Safe Diastasis Recti Exercises (and the Moves to Skip)

Diastasis recti is the partial separation of the two bands of your "six-pack" muscles down the midline of your belly. It is extremely common in pregnancy and the months after birth, and for many people it narrows on its own. The right exercises can speed that along by rebuilding the deep core that supports your midline. The wrong ones, done too soon, can keep the gap open. This is a beginner list of moves that help, the moves to skip early on, and a clear pointer for when to bring in a pelvic floor physical therapist.

First, a reassuring note. Some degree of separation happens in most pregnancies as the belly grows, and a small residual gap can be completely normal and functional. The goal is not a flat stomach or a closed-to-zero gap. The goal is a core that works: muscles that fire together, manage pressure, and support your back and pelvic floor.

How to start: connect your breath and deep core

Before any "ab" move, learn to find the deepest layer of your core. This is the foundation every other exercise builds on.

The exhale connection

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Take a slow breath in and let your belly soften. As you breathe out through pursed lips, gently draw your lower belly in and up, like you are zipping up snug jeans, and add a soft pelvic floor lift (the feeling of stopping gas). You should feel a gentle tightening across the midline, not a hard clench or a bulge pushing out. Hold the exhale connection for a few seconds, then release.

Do 8 to 10 slow reps. This pairing of exhale with deep core and pelvic floor engagement is the safest place to start rebuilding strength after birth. Gentle abdominal work like this is part of standard postpartum recovery once you have your provider's clearance, often around the six week visit (ACOG, Exercise After Pregnancy).

Safe diastasis recti exercises to build on

Once the breath connection feels reliable, add these. Move slowly, keep breathing, and check your midline for any doming throughout.

1. Heel slides

Stay on your back, knees bent. Exhale and engage your deep core, then slide one heel away along the floor until the leg is long, keeping your lower back quiet. Inhale to slide it back. Alternate legs for 8 to 10 per side. This teaches your core to stay engaged while your limbs move.

2. Toe taps (marching)

Same starting position. Exhale, engage, and lower one foot to lightly tap the floor while the other stays lifted at a tabletop angle. The challenge is keeping your belly flat and your back stable, not how low you go. Start with both feet on the floor and only lift one at a time if tabletop is too much.

3. Bridges

Feet flat, hip width apart. Exhale, engage your core and glutes, and lift your hips into a straight line from knees to shoulders. Lower with control on an inhale. Bridges strengthen the back of your body, which supports your core without front-loading your belly. Aim for 8 to 12 reps.

4. Side-lying leg lifts

Lie on your side, body in a straight line. Exhale, engage, and lift the top leg a comfortable height, then lower with control. This builds hip and lateral core strength while keeping pressure off the midline. Do 8 to 12 per side.

5. Standing core engagement and wall push

You do not have to be on the floor. Standing tall, practice the same exhale-and-draw-in connection while you hold a posture or press your hands into a wall. Functional, upright core work translates directly to lifting your baby and getting through your day.

The moves to skip early on

Some popular "core" exercises raise the pressure inside your abdomen and bulge the midline outward, which works against a healing separation. Skip these until your deep core is strong and a clinician clears you to progress.

• Crunches and sit-ups. The classic forward curl tends to push the belly forward and cone the midline.
• Full planks and push-ups. Front-loaded holds are usually too much load at the start.
• Double leg lifts and bicycle "abs." Lifting both legs together is a heavy pressure demand most early cores cannot manage flat.
• Deep backbends, big twists, and intense Pilates "hundreds." These can strain the connective tissue along the midline.
• Heavy lifting and breath-holding while you strain. Holding your breath spikes abdominal pressure.

The list above is a starting point, not a forever ban. The truth is that the moves to avoid are individual, and a trained clinician can reintroduce planks and curls in stages once you are ready.

When to call your provider or see a pelvic floor PT

Most people make steady progress with gentle, consistent home work. Loop in your provider or a pelvic floor physical therapist if any of these apply:

• The gap feels wider than about two to three fingers, or you can feel a deep, soft gully with little tension.
• You notice a bulge that pops out when you sit up or strain, which can signal a hernia.
• You have back or pelvic pain, leaking urine, or a feeling of heaviness or pressure in your pelvic floor.
• You are not improving after a few months of regular practice, or you are unsure whether a move is safe.

A pelvic floor PT can confirm the separation, check how your midline generates tension, and design a progression that fits you. The UK's NHS notes that separated stomach muscles are common after pregnancy and that specific exercises plus a physiotherapy referral are the recommended route when the gap is slow to improve (NHS, Your post-pregnancy body). Diastasis recti is also a recognized, treatable condition, not something you have to just live with (Mayo Clinic).

Be patient with yourself. Healing your core after birth is a slow, steady process, and showing up for a few minutes of gentle work most days will do more than the occasional hard session that leaves your belly doming.