Pilates for Postpartum
My top three tips for creating postpartum workouts
I will never forget the moment I reached for something off the side of my bed after having my first child and realizing that I couldn’t get back up. Cue all the emotions about what this new body meant for me and mourning my pre-baby body. Now, two babies later, I’m here to tell you that, yes, things changed after each of those babies, but it’s also possible to become stronger post baby. I know I am. I truly think of postpartum as a gift as a Pilates instructor because it forced me to go back to basics, break exercises down to focus on fine details and create movement patterns the better serve my body as a result. An added bonus was the unique opportunity better relate to clients at every stage of fitness as I regained strength myself.
Here are my top three points of focus for postpartum clients:
- Breath… Breath… and more breath! Assess how your client is breathing, practice breathing in different positions (seated, side lying, supine, prone) and relate it back to function of the core and pelvic floor.
- Posture is key to proper firing of the muscles during exercise and for functionality in everyday life. Focusing on posture also helps to mobilize the areas of the body that become tightest as a result of pregnancy and postpartum. The goal is that by training these movement patterns during postpartum workouts, your client will carry these movement patterns into their day to day lives via muscle memory.
- Target the entire “Powerhouse” meaning from the sternum all the way down to the kneecaps. I would be doing my clients such a disservice if we only focused on the basic ab muscles when there is so much more that goes into strengthening “the core.” Though we will work to find the deepest core muscles, I want my clients to feel their glutes, hamstrings, obliques, etc, to get the most benefit from their workout.
One of the things that sets a Pilates workout apart is the fact that it takes a client through all ranges of motion from start to finish. It is functional and teaches movement patterns that will support the body through everyday life. My passion for Pilates comes from experiencing the benefits firsthand. Though I may be slightly biased, I truly believe Pilates is the best postpartum workout.
Now, postpartum mama, are you truly a “beginner” if you put in the work before baby arrived? No… and yes. Yes, because you are now in a position to navigate your body and the unique changes that occurred as a result of your childbirth. I would be doing you a disservice if I encouraged you to hop right back into what you were doing pre-baby simply because you could. This being said, if you put in the work before baby arrived, you understand the mind-body connection Pilates provides and this can help reformulate those connections as you re-gain strength. No matter if you are a seasoned Pilates pro or new to the method altogether, I think it is equally important to start with the basics. Your body grew a human for months on end and endured childbirth. Just as you would rehab a broken bone, or pulled muscle in another area of your body, we owe our pelvic floor and core muscles the same respect.