Safe Core Exercises for Diastasis Recti After Pregnancy
After pregnancy, many women are eager to rebuild their core strength and return to exercise. However, discovering that you have diastasis recti can make that process feel confusing.
One article says you should avoid certain movements completely. Another recommends a long list of exercises. Before long, it becomes difficult to know what exercises and movements are actually safe.
This often leads to an important question:
“What core exercises should I be doing if I have diastasis recti?”
From a physiotherapist’s perspective, the answer is less about finding the perfect exercise and more about learning how to activate your core effectively, manage pressure, and progress at the right stage of recovery.
What Is the Goal of Exercise?
Many women assume the goal is to “close the gap”.
While reducing separation may be desirable for some, rehabilitation is usually focused on something broader:
Improving abdominal function
Restoring core control
Building strength and endurance
Managing pressure effectively
Supporting pelvic floor function
Returning safely to daily activities and exercise
In other words, recovery is usually about improving how your core works rather than chasing a specific measurement.
If you are unsure how your abdominal wall is functioning, a diastasis recti treatment assessment can help identify the right starting point.
Start With Breathing
One of the most overlooked parts of core rehabilitation is breathing.
The diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor work together as a pressure-management system. When breathing is restricted or held unnecessarily, the abdominal wall may struggle to manage load efficiently.
A simple starting exercise involves:
Sitting or lying comfortably.
Taking a relaxed breath in.
Allowing the ribcage to expand naturally.
Breathing out slowly without forcing the abdomen to brace excessively.
Maintaining relaxed, controlled breathing throughout.
This may seem basic, but breathing awareness often forms the foundation for more advanced exercise progression.
Learning Core Activation
Before progressing to strengthening exercises, it is important to develop awareness of the deeper abdominal muscles.
Many women automatically tense their neck, shoulders, or upper abdominal muscles when attempting to engage their core.
Instead, focus on:
Gentle abdominal tension
Controlled breathing
Smooth movement
Avoiding excessive bracing
Avoiding pushing or bearing down
Keeping the movement comfortable and repeatable
The goal should feel controlled and coordinated rather than forceful.
This is one reason physiotherapist-led postnatal Pilates can be helpful. The exercises can be adjusted to your current stage of recovery rather than following a generic routine.
Examples of Early Core Exercises
The right exercises depend on your symptoms, birth history, pelvic floor function, and stage of recovery. However, early core rehabilitation may include gentle movements such as:
Breathing with deep core awareness
Pelvic tilts
Heel slides
Bent-knee fall-outs
Supported marching
Modified bridges
Sit-to-stand practice with breathing control
These exercises are not automatically suitable for everyone, and they should not be forced. The key is whether you can perform them with good control, comfortable breathing, and no excessive abdominal doming.
Signs an Exercise Is Appropriate
A common misconception is that exercises are either completely safe or completely unsafe.
A better question is:
“Can I perform this exercise while maintaining abdominal control?”
Positive signs include:
Comfortable breathing
Good control during movement
No excessive abdominal strain
No significant doming or bulging
Confidence performing the exercise
Ability to complete repetitions consistently
These signs often indicate that the exercise is an appropriate challenge for your current stage of recovery.
Exercise Progression Matters
Recovery generally works best when difficulty increases gradually.
Many physiotherapy programmes progress through stages rather than jumping immediately into advanced core exercises.
Early Stage | Progression Stage |
Breathing exercises | Increased movement challenges |
Gentle core activation | Functional strengthening |
Basic movement control | Dynamic exercise progression |
Low-load exercises | Return to higher-level activities |
The specifics vary for everyone, but progression is usually more important than any single exercise.
At PhysioMatters, Clinical Pilates may be used as part of a progressive rehabilitation plan to help rebuild strength while protecting the abdominal wall and pelvic floor.
Functional Exercises Are Often More Important Than Isolated Ones
When women think of core rehabilitation, they often picture abdominal exercises performed on a mat.
However, much of daily life involves:
Lifting your baby
Carrying baby equipment
Pushing a stroller
Getting out of bed
Carrying laundry or groceries
Returning to walking, gym training, running, or sport
For this reason, physiotherapy commonly focuses on helping the core function during real-life activities, such as carrying your baby, lifting a pram or capsule, and moving in and out of feeding or sleeping positions.
