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New Moms: The 12-Week Postpartum Workout Plan

This plan will ease you back into fitness after months of limited activity.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Last updated on Oct 20, 2021

This 12-week cycle of workouts is designed for women who have recently had a baby and have clearance from their midwife or doctor to start exercising again. Usually, women receive the green light to exercise at about six weeks after delivery, but your specific timeframe may be longer or shorter.

Please listen to your body and the advice of your medical professional. Start slow, and increase as you feel more comfortable as your body heals and recovers.

This 12-week cycle of workouts is designed for women who have recently had a baby and have clearance from their midwife or doctor to start exercising again. Usually, women receive the green light to exercise at about six weeks after delivery, but your specific timeframe may be longer or shorter.

Please listen to your body and the advice of your medical professional. Start slow, and increase as you feel more comfortable as your body heals and recovers.

The primary goal of this program is to build up your base level of overall fitness, core strength and stability, and conditioning your body after the recovery period. In this program you will start with walking-only workouts for six weeks.

Then you will transition into six weeks of a workout routine that alternates bodyweight exercises, walking or other cardio intervals, and kettlebell workouts. We will also work on improving mobility and flexibility with simple movements including crawling, squatting, and stretching.

Workouts are programmed three days per week for a full 12 weeks, with optional additional walking or mobility work and recovery workouts on off days.

Equipment Needed:

Non-slip mat
Kettlebell
Bench
Rack/Pull up bar
PVC pipe or broomstick

There is a sample of the workouts from each phase below, but you can download the full 12-week program by clicking on any of the links provided below.

Click to Download the Complete 12-Week Program

First Phase: Walking-Only Workouts

Training Schedule:

  • Monday – Walking Workout 1
  • Tuesday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Wednesday – Walking Workout 2
  • Thursday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Friday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Saturday – Walking Workout 3
  • Sunday – Mobility/Recovery Day

Week 1: Day 1

20 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Week 1: Day 2

20 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Week 1: Day 3

20 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Week 2: Day 1

25 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Week 2: Day 2

25 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Week 2: Day 3

25 minutes of walking at a comfortable easy pace

Click Here to Download the Program

Second Phase: Combo Workouts

Training Schedule:

  • Monday – Workout 1
  • Tuesday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Wednesday – Workout 2
  • Thursday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Friday – Mobility/Recovery Day
  • Saturday – Workout 3
  • Sunday – Mobility/Recovery Day

Week 1: Day 1

A: Bodyweight Circuit #1

4 Rounds:
Side Plank: 20 sec/side
Push Up (on wall or knees if needed) x 8
Bodyweight Squats x 15
Cossack Squat: 30 sec
Downward Dog: 30 sec

B: Mobility/Flexibility Workout #1

20 minute walk
Inchworm x 1 minute
Seated Hamstring Stretch x 30 sec
Glute Stretch x 30 seconds (Lie on your back and cross your right leg over your left knee. Wrap your fingers around your left thigh and gently pull back toward your chest.)
Shoulder Rolls x 20 front/back
Chest Opener x 20 (Hold a PVC pipe or broomstick with a wide grip at hip level. Open your chest and rotate the pipe until it is behind your body, then bring it back to the original position. Keep your elbows straight.)
Neck Rolls x 20

Week 1: Day 2

A: Conditioning Circuit #1

Walk, jog, row, or do some other form of cardio training for 20 minutes at a moderate pace.

B: Mobility/Flexibility Workout #2

Inchworm x 1 minute
Seated Hamstring Stretch x 30 seconds
Glute Stretch x 30 seconds (Lie on your back and cross your right leg over your left knee. Wrap your fingers around your left thigh and gently pull back toward your chest.)
Shoulder Rolls x 20 front/back
Chest Opener x 20 (Hold a PVC pipe or broomstick with a wide grip at hip level. Open your chest and rotate the pipe until it is behind your body, then bring it back to the original position. Keep your elbows straight.)
Neck Rolls x 20

Week 1: Day 3

A: Kettlebell Circuit #1

3 Rounds:
One Arm Kettlebell Swing x 10 R/L
Sumo Deadlift x 10
Halos x 15
Diamond Pushup (on knees if needed) x 10
Clean and Press x 10

B: Walk 20 Minutes

Week 2: Day 1

A: Bodyweight Circuit #2

3 Rounds:

Walking Lunges x 8 R/L
Downward Dog to Cobra Flow 30 sec.
Bench Dip x 8
Australian Pull Up x 8

B: Mobility/Flexibility Workout #1

20 minute walk
Inchworm x 1 minute
Seated Hamstring Stretch x 30 seconds
Glute Stretch x 30 seconds (Lie on your back and cross your right leg over your left knee. Wrap your fingers around your left thigh and gently pull back toward your chest.)
Shoulder Rolls x 20 front/back
Chest Opener x 20 (Hold a PVC pipe or broomstick with a wide grip at hip level. Open your chest and rotate the pipe until it is behind your body, then bring it back to the original position. Keep your elbows straight.)
Neck Rolls x 20

Week 2: Day 2

A: Conditioning Circuit #2

30 minutes, alternate 1 min. fast pace, 2 min. moderate pace

B. Mobility/Flexibility Workout #2

Inchworm x 1 minute
Seated Hamstring Stretch x 30 seconds
Glute Stretch x 30 seconds (Lie on your back and cross your right leg over your left knee. Wrap your fingers around your left thigh and gently pull back toward your chest.)
Shoulder Rolls x 20 front/back
Chest Opener x 20 (Hold a PVC pipe or broomstick with a wide grip at hip level. Open your chest and rotate the pipe until it is behind your body, then bring it back to the original position. Keep your elbows straight.)
Neck Rolls x 20

Week 2: Day 3

A: Kettlebell Circuit #2

4 Rounds:
Good Morning x 15
One Legged Deadlift x 10
Thruster x 10 R/L
Kettlebell Swing x 10

B. Walk 25 minutes

Click to Download the Complete 12-Week Program

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

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