June 2016: Postpartum Programming Day 11

Ladies,

Our time together is short. I don’t know if you realize it but you have accomplished a lot of work in such a short amount of time. We have started with baby-wearing and walking to learning certain breath exercises and progressing through functional movement patterns and now performing functional movements with a little sense of urgency and/or weights. YES!

Please remember that as you continue this new chapter in your life that your body is still healing. In my opinion the postpartum HEALING period is at a minimum SIX MONTHS but more likely 12-18 months depending on the woman. We all heal at different rates due to a number of factors. One of the biggest factors is how the woman nourishes her body throughout pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and then during the immediate postpartum. So, nourish your body, mama. I know you may be in survival mode, but you have got to take care of yourself. Take an hour here or there for yourself. If you do not take care of you, no one will. You need to be the best version of yourself to take care of your little one.

XO.

LINDSEY

BELLY BREATHING. We will always start with posture or breathing check-in. Set your timer on your phone for 5 minutes or count to 30 breaths.

Functional Progression Part 2-Modified. Perform 3 x 10 Each Side

Bodyweight (Just You) Box Squats. Perform 3 x 20

Strength.

Posterior Chain Circuit.

Lizard Stretch. Perform 2 minutes on each side. Focus on opening the front of that particular hip.

Box Lower Downs. I need you to check in with yourself to make sure you are doing this movement correctly. The focus is on the foot that is on the box. Drive/push through that heel.

Perform 4 x 10 Each Side.

Single Leg Kettle Bell Deadlifts. These can be done with or without weight. The weight can be something small like a little water bottle or a hair brush. Something just to have a little feedback.

Perform 4 x 10 Each Side.

Conditioning.

This workout is short and sweet. If you want to use a kettle bell then use one that is 10 or 15-35lbs. Elevated push ups should be done ELEVATED. We are working shoulder range of motion.

21-15-9

Russian Kettle Swings (or Air Squats)

Elevated Push-Ups

Accessory.

Good Mornings. Perform 4 x 10.

Muscle Ups. If you are comfortable (someone that was doing muscle ups during pregnancy) and want to introduce muscle ups and practice muscle ups, then I would work the strict muscle up with a band at least once or twice a week for the next four weeks. You can do it seated or standing from a box, depending on the height of the rings. This video has a reps. Because the kipping muscle up is a bit more dynamic and really capitalizes on the whole body as one, I generally tell my athletes to wait until 6 months postpartum. Practicing the strict muscle up is fine, but avoid the big, sloppy kips. A great milestone is to make sure you can do 7-10 strict pull-ups and one strict muscle up (super light band is fine). Watch muscle up assistance work in this video below.