Postpartum workout plan: from the first days to running and lifting

How hard: the talk test, and the knackStrong evidence

Walk at a pace where you can talk but not sing. Stop each strength set 2 to 3 reps short of failure (our editorial starting point).

Lift your pelvic floor and breathe out as you lift, a habit pelvic health physiotherapists call the knack, and bend your knees and keep the weight in front of you when you pick something up. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expert group advises a "pelvic floor first" start to strength training after birth. If the middle of your tummy domes, make the move easier.

Sources 1, 2, 3

Check with your midwife or GP first

After a complicated birth or a caesarean, talk to your midwife, health visitor or GP before anything strenuous. Your 6 to 8 week check isn't a fitness test, so ask about exercise if you want to.

The 2025 Canadian guideline, built on an international expert consensus, suggests checking with a doctor before moderate or vigorous exercise in the first year if you have any of the following; in most cases exercise can go ahead with changes:

• severe tummy pain, or vaginal bleeding that isn't a period
• heart muscle weakness after pregnancy (postpartum cardiomyopathy), or new symptoms of heart disease or stroke
• a caesarean with symptoms, such as wound pain, that get worse with harder exercise
• high blood pressure above 140/90 that isn't stable
• an eating disorder, malnutrition, or tiredness that suggests anaemia or not eating enough
• weakness that affects your balance, kidney disease, or a fracture or other significant injury
• calf pain or swelling, or an infection with a fever
• breathlessness at rest, new chest pain with exertion, dizziness during exercise, or fainting

Sources 4, 5, 6, 7

Stop and get helpStrong evidence

Get medical advice without delay from your midwife, GP or maternity unit, or NHS 111 when they're closed, if you have: sudden or very heavy bleeding, bleeding that increases, or clots; tummy, pelvic or perineal pain with a fever or shivering, or a discharge that smells unpleasant; a swollen or painful lower leg, a cough or shortness of breath; chest pain; a severe or persistent headache; or red, swollen breasts that last more than 24 hours despite self-care. After a caesarean, the NHS adds severe pain, leaking urine, pain when you pee, and a wound that gets more red, painful or swollen or leaks pus or a bad-smelling fluid.

Pre-eclampsia can start after the birth, most often within 48 hours, and the risk lasts for up to 6 weeks. The risk of a blood clot is higher in the 6 weeks after having a baby: the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if you have pain and swelling in a leg and feel short of breath or have chest pain. In the US, call 911 or go to an emergency room for sudden breathlessness or chest pain, which can be signs of a blood clot in the lung.

Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby: the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if your life is at risk or you can't keep yourself safe, and for urgent help to call 111 and choose the mental health option, or ask for an urgent GP appointment. You can also call Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, call or text 988.

Sources 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

How each stage changes the week

First 2 weeks: pelvic floor exercises, the postnatal exercises and short walks. Weeks 2 to 6: longer walks, plus everyday squats, lunges and bridges after a straightforward birth. Weeks 6 to 12: two strength sessions and three walks a week. Weeks 12 to 16: the running checks, then run-walk sessions and heavier strength work if you pass.

These timings follow the 2019 UK return-to-running guideline, the booklet from the UK's pelvic health physiotherapists (POGP) and the NHS, and they're expert opinion rather than trial results. Go by how you feel, and after a caesarean or a difficult birth expect each step to take longer. The UK guidelines advise building from moderate to vigorous activity over at least 3 months after your 6 to 8 week check.

Sources 17, 2, 4, 9, 18

Move on only when it feels rightEmerging evidence

Move to the next stage only with no pain, heaviness, dragging, leaking or increase in bleeding: the Canadian guideline suggests building up once wounds and tears have healed and your bleeding doesn't increase with exercise. Walks: time first, then pace. Strength: reps, then rounds, then weight, with the deadlift in small steps from car-seat weight. Running: 1 to 2 minutes of easy running within a walk, distance before speed, then about 10% more a week.

Sources 17, 5

Bad nights and missed weeksEmerging evidence

In trials, exercise after birth improved sleep quality and daytime tiredness, though it didn't lengthen sleep. On a bad night, a short walk counts and one round of the strength circuit counts; the NHS suggests resting when your baby sleeps and getting out for a walk every day, even if it's just to the shops. Missed a week or more? Go back a stage (our suggestion).

Sources 19, 20

Start gently, as soon as you feel up to itStrong evidence

After a straightforward birth, walking, gentle stretches and pelvic floor exercises can start as soon as you feel up to it; you don't have to wait for your 6-week check. Ask at the check before high-impact exercise such as running or aerobics. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says it's usually safe to start a few days after the birth, aiming for 20 to 30 minutes a day, and the UK running guideline calls 6 weeks too long to wait for gentle activity.

Sources 4, 1, 21, 17

After a caesareanStrong evidence

A caesarean is major surgery. Walk every day from the start, begin pelvic floor exercises once the catheter is out, support your wound when you cough or laugh, and wait about 6 weeks, or until it's comfortable, before exercise classes, the gym or lifting anything heavier than your baby. The timings are expert advice.

In 98 women after a planned caesarean, daily steps rose steadily over 2 months, with fewer on more painful days: let pain set the pace. If harder exercise makes your wound hurt more, talk to your GP.

Sources 9, 2, 22, 5

How much to build toStrong evidence

Over the first year, build towards at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week with strength work twice a week (UK guidelines and ACOG), or at least 120 minutes over 4 or more days (Canada). After your 6 to 8 week check, the UK guidelines advise building from moderate to vigorous over at least 3 months. Canada also recommends starting moderate activity within the first 12 weeks to support your mental health.

