If running or high-impact exercise was part of your life before pregnancy, you may be eager to return to it postpartum. After months of change, birth, and recovery, getting back to the movements that make you feel like you can feel incredibly important.
At the same time, running and jumping place significant stress on your core, pelvic floor, joints, and soft tissues. Returning before your body is prepared to manage those impact forces can increase the risk of pain, injury, leaking, or other pelvic floor symptoms.
The good news is that returning to impact does not have to be a guessing game. In this post, we’ll walk you through a 4-step progression to help you rebuild the strength, control, speed, and impact tolerance your body needs to run safely and confidently again.
Read on to learn:
- Why core recovery work matters before returning to running or high-impact exercise (step 1)
- How lower-body strength helps your body absorb impact (step 2)
- Why speed work is a critical step before jumping or running (step 3)
- How to safely reintroduce impact after pregnancy (step 4)
- Signs to stop
Quick Answer: After pregnancy, it’s important to prepare the body to be able to manage the impact forces of running and high-impact. To do so, follow a 4-step process: 1) do core recovery work, 2) build lower-body strength — especially single-leg strength, 3) increase speed (the step most people forget), and 4) introduce impact. If you experience pain, leaking, heaviness, or pressure, scale back and spend more time in the previous step before progressing.
Step 1: Rebuild Core Strength to Prepare for the Demands of Running
Before returning to impact, it is important to rebuild strength and coordination in the deep core muscles, especially the pelvic floor. These muscles need to be able to tolerate the added stress of running, jumping, and other high-impact activities. Begin with these three foundational steps to rebuild your core postpartum. In addition, working with a physical therapist who specializes in women’s health can be a great option. You can use this PT Locator provided by APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) Pelvic Health to find a qualified women’s health physical therapist near you.
Step 2: Build Lower Body Strength
Once you have completed foundational core recovery work, the next step is to build strength so your muscles, fascia, tendons, and other soft tissues can act as effective “shock absorbers” during impact. Think of your body’s strength system like the suspension system in a car. Just as a car’s shock absorbers help dampen bumps in the road, your muscles and connective tissues help absorb impact forces so they do not repeatedly jar your joints or overload your pelvic floor.
The first step to building your body’s suspension system is to build lower body strength. Start with double-leg moves like squats, ground pickups (deadlifts), and bridges. Then, gradually incorporate single-leg moves, which require more strength, control, and balance. For some great single-leg strength-training exercises, see these 5 moves to build lower-body stability.
Step 3: Introduce Speed
Once you have rebuilt strength through foundational lower-body movements, the next step is to introduce speed. This is often the step people miss, but it is critical for preparing your tissues and pelvic floor for the demands of impact.
Running, jumping, hopping, leaping, and jump rope are all higher-velocity activities. Before returning to them, your body needs practice producing and absorbing force more quickly.
Here is a 3-part progression to introduce speed using a basic squat that you mastered in step 2. Click on the links to watch a video demo of each. Make sure to master each move in numerical order — with no pain or leaking (urinary or fecal) — before progressing to the next move.
- Slow Down, Fast Up: Lower down into your squat slowly, then practice shooting upward to increase speed on the ascent.
- Fast Down, Slow Up: This time, go fast on the way down (more challenging on the suspension system), and stand up slowly.
- Fast Down, Fast Up: Now, put these together to go fast in both directions.
Step 4: Introduce Impact
Once you have rebuilt core function, developed lower-body strength, and practiced faster movements, you can begin introducing impact. To do this safely, start slowly with just single jumps. Focus on landing quietly, which is a helpful sign that your body is absorbing force well. Then, progress to consecutive jumps.
Watch the 2-part progression below.
- Squat Jumps-Single: Begin with just single jumps and focus on landing quietly.
- Squat Jumps-Consecutive: Once you feel controlled with single jumps, then work towards multiple jumps in a row (landing quietly). If you have any joint pain or leaking, reduce the jump height or the amount of reps.
Signs to Stop
If you feel pain, leaking, pelvic heaviness, pressure, or any other symptoms during this process, your body may not be ready for that level of stress yet.
That does not mean you failed or that running is off the table. It simply means your body may need more time in the previous step before progressing. Returning to impact is a progression, not a race. Taking the time to progress through the four steps we covered — ensuring your body is truly ready before moving on — can help you return to the activities you love with greater confidence and fewer setbacks along the way.