A strong core is only useful if it works effectively during the tasks that matter most to you.
Common Mistakes During Core Training
Many women work extremely hard on their exercises but unintentionally make recovery more difficult.
Holding Your Breath
Breath-holding often increases abdominal pressure unnecessarily.
If you cannot breathe comfortably throughout an exercise, it may be too challenging, or your technique may need adjustment.
Progressing Too Quickly
It is natural to want results quickly.
However, moving immediately into high-intensity training may not be the most effective approach if foundational control and coordination have not been restored.
Chasing Difficulty
Harder does not always mean better.
A simple exercise performed well is often more beneficial than an advanced exercise performed poorly.
Focusing Only on Appearance
Recovery is not solely about how your abdomen looks.
Function, strength, confidence, and movement quality are often more meaningful indicators of progress.
How Do You Know If an Exercise Is Too Challenging?
One of the most useful visual signs is excessive abdominal doming or bulging during movement.
Other signs may include:
Loss of breathing control
Excessive abdominal strain
Compensation through other muscle groups
Feeling unable to maintain good technique
Pelvic heaviness or pressure
Pain in the back, pelvis, hips, or abdomen
These signs do not necessarily mean an exercise is permanently inappropriate.
Often, they simply suggest that the exercise may need modification or that you are not quite ready for that level of challenge yet.
If pelvic floor symptoms such as heaviness, leakage, or pressure are present, pelvic floor therapy may also be helpful as part of your postnatal recovery plan.
When Should You Progress?
There is no universal timeline.
Progression usually depends on:
Symptom response
Exercise control
Confidence
Strength and endurance
Recovery stage
Birth history
Pelvic floor function
Your personal goals
Rather than comparing yourself with other mothers, focus on your own ability to perform an exercise well and consistently.
A helpful rule is this: if you can complete an exercise with good breathing, control, and confidence, it may be appropriate to progress. If your technique changes, symptoms increase, or doming becomes more obvious, your body may need a different step first.
Do You Need Physiotherapy?
Not every woman with diastasis recti requires ongoing physiotherapy.
However, assessment may be helpful if:
You are unsure which exercises are appropriate
You continue to notice significant doming
Core weakness affects daily activities
Returning to exercise feels difficult
Recovery appears to have stalled
You experience back pain, pelvic pain, or urinary leakage
You want confidence that you are progressing appropriately
Often, the most valuable part of physiotherapy is understanding how to progress safely rather than simply being given a list of exercises.
If you are not sure what an appointment involves, our prenatal and postnatal physiotherapy page explains how we support women through pregnancy and postnatal recovery.
Recovery Is About Building Confidence
The safest core exercises for diastasis recti are not necessarily the easiest exercises, nor are they the most difficult.
They are the exercises that match your current stage of recovery and allow you to move with control, confidence, and effective pressure management.
If you are unsure whether your current programme is helping you progress, a physiotherapy assessment can help identify what your core needs now and how to safely build towards the activities you enjoy.
At PhysioMatters Singapore, we help postpartum women assess abdominal function, improve core control, and develop personalised exercise programmes designed to support recovery and a confident return to exercise.
It is never too late to start taking care of yourself, rebuild strength, improve confidence, and return to movement in a way that feels right for your body.
Contact us today!
References
Beamish NF, Davenport MH, Ali MU, et al. Impact of Postpartum Exercise on Pelvic Floor Disorders and Diastasis Recti Abdominis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12013572/
Soto-González M, Da Cuña-Carrera I, Lantarón-Caeiro EM, Gil Pascoal A. Effect of Hypopressive and Conventional Abdominal Exercises on Postpartum Diastasis Recti: A Randomized Controlled Trial. 2024. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0314274
Diastasis Recti Abdominis Rehabilitation in the Postpartum Period: A Systematic Review. 2024. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00192-024-05727-1
Contact Information
Email: hello@physiomatters.com.sg
Tele: +65 9352 9067
Address: 360 Orchard Road #10-07 International Building, 238869
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