Sources 21, 18, 1, 5

Pelvic floor exercises from day oneStrong evidence

Start in the first days, or once the catheter is out after a caesarean: slow holds and quick squeezes, 3 times a day. In a 2025 review, pelvic floor training after birth cut the odds of leaking by 37% (7 trials, 1,930 women) and of prolapse by 56% (one trial); a Cochrane review was less sure it helps leaking that has already lasted months.

Leaking, heaviness, dragging or a bulge are common and treatable: ask for supervised pelvic floor training, which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends for at least 3 months. In England, specialist perinatal pelvic health services were due in every area by March 2024, and some let you refer yourself.

Sources 2, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

A gap in your tummy musclesMixed evidence

Six in ten first-time mothers have a gap at 6 weeks, and a third still do at a year. Exercise narrows it only slightly, by about 0.4 cm in 6 trials, and a weekly class from 6 weeks didn't change how many women had one, but exercise builds strength: in a trial of 70 women, curl-ups didn't widen the gap.

Start with head lifts and gentle tummy exercises: the NHS advises avoiding sit-ups and planks at first, and seeing your GP if the gap is still obvious 8 weeks after the birth. Doming down the middle is a cue to make a move easier.

Sources 28, 29, 30, 31, 32

Back to liftingEmerging evidence

The UK running guideline suggests squats, lunges and bridges as part of daily tasks from about 2 to 4 weeks after a straightforward birth, and deadlift practice from 6 to 8 weeks, starting no heavier than your baby in a car seat and building up gradually. These timings are expert opinion: build up to heavier training over at least 3 months, and see a pelvic health physiotherapist if lifting brings on leaking, heaviness or pain.

Lift your pelvic floor and breathe out as you lift. When 206 women lifted a 12.5 kg car seat 6 to 10 weeks after a vaginal birth, the pressure inside the tummy rose with body size and with how long the lift took, and wasn't linked with breath-holding or lifting technique, so breathing out is good practice rather than proven protection.

Sources 17, 3, 33, 18, 2

Back to running: the checks and the timingMixed evidence

UK guidance from 2019 suggests not running before about 3 months, and only once you can walk for 30 minutes, balance on one leg, do single-leg squats, jog on the spot, bound and hop with no pain, heaviness, dragging or leaking. That timing is expert opinion. A 2024 international consensus allows an individual plan after at least 3 weeks of rest and recovery and a screen, so some people start earlier with a professional's help.

Either way, start with 1 to 2 minutes of easy jogging within a walk and build distance before speed. If symptoms come up, or you're unsure, see a pelvic health physiotherapist. A UK guide co-designed with mothers who run uses the same checks; it hasn't yet been tested.

Sources 17, 34, 35, 2, 36

BreastfeedingStrong evidence

Exercise doesn't reduce your milk or change its quality, or affect your baby's growth: in a 12-week trial, 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week had no effect on milk, and a 2025 review of 46 studies agreed. Only all-out efforts briefly raise the lactic acid in milk. Feed or express first, drink water and wear a well-fitting supportive bra.

Sources 37, 38, 39, 40, 1

Short of sleepEmerging evidence

In 12 studies, exercise after birth improved sleep quality and daytime tiredness, though it didn't lengthen sleep. On bad nights a short walk counts, and rest when your baby sleeps.

Sources 19, 20

Your moodEmerging evidence

In 19 trials, exercise eased symptoms of postnatal depression, and in 4 trials it cut the odds of developing it by 45%; about 80 minutes a week of brisk walking or similar was enough for a moderate effect. It helps alongside treatment, not instead of it: talk to your GP, midwife or health visitor if you feel low, and see our guide to exercise for depression. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, get help straight away.

Sources 41, 15, 14

Back and pelvic painEmerging evidence

In trials, exercise that included strengthening the trunk reduced low back and pelvic pain after the birth by about 2 points on a 0 to 10 scale, and the disability that came with it.

Source 42

WeightEmerging evidence

Being active helps you return to your pre-pregnancy weight sooner, though the UK guidelines say diet is the main factor in weight and activity plays a supporting role. In a trial of breastfeeding women, losing about 0.5 kg a week by eating 500 calories a day less and exercising didn't affect their babies' growth. If you breastfeed and train hard, eat enough: under-eating for your training raises the risk of stress fractures and pelvic floor problems.

Sources 18, 43, 17

How to adapt it

Our suggestions, with the evidence where there is some:

• Caesarean: follow the caesarean line in each stage. Strength from about 6 weeks, and the running checks no earlier than 12 weeks, often later: a caesarean is one of the UK guideline's reasons for a slower return.
• A tear or stitches: do the pelvic floor exercises lying on your side if sitting is sore. A perineal wound that breaks down needs your midwife the same day.
• Leaking, heaviness or a bulge: keep up the daily pelvic floor exercises, hold off running and jumping, and ask for supervised pelvic floor training.
• A tummy gap: head lifts and gentle tummy work first, then the diastasis recti workout; doming is a cue to make the move easier.
• Pelvic girdle pain after the birth: see the pelvic girdle pain guide's after-birth stage.
• Very little sleep: walks before strength, and shorter sessions.
• Already very fit, or an athlete: the 2024 consensus supports an individual plan after at least 3 weeks, after screening, and the UK guideline recommends a pelvic health assessment, from 6 weeks if you can get one.
• Pregnant again: the pregnancy workout plan.

Sources 17, 2, 8, 34