By Nina Cila – Personal Trainer and owner of Arc Strength and Performance by Fitness with Nina
Don’t wait to start feeling better!
As a C-section mom of two and personal trainer, I understand the importance of restoring our pelvic floors and syncing it up with the rest of our bodies. I used to have sharp stabbing pains in the front by my scar tissue and ovaries, sciatic pain, hip pain, and low back pain. These became debilitating at times, and I was tired of always hurting. That was part of what led me to become a personal trainer and why I want to share some of the ways I have rebuilt my core with you.
If you are like me, you’ve probably found that getting quality exercise as a new mom can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! I’m here to share some restorative exercises to work into your routine that will help your healing process.
1. Pelvic Tilts (with Pilates ball)
Alleviate low back pain and help with bladder control
Needed Equipment: Pilates ball
Movement: Starting Position > Engage > Anterior Tilt > Posterior Tilt > Neutral > Repeat
A good place to start is pelvic tilts while lying on your back with your knees bent, feet hip width apart. It’s gentle, yet effective in reconnecting with your core and pelvic floor. By adding a Pilates ball, we’ll further engage your hip muscles and improve overall coordination.
Starting Position:
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart. Place the Pilates ball between your legs, as high up towards your pelvis as comfortable.
Engage:
Gently squeeze the ball with your legs. This helps sync up your hip rotators, pelvic floor, glutes, and adductors. Maintain this throughout the exercise.
Anterior tilt:
Gently arch your lower back – imagining your pelvis tilting upwards. Think about opening the back of your pelvis/glutes and slightly rotating your thighs outwards. Keep your knees pointing forward/up.
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
Maintain gentle pressure on the ball throughout
Image 1.2 – Pelvic Tilts – Anterior tilt
Posterior tilt:
Gently press your lower back into the floor while scooping your hip. Think about opening the front of your pelvic floor by contracting your lower abs to lift up on the pubic bone, also gently contracting the back of your pelvic floor
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
Maintain gentle pressure on the ball throughout
Repeat
Move back to neutral for 3 deep breaths to help sync up the diaphragm. Repeat for 3-6 reps to complete the set. Recommended sets: 1-2
2. Hip Bridge Pelvic Tilts
Strengthens lower abdomen & glutes and also alleviates back pain
Needed Equipment: Pilates ball and/or miniband Movement
Movement: Starting Position > Engage > Hip Bridge > Anterior Tilt > Posterior Tilt > Neutral > Repeat
This exercise builds upon the pelvic tilt by adding a hip bridge, further engaging your glutes and pelvic floor. The Pilates ball and/or miniband adds an extra challenge, improving hip stability and adductor engagement.
Starting Position:
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart. Place the Pilates ball between your legs, as high up towards your pelvis as comfortable. For the miniband variation, place the band high on your thighs to bring awareness to the back side of your pelvic floor. Placing the miniband just above the knees will bring glute engagement/awareness.
Use both the ball and band for extra intensity.
Engage
Gently squeeze the ball (if using) with your legs. This helps sync up your hip rotators, pelvic floor, glutes, and adductors. Keep squeezing the ball and maintain contact with the floor with your feet throughout the exercise..
Hip Bridge:
Press through your heels to lift your hips off the floor, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
Image 2.2 – Hip Bridge Pelvic Tilts – Hip Bridge
Anterior tilt
While holding the hip bridge, gently arch your lower back. Think about opening the back of your pelvis/glutes and slightly rotating your thighs outwards. Keep your knees pointing forward/up.
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
Maintain gentle pressure on the ball (if using) throughout.
Posterior tilt
From the anterior tilt, slowly move back to a neutral hip bridge. Gently scoop your hip, think about opening the front of your pelvic floor by contracting your lower abs to lift up on the pubic bone, also gently contracting the back of your pelvic floor.
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
Maintain gentle pressure on the ball (if using) throughout.
Return to Starting Position
Slowly return to a neutral hip bridge. Lower your spine to the floor one vertebrae at a time.
Repeat
Move back to neutral for 3 deep breaths to help sync up the diaphragm and repeat at varying heights of your hip bridge to strengthen and sync different angles.
3. Reverse Plank Internal and External Rotation on an Exercise Ball
Alleviates hip pain while walking or standing, strengthens internal and external hip rotation
Needed Equipment: Exercise ball
Movement: Starting Position > Engage > External Rotation > Neutral > Internal Rotation > Neutral > Repeat | Hip Lifts (optional)
This exercise adds some more glute and hamstring intensity and focuses on the pelvic floor in hip and knee extension (adding some quads activation and integration as well).
Starting Position:
Lie on your back with your heels resting on the exercise ball. Your hips should be supported by the floor.
Image 3.1 – Reverse Plank – Starting Position (Neutral Hips Down)
Engage:
Gently press your heels into the ball. Find a neutral pelvis and spine. Maintain throughout the exercise.
