As a Fitness Professional working with
mums, it’s important that you can check
them and ensure you are prescribing the
right exercise for wherever stage they
are at.
Exercises to avoid if there is separation:
• No twisting
• No levering, that is sit-ups or leg
lowering
• No back bends (yoga poses)
• ANY exercise that creates doming
through the tummy
Regardless of whether your client has
separation or not, you need to give the
abdominals a chance to rebuild from
the inside out.
My advice is to treat a new mum as if
she has separation whether she does or
not for the first eight weeks and assess
doming through each exercise.
Back pain:
Many of your clients will have back pain,
so ask them to tell you more about it and
take notes.
• Pre or post pregnancy pain?
• Are they seeing another health
professional?
• If so find out their details and call
them
• Any exercises that aggravate the
pain?
example lunges, dead lift, opposite
arm/leg extension, single leg hip
raise etc.
•
• Upper back pain?
• Lower back pain?
• Explain to your client that they need
to talk to you and let you know what
they are feeling rather than just
pushing through. You can adjust or
substitute exercises if you know
Pelvic instability:
Pelvic instability is a condition that
causes pain around the joints of the
pelvis during and after pregnancy.
When the hormone relaxin softens the
ligaments around the joints of the pelvis
too much, the pelvis can become
unstable or out of alignment. Some
women can be in a lot of pain.
• Ask your client if they still have
pelvic pain?
• Are they seeing a specialist?
• Remind your client to let you know
if something doesn’t feel right in the
session.
Any exercises that aggravate the
pelvic area.
Along with your pre-exercise
questionnaire, when working with mums
it’s important to remember there is much
more than just the physical happening
in her life.
Asking about sleep patterns and how
tired she is feeling can affect her ability
to exercise along with her mental health.
Many women will suffer postnatal
depression (PND) symptoms of, or be
at risk of, after becoming a mother so
creating a safe space that she can talk
to you and you can refer her to her GP
for further support is important.
For the majority of postnatal women
exercise is GOOD!
Talk about exercises they should avoid:
•
Any unilateral leg exercises, for
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