Ab work after c-section

[merary]

Hi mommies,

I had my baby 7 weeks ago via c-section. I've been incorporating light excercise little by little, but I was wondering how long have you waited before doing Cathe Ab workouts postpartum. I've been losing weight thanks to breastfeeding but my tummy is still flabby.

When can I start working my abs hard? I have STS, 4 day split and the B&G, BM2, LIC & DM series. Which workouts out of these would you suggest for abs?

Thanks for your input!

[jaypea]

Hi! I've had two c-sections, and I took the full 6 weeks to recover, relax, spend time with my baby. After that time, I slowly got back into exercise. My abs recovered strength rather quickly, and I was surprised at how strong they became in a short amount of time (both times). I'd say listen to your body. Don't do anything that doesn't feel good. I had to do lots of modifications at first. My favorite ab workouts were B & G, Coremax (and basically ANYTHING Cathe). I also found that kettlebells were great at activating core muscles in all exercises.
Good luck!
-Jen

[melimcn]

How was your c-section done? Did they cut through the muscle? Or just separate it? That makes a huge difference.

**My doctor advised me to wait 4 weeks before working out again**
I didn't listen. I'm bull headed that way.

My abs were simply separated. So I waited a week after I'd been home from the hospital, and then I started back with planks. I made sure to never push myself too hard, but my body could definitely sustain planks. I was back in full workout mode at the 2 weeks mark, and full ab workout mode by 3 weeks. That's just me, though.

So it just depends on how yours was done. But by 7 weeks, I was long back into my ab routines. I would get your core strength back with planks first. You need to hit your transverse pretty hard after pregnancy. Then, once you can get through several of those with variation, start adding in crunches and whatnot.

[ageleg]

Originally Posted by melimcn

How was your c-section done? Did they cut through the muscle? Or just separate it? That makes a huge difference.

**My doctor advised me to wait 4 weeks before working out again**
I didn't listen. I'm bull headed that way.

My abs were simply separated. So I waited a week after I'd been home from the hospital, and then I started back with planks. I made sure to never push myself too hard, but my body could definitely sustain planks. I was back in full workout mode at the 2 weeks mark, and full ab workout mode by 3 weeks. That's just me, though.

So it just depends on how yours was done. But by 7 weeks, I was long back into my ab routines. I would get your core strength back with planks first. You need to hit your transverse pretty hard after pregnancy. Then, once you can get through several of those with variation, start adding in crunches and whatnot.

You have no idea what an inspiration your story/experience is. I have read that it is a good idea to do work like planks after birth as crunches can actually be detrimental. I hope I can get back into exercise as quickly as you did after birth. I am used to leaning on workouts during the Christmas season to keep me sane and maintain a reasonable diet/weight. With all the chocolate I have in the house now, I can't take too much time off of working out or I will have more than baby weight to get rid of! Thank you for sharing!