Get Your Abs Back

Phase 1: Reconnect & Rebuild (Weeks 1-2)

If your core used to feel rock solid during a plank but now feels soft, wide, or bulges when you stand up, lift your child, or roll over in bed, you’re not alone. Pregnancy changes the way your core manages pressure, and simply exercising harder won’t fix it.

The first two weeks aren’t about chasing stronger abs. They’re about rebuilding the communication between your brain and your core.

Before you can strengthen your midsection, you need to understand how it’s functioning today. That means identifying whether you have diastasis recti (DR), rib flare, or both, then teaching your core to respond correctly to gentle pressure.

Using the 3-Point Core Rebuild Method™, you’ll learn how to reconnect the muscles that create a stable, supportive core so every movement becomes more efficient and every workout becomes more effective.

This isn’t about doing more.

It’s about giving your body the right instructions.

Phase Overview

During Weeks 1-2, you’ll establish the foundation that every other phase builds upon.

You’ll begin by assessing your current core function, including your diastasis recti and rib position, to create a clear starting point. From there, you’ll practice low-load activation exercises designed to restore the deep core muscles responsible for stability and pressure management.

The 3-Point Core Rebuild Method™ focuses on three essential areas:

Deep Core Activation to wake up the transverse abdominis, your body’s natural corset.

Rib Stack & Control to reduce rib flare and improve alignment between your ribs and pelvis.

Pelvic Support & Pressure Management to coordinate your core so pressure stays inside your abdomen instead of pushing outward into your midline.

Rather than feeling your stomach bulge or dome with movement, you’ll learn what a properly supported brace feels like.

By the end of this phase, you should notice your midsection feeling more connected, supported, and stable, even during everyday activities.

Your Goal

Success during this phase isn’t measured by soreness.

It’s measured by awareness.

At the end of each workout, ask yourself:

Did my ribs stay stacked over my pelvis?

Did I feel my deep core engage instead of my upper abs taking over?

Did my abdomen stay relatively flat without doming or bulging?

Those are the wins that matter right now.

Track Your Progress

One of the biggest mistakes women make is guessing whether they’re improving.

Instead, you’ll use the same assessment throughout these two weeks, checking your separation and rib position under the same conditions each time. Measuring consistently gives you objective proof that your body is responding, even before you see visible changes in the mirror.

Small improvements in control now create dramatic improvements in strength later.

Weekly Schedule

Week 1

2 Core Rebuild workouts

1 Reassessment session

Week 2

2 Core Rebuild workouts

1 Breathing & Brace Carryover session

1 Reassessment session

On rest days, let your body recover. Resist the urge to add extra ab workouts or “burnout” sessions.

Easy walking, gentle mobility, and mindful movement are encouraged, but your priority is allowing your nervous system and core to absorb these new movement patterns.

Remember, you’re not rebuilding your abs.

You’re rebuilding the foundation that makes everything else possible.

Important: If you have pain, increasing heaviness, new coning/doming, or symptoms that feel worse after you train, stop and reduce load next session (shorter holds, fewer reps), or pause and get hands-on assessment from a pelvic floor - literate clinician.

Workouts TableExercise

Sets × Reps

Load

Rest

Session 1: Diastasis + Rib Flare Baseline Check (Dry Run Only)

Supine 90/90 breathing (ribs down, slow exhale)

3 × 4 breaths

Bodyweight

60s

Diastasis check (umbilicus + 2 finger-widths above/below)

1 × per location

No load

30s

Rib flare check (stack test: “ribs over pelvis” hold)

3 × 10-15s

Light effort

60s

3-Point Core Rebuild: “Low Brace” (supine)

6 × 3-4s holds

Submaximal

45s

Heel slides (start with exhale + brace)

2 × 6/side

Bodyweight

60s

Session 2: Core Activation Day A (No doming rules)

90/90 breathing (cue: “ribs soften down”)

3 × 4 breaths

Bodyweight

45s

3-Point Core Rebuild: Low Brace (supine)

6 × 4-5s holds

Submaximal

45s

Dead bug prep: tabletop march (only if no coning)

2 × 5/side

Bodyweight

60s

Side-lying clamshell (small range, ribs stacked)

2 × 8/side

Light band (optional)

60s

Bird dog (modified: hands at wall or bench)

2 × 4/side

Bodyweight

60s

Session 3: Reassessment + Reset Day (Week 1 end)

Supine 90/90 breathing

2 × 4 breaths

Bodyweight

45s

Diastasis check (same locations as Session 1)

1 × per location

No load

30s

Rib flare check (stack test hold)

2 × 10-15s

Light effort

60s

3-Point Core Rebuild: Low Brace (supine → exhale)

5 × 4-6s holds

Submaximal

...