Firm Foundations™ – Pregnancy and Postnatal Fitness

Post natal Exercises Level 5
(16 - 24 weeks)

Moving from Level 4 to Level 5 exercises needs even more focus on the quality of your exercises, now that you are feeling stronger. Building your inner abdominal and pelvic floor muscle strength, control and endurance takes time.
Purposeful Penguin (PP) is here to show you how your baby can join in the exercises with you, and also to remind you to do each exercise with purpose. Where PP sits and watches your style and form, check to ensure that you are in good alignment, that you do not hold your breath and that you feel no joint pain or pressure downwards on your pelvic floor muscles as you do each exercise.
"PP" also watches to check that with each exercise, you protect your back by only doing the exercises that you are ready for, at each stage of your post natal journey.
Each exercise should be done with quality, resting when you feel your deep abdominal or pelvic floor muscles becoming fatigued, so that you can build up Firm Foundations TM on the inside first as your fitness improves.

*** Moving to this level means that you have completed Level 4 exercises. No exercise should cause pain or joint discomfort. If it does, stop. Seek further advice if you are unsure with any exercise.

Disclaimer: This exercise handout is not intended to replace the advice of a health and fitness professional who can tailor your program specifically to your health and fitness needs.

Photos and models by Fitness, Form and Function www.fitnesscairns.com.au and Stuart Frost Photography www.frostyphoto.com

1Back stretch

Starting position

Lift your knees up to your chest and hold them to feel a comfortable stretch in your back.
Hold for 15 - 20 seconds and relax.
Repeat 4 - 5 times.

2Brace and rotate

Feet lift and hold position
Progression - higher feet

Start with drawing in your deep abdominals. Keep your feet on the floor. Hold and rotate your knees side to side. Relax.
As it becomes easier to keep your abdominals drawn in as you move, progress to lifting your feet off the floor.
Hold your abdominals in as you lift. Rotate to one side then the other.
Rest your feet down and relax. Keep this movement focused and with quality. DO NOT let your back arch or continue the movement without good lower abdominal muscle control.
This exercise takes focus to do it right. As you progress, lift your feet higher off the floor.

3Bridge with leg lift

Level 1
Progress to Level 2

Lift your bottom off the floor and hold.
Imagine that there is a ruler across your hips.
Keep this ruler level as you lift one foot off the floor.
Hold, pushing up through your bottom to stay steady.
Lower your leg down.

Once this is mastered by doing 8 - 12 reps on each side, move to Level 2
Lift your bottom, raise your foot off the floor and straighten your knee, whilst still keeping your hips level.
While building up to Level 2 you can do several at this level and then drop back to Level 1, until you strengthen and build the control to do this exercise well.
Aim for building to 8 - 12 reps on each side for Level 2.

5Deep lunge

Starting position
Move into position

Focus forwards keeping your hips aligned and level as you lunge.
Begin with drawing in and up your pelvic floor and deep core.
Start the lunge, keeping your knees pointing forwards.
Lower down keeping focused on maintaining your core control. Keep good alignment.
Push up through your legs. Repeat 6 - 12 times on each leg.
With this exercise you can change legs each time, or do 6 - 12 on each leg and then repeat on the other side.
The deep lunge is more challenging to your pelvic floor so go down only as far as you can with no pressure downwards on these muscles.

6Single leg scissor

Starting position
Move into position

Draw in your abdominals.
Use your hand to feel the lower abdominal muscles stay held in.
Hold your top leg up and move it slowly forward, with your knee straight.
Move your leg backwards keeping your body steady. Return to the starting position.
Relax. Let your abdominals relax. Repeat 8 - 12 times.
Change sides.
As this gets easier, you will be able to do this exercise 4 - 5 times in a row before relaxing.

7Lean back stretch

Stretch position

Sitting with your feet flat on the floor in front of you.
Place your hands behind and slowly lean back onto your arms.
Lean your head back and extend backwards steadily, as far as you feel you can go, keeping comfortable control of the movement.
Hold this stretch for a few seconds and roll back up into sitting.
Repeat 2 - 3 times, this time holding the stretch for as long as it feels comfortable.

8Leg cycling with brace

Starting position
Move into position

Lie with your shoulders, hips and knees in alignment.
Your lower leg can be bent to give you more stability.
Draw in your pelvic floor and deep abdominals, breathe and hold as you start to cycle with your top leg.
Repeat as many cycles as you can before you need to stop to refocus back on your core control.
Rest and repeat building up to 12 - 15 repetitions on each leg.

 

9Alternate arm leg move

Start position
Move into position

Move into position and switch on your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
Hold and straighten one arm and the opposite leg.
Keep your lower abdominals drawn in and move your right elbow in towards your left knee.
Move them closer to each other while maintaining the control of the whole movement.
Reach back out to the starting position. Refocus and repeat 2 - 3 times.
Change sides.
Repeat 6 - 10 times on each side.

Check that with the challenge of both arm and leg moves, you do not start to hold your breath or draw in your upper abdominal muscles.

