A safe tummy workout after pregnancy starts with breathing, your pelvic floor and your deepest tummy muscles, not crunches. If your tummy muscles have separated (diastasis recti, or DR), the NHS advises avoiding sit-ups, planks and high-impact exercise to start with, and doing regular pelvic floor and deep stomach exercises. This plan builds up in three stages, so you only move on when your core is ready.
Before you start
- Get your doctor’s go-ahead at your postnatal check, especially after a C-section. Ask about exercise after a caesarean before you begin.
- Check your gap with the 1-minute self-check in our diastasis recti guide, and repeat it every couple of weeks.
- See your doctor if the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth, as the NHS advises, or if you have tummy pain, a bulge near your belly button or scar, or leaking.
- This is a coaching plan, not treatment. A women’s health physiotherapist can assess your core and pelvic floor if you need more help.
Signs to slow down
Stop the move, make it easier or go back a stage if you notice:
- Doming or coning: a ridge or tent shape along the middle of your tummy.
- Leaking urine, or heaviness or dragging in your vagina.
- Pain in your tummy, back, pelvis or scar.
- Holding your breath. Breathe out on the effort, every time.
Stage 1: reconnect (weeks 1 and 2 of the plan)
Do this every day, about 10 minutes. These moves are gentle enough for the early weeks once your doctor agrees.
1. Belly breathing
Lie on your back with your knees bent, hands on your lower ribs. Breathe in through your nose and feel your ribs widen to the sides; breathe out slowly through your mouth. 10 slow breaths.
2. Pelvic floor squeezes
Squeeze and lift as if holding in wind and stopping the flow of urine. Do long squeezes, holding for up to 10 seconds, and quick squeezes, letting go straight away. The NHS suggests building up to 10 of each, at least 3 times a day, and keeping your breathing normal. Our pelvic floor guide explains how to find the right muscles.
3. Side-lying tummy draw-in (the NHS stomach exercise)
Lie on your side with your knees slightly bent. Let your tummy relax and breathe in gently. As you breathe out, draw in your lower tummy like a corset, narrowing your waist, and squeeze your pelvic floor at the same time. Hold for a count of 10, breathing normally, then gently release. Repeat up to 10 times.
4. Pelvic tilts
Lie on your back with knees bent. Breathe out, draw in your lower tummy and gently flatten your lower back into the floor by tilting your pelvis, then relax. 10 times.
5. Heel slides
Lying on your back, breathe out, draw in your lower tummy, and slowly slide one heel away until the leg is nearly straight, then slide it back. Keep your back and pelvis still. 8 per side.
Stage 2: build (weeks 3 and 4)
Move on when Stage 1 feels easy and your tummy stays flat during heel slides. Keep doing the breathing and pelvic floor work, and add these 3 or 4 days a week: 2 sets of 8 to 10.
6. Dead bug, legs only
Lie on your back and lift your knees above your hips, bent to 90 degrees. Breathe out, draw in, and slowly lower one foot to tap the floor, then bring it back. Keep your lower back steady. Too hard? Go back to heel slides.
7. Glute bridge
Knees bent, feet flat. Breathe out, squeeze your pelvic floor and buttocks, and lift your hips until your body makes a line from shoulders to knees. Lower slowly.
8. Bird dog
On hands and knees with a flat back, slide one leg back along the floor, then lift it to hip height if your tummy stays flat. Add the opposite arm when that feels easy. Return slowly and switch sides.
9. Wall push-up with a draw-in
Hands on the wall at shoulder height, body straight. Breathe out and draw in your lower tummy as you push away from the wall.
Stage 3: strengthen (weeks 5 to 8)
Move on only when Stage 2 feels easy with no doming. Do 3 or 4 days a week: 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12.
10. Dead bug, arms and legs
Lower the opposite arm and leg together, slowly, keeping your back steady and breathing out as you reach.
11. Side plank on your knees
Lie on your side, propped on your forearm with your knees bent. Lift your hips so your body makes a line from head to knees. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, breathing normally. Do both sides.
12. Incline plank
With your hands on the kitchen counter or a sturdy table, step back into a straight line and hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Only move to a lower surface if your tummy stays flat and you have no leaking.
What to avoid at first
- Sit-ups, crunches and full planks, which the NHS advises avoiding to start with.
- High-impact exercise such as jumping and running, until your core and pelvic floor feel strong.
- Heavy lifting and straining on the toilet. Roll onto your side to get out of bed instead of sitting straight up.
- Any move that makes your tummy dome or causes leaking or pain.
Why a flatter tummy needs more than core work
Core exercises strengthen the muscles, but they don’t burn the fat on top. In a 6-week study, abdominal exercises alone didn’t reduce belly fat, though they did improve muscle endurance. So pair this plan with:
- Daily walking, then low-impact dance cardio. ACOG suggests working towards at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week after having a baby.
- Whole-body strength training from Stage 3, such as our 15-minute chair workout, skipping any move that makes your tummy dome.
- Balanced home food, and enough of it if you are breastfeeding. See our postpartum guide and belly fat guide.
After a caesarean, the first weeks are about healing; our C-section guide covers the stages.
How FunDa helps
Dr. Jyoti began her own fitness journey as a new mother. The Trim Tummy & DR Healing program follows this kind of stage-by-stage approach, with Dr. Jyoti’s 5-day workout plan, a live session with Dr. Jyoti every week and a coach who checks in every day. We coach exercise; we don’t diagnose or treat medical conditions, so follow your doctor’s advice. Results vary from person to person.
Sources
- NHS. Your post-pregnancy body (reviewed 20 July 2026).
- de Oliveira LC et al. Effects of conservative approaches for treating diastasis recti abdominis in postpartum women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025;104(23):e42723.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Exercise after pregnancy, FAQ131 (last reviewed October 2024).
- Vispute SS et al. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. J Strength Cond Res. 2011;25(9):2559-64.
How we write our guides: read our editorial and evidence policy.
