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Advanced Postnatal Exercise Program

Safe physio-led online exercise program for postnatal recovery

 

Postnatal Exercises Overview

Postnatal Exercises Overview

By around 12 weeks after birth, much of your initial healing has taken place. You may feel stronger and more confident, but your recovery journey is far from over. Beneath the surface, your body is still healing, adapting, and rebuilding for many months to come.

Research shows that connective tissue, pelvic floor muscles, and the abdominal wall continue to recover and remodel for up to 12 to 18 months postpartum (Mottola et al., 2018; Deindl et al., 2022; Staer-Jensen et al., 2015). Hormonal changes and the physical demands of caring for your baby also place new stresses on your muscles, joints, and energy systems.

That’s why continuing with the Empowered Motherhood Program after the initial stages of recovery is so important. Our advanced postnatal exercise programs (Level 3 to 5 and Return to Running) are designed to support this long-term healing process. helping you strengthen your body, restore confidence, and safely return to the activities and fitness you love.

Your recovery does not stop at 12 weeks. With the right guidance, this next stage is where true strength, stability, and resilience are built.

Quick Facts & Key Points

  • Ongoing Recovery: By 12 weeks postpartum, most surface healing has occurred, but your body continues to adapt and rebuild for up to 18 months. Research shows ongoing recovery in connective tissues, the pelvic floor, and the abdominal wall as your body restores full strength and stability (ACOG, 2020; Mottola et al., 2018; Deindl et al., 2022).
  • Functional Adaptation: Hormonal changes and the physical demands of caring for your baby continue to affect your muscles, joints, and posture. Structured exercise helps your body meet these ongoing demands safely and effectively.
  • Building Long-Term Strength: An advanced postnatal exercise program focuses on progressive resistance training, impact preparation, and dynamic movement to help you return to running, sport, or gym workouts with confidence.
  • Safe Training Options: Combine controlled strength work, core stability, balance training, and low-impact cardio. Continue to protect your pelvic floor and core while building whole-body endurance and power.
  • What to Monitor: Watch for signs of pelvic heaviness, pain, leaking, or abdominal doming. If these appear, reduce intensity or seek support from a pelvic health physiotherapist.
  • Why It Matters: Healing does not stop at 12 weeks. Continuing structured, evidence-based exercise supports tissue recovery, functional strength, and emotional well-being. This stage helps you feel strong, capable, and ready for the physical demands of motherhood.

In this article, we'll cover:

  • The essentials of postnatal exercise
    • Pelvic Floor
    • Core Rehab 
    • Mobility and Posture
  •  What is the EMP approach to postnatal exercise?
    • Early Postnatal Recovery
    • Functional Movements
    • Advanced Workouts
  • Why the Empowered Motherhood Program matters 
    • Physio-Led Exercise
    • Specialised Programs
    • Personalised Support
    • Expert Education
    • Over 400 Workouts
    • Join our community of mothers

The essentials of postnatal exercise beyond 12 weeks

By this stage, your pelvic floor has begun to regain strength, but it still needs ongoing support as you return to higher-impact activity. The EMP pelvic floor workouts guide you through advanced activation, endurance training, and impact preparation so you can move, lift, and run with confidence and control.

pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Pelvic Floor

No matter how you gave birth, postpartum recovery starts with the pelvic floor. Starting pelvic floor exercises from birth can help to re-establish neural pathways, support continence and promote the healing of stitches or tears. The EMP pelvic floor workouts are designed to be started from birth (once any catheters have been removed) and progress to functional pelvic floor workouts to support your return to running and impact. 

pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Pelvic Floor Progression

No matter how you gave birth, postpartum recovery starts with the pelvic floor. Starting pelvic floor exercises from birth can help to re-establish neural pathways, support continence and promote the healing of stitches or tears. The EMP pelvic floor workouts are designed to be started from birth (once any catheters have been removed) and progress to functional pelvic floor workouts to support your return to running and impact. 

 

Core Strength and Stability

Your deep core muscles continue to rebuild well beyond 12 weeks postpartum. Our advanced core workouts focus on restoring stability, power, and coordination, helping to close any remaining abdominal separation and prepare your body for heavier loads and dynamic movement.  

 

Core Rehab

Your postnatal recovery is optimised when you work with your body’s natural healing process to enhance collagen synthesis and muscle growth. The Empowered Motherhood Program is designed to help you support this process with core workouts to reduce abdominal separation and increase core strength and tone.   

pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Functional Fitness for Motherhood

Whether you are looking to return to sport, or just want to have the energy to keep up with your kids, we are here to support your fitness goals

Motherhood is an incredibly demanding role and one we need to train for. The EMP advanced postnatal exercise program integrates functional strength, pilates, and cardio conditioning to help you meet these daily challenges while preparing your body for sport, running, and lifelong fitness.

