Read the first chapter
The whole of chapter one, free. About 8 min. Turn the pages with the arrows, your keyboard, or a swipe.
Chapter 1
Rebuild Phase (Weeks 1-2): Diastasis Check
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 Table
Exercise
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
45s
Transverse-focused “hollow-ish” isometric (gentle)
3 × 8-10s
Submaximal
60s
Supine pelvic tilt + breath coordination
2 × 6 reps
Bodyweight
45s
Session 4: Core Activation Day B (slightly more coordination)
90/90 breathing
3 × 4 breaths
Bodyweight
45s
3-Point Core Rebuild: Low Brace
6 × 5s holds
Submaximal
45s
Heel tap (supine, single-leg only)
2 × 6/side
Bodyweight
60s
Glute bridge (stop if ribs flare or belly domes)
2 × 6-8 reps
Bodyweight
90s
Side plank from knees (short lever, rib control)
2 × 10-20s/side
Bodyweight
60s
Cable-free “pressout” (push hands into towel, no movement)
2 × 6 × 5s
Isometric
45s
Session 5: Carryover Day (brace during movement patterns)
90/90 breathing + brace on exhale
3 × 4 breaths
Bodyweight
45s
3-Point Core Rebuild: Low Brace (supine)
5 × 4-6s holds
Submaximal
45s
Sit-to-stand with brace cue (slow)
3 × 5 reps
Bodyweight
90s
Step-back lunge (very shallow, focus on rib stacking)
2 × 4/side
Bodyweight
90s
Standing “ribs down” breathing reset
2 × 4 breaths
Bodyweight
45s
Session 6: Final Week 2 Reassessment + Plan for Week 3
Supine 90/90 breathing
2 × 4 breaths
Bodyweight
45s
Diastasis check (same locations)
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)
4 × 6s holds
Submaximal
45s
Heel slides (quality reps only)
1 × 6/side
Bodyweight
60s
How to Choose Your Load
In this phase, load isn’t about lifting heavier. It’s about moving smarter.
Your goal is to build control, not intensity. You should be able to breathe naturally while maintaining your brace without losing your rib position. If you choose to add light resistance, such as a mini band for clamshells, it should never cause your abdomen to dome or your ribs to pop upward during a rep.
Progression Rules (Week 1 → Week 2)
Only progress when you can confidently answer yes to all three questions below.
Doming Check: Is your midline staying flat, with no visible coning or bulging during holds or heel taps?
Rib Check: Are your ribs staying stacked over your pelvis instead of flaring open as you breathe and move?
Effort Check: Can you maintain your brace at a 6 out of 10 effort or less while breathing normally?
If the answer is yes, choose one of the following for your next workout:
• Add one hold (6 holds becomes 7).
• Add 1 to 2 seconds to each hold.
• Add 1 to 2 reps per exercise.
Resist the urge to level up everything at once. During these first two weeks, your nervous system learns best through consistency, not overload.
Training Notes
Your assessment and your activation work together.
One tells you where you are.
The other helps you change it.
Skip either one, and you’re simply guessing.
Diastasis Recti Assessment
Perform your assessment the same way every time so your progress is meaningful.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your abdomen relaxed. Check your separation at your belly button, then approximately two finger-widths above and below using the same finger placement each time.
Use gentle pressure.
You’re locating the separation, not testing how hard your core can push back.
Ask yourself:
Do I notice widening or doming when I exhale and gently brace?
If you do, your priority isn’t working harder.
Your priority is learning to manage pressure.
Rib Flare Assessment
Use the Stack Test.
Lie on your back and find a position where your ribs naturally stack over your pelvis. Think “ribs stacked,” not aggressively tucked.
Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds while breathing slowly.
Ask yourself:
Do my ribs immediately lift or flare back out as I breathe?
If they do, your body is telling you it needs better rib control before it needs more intensity.
The 3-Point Core Rebuild Method™
These are the cues that matter most during this phase.
Point 1: Deep Brace
Imagine gently zipping your core inward from both sides as you exhale.
You’re creating support, not sucking your stomach in.
Point 2: Rib Stack
Keep your ribs quietly stacked over your pelvis throughout every repetition.
If your ribs flare, your body is replacing stability with pressure.
Point 3: Pressure Control
Your abdomen should stay calm.
No doming.
No pushing outward.
No fighting your brace.
The goal is quiet control.
Common Mistakes
Holding your breath
If you can’t comfortably exhale during a set, you’ve gone beyond what your body is ready for.
Ignoring doming
If your abdomen cones or bulges, reduce the range of motion, shorten the hold, or return to breathing and gentle core activation until you regain control.
Treating reassessment like a workout
Reassessment isn’t the day to prove you’re stronger.
It’s the day to measure what’s changing.
Your Quality Marker
For these first two weeks, let one simple standard guide every workout:
Flat midline. Stacked ribs.
If you can maintain those two things, you’re teaching your core the job it was designed to do.
Stay consistent, trust the process, and by the end of Phase 1 you’ll have something far more valuable than sore abs.
You’ll have a stable foundation your body is finally ready to build on.
End of chapter one. 4 more chapters and about 9,574 words in the full book.
Swipe or use the arrows to turn the page
What's inside: 5 chapters
- 1. Rebuild Phase (Weeks 1-2): Diastasis Check
- 2. Stability Phase (Weeks 3-4): Bracing Without Doming
- 3. Strength Phase (Weeks 5-6): Load the Midline
- 4. Reshape Phase (Weeks 7-8): Mom Pooch Targeting
- 5. Retention Phase (Weeks 9-10): Abs Back Plan
About this book
"Get Your Abs Back" is a fitness book by Amy Daugherty with 5 chapters and approximately 9,574 words. Postpartum core recovery for diastasis recti and rib flare.
This book was created using Inkfluence AI, an AI-powered book generation platform that helps authors write, design, and publish complete books. It was made with the AI Workout Plan Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Get Your Abs Back" about?
Postpartum core recovery for diastasis recti and rib flare
How many chapters are in "Get Your Abs Back"?
The book contains 5 chapters and approximately 9,574 words. Topics covered include Rebuild Phase (Weeks 1-2): Diastasis Check, Stability Phase (Weeks 3-4): Bracing Without Doming, Strength Phase (Weeks 5-6): Load the Midline, Reshape Phase (Weeks 7-8): Mom Pooch Targeting, and more.
Who wrote "Get Your Abs Back"?
This book was written by Amy Daugherty and created using Inkfluence AI, an AI book generation platform that helps authors write, design, and publish books.
How can I create a similar fitness book?
You can create your own fitness book using Inkfluence AI. Describe your idea, choose your style, and the AI writes the full book for you. It's free to start.
Write your own fitness book with AI
Describe your idea and Inkfluence writes the whole thing. Free to start.
Start writingCreated with Inkfluence AI
