Can I Work My Core In Pregnancy?

Massive disclaimer right off the bat.

There is very little evidence to guide us with this.

And so the following blog is my clinical thoughts and I would always recommend that you have an individual assessment with your pelvic floor physio to find the right exercise program for you.

There is one study I am aware of that is yet to be published where they compared controls (women who carried on with their every day life) and those who underwent a pelvic floor and “core” exercise routine. The author explained that after training there were no real differences between those who completed the program and those who didn’t when it comes to abdominal separation. APA In Motion May 2024.

Whilst this may seem like it isn’t a good thing, it actually is. Let me explain.

Abdominal separation is 100% normal during pregnancy and it is actually necessary for baby to grow and bump to expand.

So the fact that there weren’t any signficant differences between these groups is a positive!

My other clinical thoughts is that the stronger we can keep ourselves during pregnancy, the easier it will be on your bodies afterwards.

Obviously this can’t always be the case if we have other little bambinos running around or if you’re having a really hard time during your pregnancy and just making it through the day is a win. However, if you’re feeling good and have an uncomplicated pregnancy and you enjoy doing core exercises. My main advice would be to ensure you are able to do this with good form, you don’t breath hold, feel it into the desired muscle groups and you don’t experience any pelvic floor symptoms such as leaking, heaviness or pain.

If you’re unsure where to start, check in with your women’s health physio to help guide you.