Mobility and Posture

During pregnancy and early motherhood, posture often changes due to the physical demands of carrying, feeding, and caring for a baby. Restoring postural alignment and mobility is essential to prevent pain and support long-term strength. The EMP mobility and posture exercises help release tension in the neck, shoulders, and lower back while improving alignment, movement efficiency, and comfort in daily activities.

What is the EMP approach to postnatal exercise?

 

What is the EMP approach to postnatal exercise?

The Empowered Motherhood Program is built on the belief that postnatal recovery doesn’t end after 6 or 12 weeks. Your body continues to heal and adapt for up to 18 months after birth, which is why our approach combines physiotherapy principles with progressive, functional fitness — helping you rebuild strength, stability, and confidence every step of the way.

Graded Progression for Long-Term Strength

Recovery happens in stages. Research shows that connective tissue, pelvic floor, and core muscles continue to remodel for up to 18 months postpartum (Mottola et al., 2018; Deindl et al., 2022). The EMP guides you through these stages with gradual increases in load, intensity, and complexity, ensuring every workout supports safe, ongoing healing.

pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Early Postnatal Recovery

We know how demanding those first few months of postpartum are; our early postnatal workouts are designed to help you feel supported and safe whilst healing and strengthening your body. 

  • Heal your pelvic floor with pilates-based movements that integrate and activate the pelvic floor in a functional way.
  • Activate and engage the deepest layers of abdominal muscle to start reducing the degree of separation you are experiencing and support the spine. 
  • Reduce postnatal back pain with specialised pilates exercises to improve mobility and posture.
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Return to Running and Impact Safely

Returning to running or high-impact training too early can place stress on healing tissues. The EMP’s Return to Running pathway follows evidence-based timelines and readiness testing (ACOG, 2020; Goom et al., 2019), helping you rebuild strength and endurance through structured phases so you can run, lift, and move with confidence and control.

pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Advanced Workouts

Don't get stuck feeling 'perpetually postnatal.' All of your body’s natural healing is finished by 10-12 weeks after birth so that any additional improvements will take some work. Ensuring you continue progressing and challenging your body will help you to return to your pre-pregnancy strength (or beyond!). Our advanced postnatal pilates program focusses on: 

  • Advanced pilates, strength and cardio classes to help you to build fitness and power.  
  • Functional strength classes to build full body strength and prepare you for a return to impact or sport.
  • Advanced core workouts to challenge and strengthen your core.
  • Runner-ready workouts to help you to prepare your body for a safe return to running.  
pregnancy pelvic girdle pain safe exercise

Finally a physio-led program! The difference in my postnatal recovery is remarkable. I'm healthier, stronger, and happier. Thanks so much for this program! I've told so many friends about this!”

— Lizzie

The EMP is an amazing program that I can't recommend highly enough. The wealth of information, the varied and specialised workouts - thank you so much.”

— Verity

The Empowered Motherhood Program Difference

Physio-Led Exercise

Physio-Led Exercise

Feel safe and supported with physio-led pilates, strength, cardio and yoga workouts for every stage of your pregnancy and postpartum journey.

Specialised Programs

Specialised Programs

Keep moving safely. Specialised programs for pelvic pain, birth preparation, C-Section, prolapse, abdominal separation and more.

Personalised Support

Personalised Support

We are here to support you. The EMP is so much more than just an online program. Receive the personalised support you deserve.

Expert Education

Expert Education

Your EMP membership includes access to our team of experts including obstetricians, psychologists, midwives and dieticians.

Over 400 Workouts

Over 400 Workouts

Stay motivated with over 400 specialised strength, cardio, pilates and yoga workouts from first trimester to advanced postpartum.

Join Our Community

Join our community of mothers

Plus you'll get access to our community of strong, intelligent and empowered mothers.

All Your Questions, Answered:

Feel confident at every stage - from early pregnancy to postnatal recovery. 

Feel strong and move safely through each trimester with our physio-led week by week program. Pregnancy safe workouts combined with expert education and real life support. 

Pregnancy Program

Create the birth you deserve: positive, informed and supported. The latest research and evidence, combined with physio-led classes and personalised support. 

Birth Preparation

Heal your body safely after birth and by guided by the experts as you progress from early rehab to advanced fitness and running with our motivating week-by-week program. 

Postnatal Program

We created the Empowered Motherhood Program with a simple mission: 

To ensure that all mothers have access to expert-led exercise and education. 

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The Empowered Motherhood Program acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

The Empowered Motherhood Program acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.