104 point trunk curl

Start position
Move into position

Move into position and switch on your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
Hold and straighten one arm and the opposite leg.
Keep your lower abdominals drawn in, curl your body and move your right elbow in towards your left knee.
This uses your outer rectus abdominus muscle while still maintaining core control underneath.
Reach back out to the starting position. Refocus and repeat 2 - 3 times.
Change sides.
Repeat 6 - 10 times on each side.

 

11Rotation stretch

Stretch position 1
Stretch position 2

With your knees together take your right arm out to the side.
Gently roll your knees to the left and then apply pressure just above the right knee to increase the stretch.
Keep the movement, and amount of stretch at a comfortable level.
There should be no back pain felt.
Hold this stretch for as long as it feels comfortable - between 8 to 15 seconds.
Repeat 5 times on each side.
 

12Push ups

Starting position
Move into position

With hands underneath your shoulders, set your shoulder blades in position.
Take your knees back to make this level harder.
Move your chest in towards the floor while breathing out.
Hold for a moment. Breathe in. Breathe out as you push back up from the floor.
If you feel there is any pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, move your feet in closer to your hands and continue with the breathing focus on the way down and up of this movement.
Repeat 4 - 6 times to start with good form.
When you can do this with no concern of pressure on your pelvic floor, change to breathe in as you lower down to the floor and out as you push up, focusing on the strength of the move now.
Build up to 8 - 12 repetitions.

13Side lifts

Starting Position
Move into position

On your left side push up using your left arm, with your elbow under your shoulder.
Lift your hips off the floor.
Hold this position while aiming to breathe normally.
If you need to hold your breath, or you feel any pressure downwards on your pelvic floor then drop hips down again to the floor.
There should be no neck pain or shoulder discomfort during this exercise.
Cease if any pain occurs.
Aim to build up to 6 - 8 repeats of this exercise on each side.

14Single leg lower

Starting position
Move into position

Draw in your deep abdominals with your pelvic floor also lifted.
The two should be working well together now, for you to progress to this level of exercise.
Relax. Now refocus, draw them in, hold and keep your lower back and body still as you lower your leg down until your knee is straight.
Maintain your pelvic floor and core control as you return your leg to the starting position.
If you lose your 'brace' or your back arches then stop and return to the starting position.
The aim is to build up to doing 10 on each side, accurately.
While you are building up in this exercise, alternate between the leg lower and the focus core control exercise 14 below. Keeping your accuracy at this stage is very important, before you progress further with your exercises.

15Core control focus

Starting position
Finishing position

Draw in your pelvic floor and deep core abdominal muscles. Breathe normally.
Keeping your body, hips and pelvis still, roll one leg out slowly.
Take your leg out as far as you can while still keeping good core control and your body steady.
Keep control as you return to the starting position. Relax and refocus.
Repeat 4 - 6 on one side, then change to the other side.
Repeat another set, or if using with exercise 13 use this to complete your set of 10 - 12 instead of single leg lowers.

16Sitting brace with leg lift

Exercise position 1
Exercise position 2

Start with drawing in your deep abdominals.
Keep your right foot on the floor.
Lift your left leg while holding your deep and lower abdominal brace.
Do not allow your upper abdominals to come in and take over.
Rest your foot down and change sides.
Then relax and repeat 6 - 10 times.
Keep this movement focused and with quality.
DO NOT let your back arch or continue the movement without good lower abdominal muscle control.
This exercise takes focus to do it right. As you progress, lift your foot higher off the floor.

17Squat and hold

Starting position
Move into position

With your feet no more than shoulder width apart, squat slowly down.
Lift your arms out in front of you clasping your hands together.
Notice how your pelvic floor feels.
If you feel any pressure down on it when you lift your arms, or you start to hold your breath, go back to a squat with no arm lift, in the Level 4 exercises.
Start with a small amount of knee bend first and increase it for more challenge.
Keep your back straight, and check that you can still see your toes.
Aim to repeat 8 - 12 in a row with good form.

18Thoracic rotation stretch

Stretch position

With your hand on your forehead, roll your elbow back towards the floor.
Hold for a few seconds and roll forwards.
This exercise can either be done - rolling forwards and back 5 - 6 times OR rolling back and holding the stretch for 10 - 12 seconds, feeling your chest and shoulder open up.

19Top leg lift and half lowers

Start position
Move into position

Lie with your shoulders, hips and knees in alignment.
Your lower leg can be bent to give you more stability.
Draw in your pelvic floor and deep abdominals, breathe and hold as you lift your top leg up.
Lower down half way and repeat 6 times before resting it down.
Relax, refocus and repeat another set.
Change sides.

 

20Finish and Focus

Position

Use this position to refocus in on your pelvic floor.
With your hands on your lower abdominal area, you may feel the draw in of your deep abdominal muscles also as you lift your pelvic floor.
If you are unsure, stop and refocus or change position to side lying or on your hands and knees instead.
Lift your pelvic floor, hold and keep breathing.
Increase the focus in on your muscles and lift a little more.
Hold. Lift inside one more time. Release.
Check to feel that it is your pelvic floor tightening, not your legs, bottom or upper abdominal area.
Aim to do 4 - 5 repeats building up to holding 6 - 10 seconds.