How soon can I start working out after giving birth?

Congratulations on your new baby!

How soon can I start working out after giving birth?

Typically, you can start to exercise around 6-8 weeks after giving birth. However, if you had an easier birth, you may be able to begin sooner. Please ensure you have your health practitioner’s clearance, prior to beginning any exercise program.

Exercising not only will get your pre-baby body back, it can help you boost your self esteem, help avoid post-partum depression, and have you strong and healthy to care for your baby.

A few tips to ensure you safely start to exercise:

1. Start slowly. Don’t over-exert yourself. If you push too hard, you can slow down your healing process.
2. Warm up and cool down.
3. Drink plenty of water before, during and after.
4. Strengthen your pelvic floor with Kegel exercises. Avoid intra-ab exercises (crunches, etc.) until you’re healed.
5. ***Diastasis Recti (separation of the ab muscles).*** If the gap is severe (a mid line of more than 2 to 2.5 finger-widths, or 2 centimeters) you may need to work with a physical therapist to repair. Avoid intra-ab exercises and torso twisting. Replace with planks on forearms instead.
6. Your body may still have the hormone Relaxin for up to 6 months. Please do not lunge or squat below 90°.

IMPORTANT: Listen to your body. Watch for bleeding as it means your body is still healing. You can continue to work out but prioritize quality form over speed and quantity.

When can I workout again after a caesarean section?

It's recommended to wait between 6 and 8 weeks after delivery, before starting to train again. It's not a good idea to immediately resume sports activities as your pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles need to heal properly. So, if you are 2 months post-partum you should be good to go!

We would simply like to add that it's better to avoid movements that put extra stress on your pelvic floor muscle until you feel your core is back strong. Squats for example are fine, but "Plié Squats" or "Sumo Squats" (done with a wider stance) add extra pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. Same thing with lifting heavy weights, again it's better to avoid for now as it adds stress on your core and pelvic floor muscles.

You can replace any exercise you can't perform by tapping on the three dots, which you'll find next to the name of the exercise.

Please contact us at [e-mail]  if you need any other information or more assistance.