Thismonth,you’llbechallengingthoseinnercoremusclesevenmore,
to getyoustrongenoughfortheabsexercisesyoudidpre-baby
verthepasttwo
months,you’ve
workedthroughbasic
pelvic-floorandcore
moveswhileseated
orlyingtolearntoengageyour
musclescorrectly,andthen
progressedtoworkingthese
muscleswhileyou’reonthemove.
Nowcomesa finalbitofwork,
beforeyoucanreturntoyour
pre-babyexerciseregime.
Rediscoveringyourstrengthandfitness
postpartumtakespatienceanddedication,
but you’ve come a long way already
and laid down some solid foundations.
You’ve learnt to activate and release your
pelvic-floor muscles, building them
up again and helping to support the
transverse abdominis muscles (TVA) that
wrap, corset-like from your spine around
to the centre of your abs to protect your
lower back and pelvis. Working hard at
this stage will have helped you tackle any
abdominal separation (diastasis) too, so
you can avoid the doming in the middle
of your belly that can appear if you try to
do exercises, such as sit-ups, too soon.You’ve also strengthened your body for
functional, day-to-day movements, such
as picking up your baby or running down
the stairs. Now we crank it up a gear!HOW TO DO IT
If you feel your body’s ready to progress,
you can try this month’s exercises from
the Fiit Mum postnatal plan (fit.tv), which
test the strength and stability of your core
with some trickier exercises. Stick at it and
master these, and your TVA and deep core
will soon be ready for you to get back to
those sit-ups and rediscover your abs!Be a fit
mum
TOE TAPS
Benefits: Strengthens the TVA muscles,
focusing on connecting with the pelvic floor.
This helps to prevent doming and creates
awareness of correct core engagement.
Reps: 10 Sets: 2
● Lie on your back, spine neutral, legsin a tabletop position with your knees bent
at 90 degrees. Press your arms down into
the floor either side of your body to activate
your triceps and shoulder stabilisers (A).
● Exhale to lower your left leg to the floor,
maintaining the 90-degree angle (B) and
keep your right leg completely still, with
your knee over your hip joint. Feel your
abdominals wrap around your torso with the
exhale. Inhale to return to the start position.
INNER
STRENGTH
BAMEET YOUR TRAINER Gede Foster is a
PT, post-natal expert and head of fitness at
Fiit Mum. For more postnatal exercise advice
and workouts, visit fiit.tv.Be mindful of any doming if you’re
working with diastasis.