Bonus: You can perform a few pelvic tilts here as well.
External Rotation:
From the engaged position, turn your toes out by rotating your legs at the top by your hips (femurs but the rest of your legs also turn out in this one), contracting the glutes a bit and opening up the front of your pelvis.
Make sure you aren’t tucking your tailbone or scooping your hips. There should be a finger width space between your low back and the floor for a natural lumbar curve.
Image 3.3 – Reverse Plank – External Hip Rotation (Feet Turned Out)
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
This works your pelvic floor syncing up with your hip external rotators
Return to Neutral:
Point your toes toward ceiling to reset. Maintain that gentle pressure down on the ball with your heels.
Image 3.4 – Reverse Plank – Neutral position (Feet Centered)
Internal Rotation:
From neutral, turn your toes in by rotating your femurs in. Keep your spine neutral here as well (not arching your back or letting your lower abs disengage)
Hold for 3 deep breaths.
This syncs up internal hip rotation and the pelvic floor.
Image 3.5 – Reverse Plank – External Hip Rotation (Feet Turned In)
Return to Neutral:
Point your toes toward ceiling to reset again.
Repeat:
Return to neutral (toes pointing upwards) and repeat the external and internal rotation sequences.
Either complete:
• 1 set of 3 repetitions (holding each position)
• 2 sets of 2 repetitions (holding each position)
Hip Lift Variations (optional):
When ready, you can start lifting your hips off the floor by pressing your heels into the ball and repeat the rotation sequence at various heights off the floor. Adding deep breaths brings the diaphragm into play. As you breathe in and your diaphragm expands down, you want to lift the pelvic floor to maintain core engagement
4. Hinge with Pilates Ball
Sync the pelvic floor with internal hip rotation, prevents bladder leakage, and lengthens hamstrings where they connect to the hips, easing low back pain
Needed Equipment: Pilates ball
Movement: Starting Position > Engage > Hinge > Return > Repeat
This exercise focuses on strengthening your inner thighs and improving core stability while engaging your pelvic floor.
Starting Position:
Stand with your feet just inside hip-width apart. Place the Pilates ball between your thighs, as high up towards your pelvis as comfortable.
Engage:
Gently rotate your femurs outwards, keeping your knees and toes pointed straight forward. This is a subtle movement but you should feel it in the back of your inner thighs.
Hinge:
With a slight bend in your knees (soft knees), core braced, and your pelvis neutral, maintain slight pressure on the ball (be sure you don’t tuck your tailbone or clench), and send your hips back as you hinge forward slowly.
Your hips will tilt facing more toward the floor but keep your spine neutral. Go as far as you can while keeping your back straight and maintaining good overall engagement.
Your hips will tilt facing more toward the floor but keep your spine neutral. Go as far as you can while keeping your back straight and maintaining good overall engagement.
Hold:
Hold the hinge position for 3 deep breaths, focusing on the diaphragm pulling down and the pelvic floor lifting to create abdominal pressure and engagement.
Return:
Slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat:
Repeat the hinge movement for 3-5 repetitions.
5. Shallow Squat with Pilates Ball
Prevents bladder leakage while sitting or bending down to pick things up, syncs up external hip rotators with pelvic floor, easing sciatic and glute pain
Needed Equipment: Pilates ball
Movement: Starting Position > Engage > Squat > Return
This exercise combines the inner thigh engagement of the hinge with the lower body strength of a squat, further challenging your pelvic floor and core.
Starting Position:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place the Pilates ball between your thighs, as high up towards your pelvis as comfortable.
Engage:
Gently rotate your femurs outwards, keeping your knees and toes pointed straight forward (same as we did with the Hinge engagement). Maintain a neutral pelvis and upright posture. Brace your core.
Squat:
While maintaining pressure on the ball, bend your knees to lower into a shallow squat.
This is like the hinge but with more knee bend and less forward lean.
Image 5.2 – Shallow Squat with Pilates Ball– Begin Squat
Hold:
Hold your end range for 3 deep breaths, expanding your diaphragm and lifting through the pelvic floor while maintaining your core brace and alignment.
Return:
Slowly return to the standing position.
Repeat:
Repeat the squat movement for 3-5 repetitions.
Hi! I’m Janina (Nina), a functional strength personal trainer, performance enhancement specialist, homeschool mom of two, and sole owner of and trainer at Arc Strength and Performance (by Fitness With Nina): a family friendly, private personal training gym. It is important for our children to see us setting the example for health and wellness, and we all know they love to tag along and do what we do.
I offer 1:1 training, 1:2 couples training (bring your significant other, a friend, or family member), small group and family small group training classes, and small group youth and homeschool athletics programs.
If you are looking for a trainer who will listen and tailor your program and training to your needs and goals, schedule your free consultation at arcstrengthandperformance.com where you can also find the small group, youth, and family training options!
