Core Exercises For Pregnancy + 5 Minute Workout

Despite popular belief, there is no one exercise that causes diastasis recti. Diastasis recti is caused by the stretching of your abdominal muscles in general (as a baby grows) and will occur in almost all pregnancies.

Having a strong core while pregnant won't eliminate this risk, but it will help to reduce uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms as well as regain your abdominal strength postpartum, fueling up with a high protein pregnancy smoothie doesn't hurt either.

The Best Core Exercises For Pregnancy

The pregnancy core exercises below are all low-impact and can be modified through each trimester to keep you safe and your abdominals engaged. Pair them with hip exercises for pregnancy, and you'll get a ton of pelvic support back.

• Bird dogs
• Parlof presses
• Elevated plank
• Modified side plank
• Half kneeling parlof press
• Reverse plank (modifiy to bent knees)
• Belly breathing
• Seated leg lifts

Things To Consider When Using Ab Exercises While Pregnant

1. You’ll want the core exercises to come up off the floor after your second or third trimester. Though some women are okay lying flat on their backs in these trimesters, it’s not recommended
2. As your belly grows, exercises like crunches and lying leg lifts no longer serve a great purpose.
3. Focus on engagement more than going through the motions. Especially when it comes to connecting your breath and pelvic floor.
4. If something is uncomfortable, stop.

Likewise, each day (and each pregnancy!) is drastically different. This means that you should play it by ear in your activity levels based on how you’re feeling.

5-Minute Pregnancy Core Workout

The below pregnancy core workout is safe to do in any trimester. It's quick which is great for days you don't have a lot of energy, low-impact, and is an ideal way to keep up your core strength throughout pregnancy.

To perform the pregnancy ab workout:

Perform all exercises back to back for the repetitions listed. Take a break after the elevated plank for 30-60 seconds (or what you need!) and repeat for a total of two rounds.

Expert Workout Tips

Below you'll find the list of pregnancy core exercises from the workout and expert tips on how to perform them. Remember that when it comes to home workouts and especially pregnancy, engagement is crucial.

Don't fly through the motions. Slow down and really focus on activating the muscle groups you should be working.

1. Belly Breathing

1. Find a comfy position sitting cross-legged, on a stability ball, or on a chair.
2. Sit tall and keep your shoulders stacked over your hips. Try not to flare your ribs.
3. Breathe in deep through your nose and ass you do, and try to "push" the air not only into the front of your belly but the sides too, opening up the rib cage. The belly should "grow".
4. Exhale through your mouth, long and slow, and as you do your belly should deflate a bit and the abdominals engaged slightly.

Note: a great way to learn to do this is to wrap a resistance band around your tummy. As you inhale your belly should expand and press against the band (or tighten the band).

2. Bird dog

1. Come onto all fours and find a neutral back (not arched, not rounded, core engaged).
2. Keeping the hips squared and facing the floor, extend the left leg and right arm away from the body slowly.
3. Make sure not to arch the back.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement (keep to the same side for all repetitions before performing the ab exercise on the other side).

3. Sitting Knee Lift

1. Sit tall on a bench or chair.
2. Stack the shoulders over the hips, do not arch the low back.
3. Thinking of a pelvic tilt (tucking the tail under your bum), inhale and exhale as you lift one leg up off the floor.
4. Return the leg to the floor and perform the same movement on the other side.

Aim for 8-10 repetitions per leg.

4. Elevated Plank

1. Place your hands flat on a wall or high bench (the higher the surface the less intense).
2. Push through your arms and engage the front of your abs by "hugging" your baby with your belly.
3. Squeeze your bum and bring your shoulders away from your ears.
4. Hold.

5. Modified Side Plank

1. Lay on your left side with your shoulders stacked and feet on top of each other
2. Bend your knees so that your feet are behind you.
3. Press into the floor and raise the hips off the ground
4. Keep a straight line through the shoulders and hips. Keep the chest open

What To Look For In Pregnancy Core Exercises

Remember that in pregnancy, the goal is always growth.

This means that your exercises don’t need to be high-intensity or geared towards fatigue, failure, and fat loss.

And for obvious reasons, classic exercises like sit ups and crunches are out of the question.

Instead, opt for abdominal exercises (like the ones below) that:

• Focus on core strength, not just outer ab muscles
• Are low-impact
• Can be modified
• Are slow, and controlled
• Can support the pelvic floor as needed

As your belly grows, some core exercises will need to be modified in order to make room for the babe. That’s okay and completely normal.

You can peek these 3 core workouts for pregnancy for examples of full workouts too, and enjoy some high-protein pregnancy snacks afterwards!

More Pregnancy Resources To Help You On Your Journey

You can also check out these pregnancy-safe workouts on my YouTube channel where you'll see visual demos of all the exercises and how to modify them.

Ab Exercises In Pregnancy FAQs