but you’re also not invincible. Keep checking your form. Your body will tell you when it’s ready—through energy, not ego.
Integrate 3 strength days and 2 cardio days per week. Alternate focus areas (lower body, upper body, full body) and allow recovery. Sleep deprivation and breastfeeding already tax your body so think balance, not burnout.
Step Seven: Keep Evolving Your Routine
At a year in, exercise after delivery shifts from recovery to growth. You can start running more regularly, return to high-intensity classes, or take up weight training seriously. But remember, even a year in, your hormones may still fluctuate if you’re breastfeeding. Low estrogen means slower muscle recovery and increased risk of tendon irritation. So warm up, cool down, and stretch religiously.
Note: Recovery timelines vary for vaginal and C-section deliveries. If you’ve had a vaginal birth, pelvic floor and core reconnection can usually begin gently after bleeding subsides and your provider clears you. For C-section recovery, healing the incision and deeper abdominal layers takes longer, often 8–10 weeks before beginning deeper core or load-bearing movement. Always follow your provider’s clearance and progress at your own pace.
Keep strength as your anchor, cardio as your reset, and mobility as your maintenance. Your body now thrives on consistency over chaos. You’re not rebuilding the old you—you’re training the upgraded one.
Every workout postpartum is communication. Your body talks, and movement is how you listen. Don’t chase “before.” Build what’s next, one intentional rep at a time.
