The Best Exercises For Moms To Get Fit & Prevent Injury

Lose weight, prevent injuries, and carry kids easier all by mastering these five exercises for moms! These exercises are staples if you want to get strong.

They can be made into a strength-based quick workout or used in high-intensity interval training. They're the foundational exercises for moms who want to be strong.

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It's no secret that the best exercises for moms are.. the one's you'll do!

However, that doesn't mean that all exercises are created equal when it comes to getting strong and losing weight.

As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, there are a few crucial exercises that I believe all moms should master.

These exercises:

• reduce injury risk
• let you play with your kids without worry
• support your pelvic floor
• strengthen your core
• work for any fitness level
• are the absolute basic requirements for any strength movement
• can be made into all sorts of full body workouts
• help you do all the things you need to do in every day life

Once you master these exercises, you can scale them up to better suit your goals.

However, they are functional strength exercises and you do need to master them before doing things like jumping, doing intense circuits, or lifting heavy weights (learn more about why new moms should avoid jumping).

Exercise #1 The Hip Hinge

As far as crucial movements go, learning how to hip hinge correctly is at the top for busy moms.

The hip hinge is the movement of breaking at the hips (versus the knees as in a squat) and by training a proper hip hinge it helps strengthen the posterior chain (learn more about the posterior chain and the best back of body exercises).

This movement is a base movement because it allows you to do things like pick up toys, kids, and other items without pain.

It is the pre-requisite to other exercises like deadlifts, and tweaks like making Bulgarian split squats work in your favor.

How to perform it:

1. Stand with your feet just outside of your hips, knees bent slightly, and your palms on your legs.
2. Begin by breaking at the hips (not bending the knees) and pushing your bum backwards as if you were going to bump it on a wall.
3. Keep the upper back flat as your chest comes toward the floor. You should feel a stretch in the hamstrings.
4. Pause before you lose upper back engagement and reverse the movement.

Learn more about how to hip hinge with 3 easy steps and watch this hip hinge video to help.

Exercise #2 – Rows

You can do rows a million ways but the principle remains the same. Rowing will help improve posture, lessen back pain, and tone your back and arm muscles.

There's a lot of different ways to row:

• TRX rows
• Bentover rows
• Dumbbell rows
• Ring rows

How to do a seated row:

1. Sit up tall and have your hands holding a resistance band at your thighs.
2. Pull the band back so your elbows shoot behind you. Think of tucking your shoulder blades into the opposite back pocket. Basically, your shoulder blades should MOVE on your back.
3. Pause at the back of the pull briefly.
4. Release the engagement back to the starting position.

The principals for a seated row are the same as a bentover row or even horizontal row. Rowing will give you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to your upper body.

Exercise #3 – The Squat

Now I know that you know that you should, squat. However, learning to squat properly to get strong and tone your legs is something often overlooked.

When it comes to squats there are so many variations, so there are lots to choose from! However, I like my clients to start with a mini loop squat as for most moms, their knees cave in which causes pain. This kind of squat fixes that.

How to perform it:

• Place a mini loop around your legs below or above your knees.
• Take your feet wider than hip distance apart.
• Keep the heels on the floor, drive your knees out against the mini loop and lower your bum to the floor.
• Do not let your heels come up.
• At the bottom of the squat, pause briefly to press the knees against the band.
• Pushing through your feet, come up all as one to the starting position.

Then, once you've mastered it, have a look at these squat variations and start increasing your strength!

Exercise #4 -The Glute Bridge

The glutes play a role in so much you would be silly not to train them. Learn more about Glute Training a and how they play a role in busy mom life.

Mastering the glute bridge is step on one strengthening your booty. It is also the base for other moves that involve a "lockout" position (planks, push ups, etc)

To perform a glute bridge:

1. Lying on your back, bend your knees and bring your heels close to your bum. Feet shoulder-width apart roughly.
2. Push through your heels and lift your hips by squeezing the glutes. Do not excessively arch the lower back.
3. Pause at the top for three seconds with a maximum glute squeeze before releasing the tension and bringing the hips back to the starting position.

I'm a glute fanatic. I have been that way for about five years now. I actually have a whole course on a mini-course on how to strengthen your glutes and learning how to activate them.

Exercise #5 – The Deadbug

This exercise is basically "core 101". You need to learn to perform a deadbug to get strong and lose weight, but also to help heal diastasis recti (learn more about healing diastasis years later).

How to perform a deadbug:

• Lay on your back, bend your knees, and raise your feet into the air.
• Tuck your ribs to your hips so that your low back is pressed firmly on the ground and you feel a slight engagement in the lower abs.
• Very slowly, extend one arm and the opposite leg away from the body. Do not let your low back come off the ground.
• When you feel a stretch in your abs, use that stretch to pull the arm and leg back into the starting position.

Strengthening the core muscles help hold you upright. The deadbug is one of the exercises you can do immediately postpartum.

What To Do With The Exercises

The first thing you need to do is master them. Make sure that form is spot on and that you can actually feel the muscles you need working.

From there, you can use these exercises and create a work out itself. Or move on to at-home workouts for moms like any of the following.

Because once you have the basics down, you can start to amp up intensity and goals.

• 3 Day dumbbell workout plan
• 25 Home workouts for weight loss
• 6 Week fat loss workout plan
• 15 Minute mommy and me workout
• The BEST workout for busy moms
• Ideal workout schedule for busy moms
• 10 Minute EMOM workout
• No equipment, full body workout
• The ultimate guide to working out at home
• Fitness tips
• At-home follow along workouts

Frequently Asked Questions About Exercises For Moms