6 Workouts for Breastfeeding Moms

You may be a little hesitant about doing squats so soon after giving birth, but it’s completely safe, and it can even help if you happen to suffer from a diastasis recti, or separation of your abdominal muscles, during the birthing process. ^[2]

Squats will help tighten and strengthen your core, strengthen your glutes, and help you redevelop your balance.

If you have diastasis recti, ensure that you’re doing your squats properly to avoid making it worse.

The key to this exercise is to keep it light. No weights should be added before three weeks of practice, and keep your repetition count low at first to avoid over-exerting yourself.

Planking is another core exercise that can whip your tummy into shape and strengthen your extremities. It’s a low-impact exercise that you can ease yourself into without over-exerting yourself or producing too much lactic acid in your breast milk, and it can produce the same positive results as many of the core exercises new moms may have trouble doing. ^[3]

To do this one, you simply lay face-first on the floor, raise your body using your forearms and the balls of your feet, and hold the position while maintaining a straight, tight, and stable core.

You don’t need to do this for too long, and it’s recommended to start your planking routine with short, 30-second to 1-minute intervals.

Leg-lifts are one of the core exercises for building leg strength and strengthening the pelvic floor. ^[4] This can come in handy if you’ve recently given birth due to the high amount of stress on your pelvis during labor, and it can help you bounce back from a sedentary pregnancy.

It’s a low-intensity exercise that leaves your upper body alone and doesn’t cause discomfort or clogged milk ducts.

To do this exercise at home, you can simply sit on the floor, stabilize your core and upper body with your hands at your sides, and lift your legs in unison straight out in front of you. Keep your legs straight with each repetition.

If you want, you can even add light ankle weights for more resistance.

Bicep curls are basic barbell exercises, and they’re one of the best weight-based workouts for breastfeeding moms. The equipment is also fairly cheap and easy to get a hold of.

All you need is at least one barbell that is an appropriate weight for your capabilities. We recommend that you don’t use anything too heavy to prevent clogged milk ducts, but anything in the 5 to 15-pound range is fine, and you can work your way up. Just hold the barbell with your biceps perpendicular to your sides, and curl your hand up towards your shoulders.

Despite common myths and a possible risk of clogging a milk duct, exercises like this are backed by scientific research and are proven not to affect your milk supply. ^[6]

Crunches are a no-cost way to trim the belly fat you put on during pregnancy, regain your core strength, and avoid putting any weight on your breasts. You probably know how to do these, but you just lay on the floor with your knees bent and feet planted on the floor, and then curl your torso until you reach a nearly-sitting position.

It’s important that you seek out professional guidance from a trainer if you plan to do crunches with a diastasis recti. While studies have shown that core-stabilizing exercises can improve your quality of life with the condition, improper crunches are known to make the issue worse. ^[7]