About six weeks after you give birth, you can add the following activities to the beginning set of exercises. You'll need a pair of 3- to 5-pound / 1.5- to 2.5-kg dumbbells (available at sporting goods shops). To increase difficulty, add repetitions, sets of repetitions, and/or weights.
Begin each workout with a warm-up: Keep it simple!
Five minutes of marching on the spot or some fast walking. Add some shoulder rolls and shrugs, some knee bends and arm swinging, followed by your regular stretches. Hold each stretch for 6 to 8 seconds.
Leg Slide
• Lie with your back on the floor and your knees bent.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles and press the small of your back against the floor as you breathe out.
• Slide both legs away from your body slowly, using your abdominal muscles to keep your back flat on the floor.
• When your back starts to arch, bring your legs back to the start position -- keep your abdominal muscles pulled in. Repeat eight to 10 times.
Pay attention to your breathing throughout this exercise. Remember to tighten your abdominal muscles and flatten your back before you start sliding your legs away from you. As your abdominal muscles strengthen, you'll find you can push your legs out further without your back arching.
Seated Row
• Sit on the edge of a chair, knees bent and feet flat on the floor, with a dumbbell on either side of your feet.
• Bend forward, bringing your chest close to your thighs. Keep your straight/neutral spine.
• Holding one dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang straight down, palms facing each other.
• Lift your elbows up, bringing them up towards your shoulders so that your hands are level with your knees. Lower the dumbbells to the floor and repeat eight to 10 times.
Rear Dumbbell Fly
• With a dumbbell in each hand, sit on the edge of a chair, knees bent and feet flat. Bend at the hips to 45 degree angle keeping, your back straight/neutral spine
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together, lifting elbows up and out from your sides until they're level with your shoulders.
• Return your arms to starting position. Repeat eight to 10 times.
Remember to breathe normally and keep your abdominal muscles pulled in as you lift.
Exercises should not cause any pain in your joints. Remember, your joints are still affected by the hormonal changes of pregnancy. Pay particular attention to technique and reduce the weights if you experience any discomfort.
Head and Shoulder Raises / More Advanced Exercises
Once you have had your six-week check, and provided the gap between your abdominal muscles is not more than two finger-widths apart -- see the "rec check" -- you can progress with your abdominal exercises. You will know when you are ready to progress if you can manage at least 16 repetitions of the basic level head and shoulder raises very easily and without tiring.
• Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your hands crossed across your chest/ or by your side
• Breathe in and, as you breathe out, pull in your abdominal muscles, and lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
• Make sure you keep your chin at the same angle to your chest throughout the whole lift. Don't allow your head to drop back and don't pull your chin tightly down onto your chest.
• Only lift up as high as feels comfortable and then lower again. If you feel your abdominal muscles bulging initially, don't lift so high but try to control the abdomen and keep it as flat as possible while you lift your head and shoulders.
• Repeat the sequence eight to 10 times.
When you can manage this exercise easily, you may wish to progress to putting your hands beside your ears. Placing your arms in this position increases the weight that you have to lift off the floor using your abdominal muscles, and so makes it a stronger exercise. It could cause strain if you try to progress to it too soon.
Diagonal Abdominal Curl-ups
It is most important that you do not progress to diagonal exercises until the gap between your abdominal muscles has healed and is two finger-widths apart or less -- see the "rec check".
• Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor, your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on the floor by your side.
• Breathe in and, as you breathe out, pull in your abdominal muscles, and lift your head and shoulders off the floor, taking your right hand towards the outside of your left knee.
• Make sure you keep your chin at the same angle to your chest throughout the whole lift. Don't allow your head to drop back and don't pull your chin tightly down onto your chest.
• Only lift up as high as feels comfortable and then lower again. If you feel your abdominal muscles bulging initially, don't lift so high but try to control the abdomen and keep it as flat as possible while you lift your head and shoulders.
• Repeat eight to 10 times, then change hands and repeat on the opposite side.
