Session 8: Building Endurance | Postpartum Core Restore

Session 8 · Rebuild

Building Endurance

✦ Phase 2: Rebuild ⏱ 18 min All levels
Program progressSession 8 of 16

Today’s session: 6 moves

Illustration of Extended Bird Dog Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Extended Bird Dog

4 min

Come to all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Find your neutral spine. Exhale, engage your TVA and pelvic floor. Extend your right arm forward and left leg back simultaneously. Hold for 3 seconds, keeping your hips level and spine stable. Return slowly. Repeat on the other side. 8 extensions each side. Focus on quality: a wobbly 3-second hold is better than a shaky 10-second one. Doming check: Watch your belly for sagging or doming. If either appears, reduce to single limb extensions or shorten the hold.

Illustration of Glute Bridge March Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Glute Bridge March

3 min

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift into a glute bridge (hips lifted, straight line from shoulders to knees). From the bridge position, exhale and slowly lift your right foot 5cm off the floor, keeping your hips level. Hold for 2 seconds. Lower your foot. Repeat with the left. 6 lifts each leg. Your hips should not drop or tilt when you lift a foot. If they do, the exercise is too advanced; return to standard glute bridges. Doming check: Watch your midline in the bridge position and during each march. If you see doming, return to standard glute bridges without the marching.

Illustration of Wall Push-Ups Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Wall Push-Ups

3 min

Stand facing the wall, arm’s length away. Hands at shoulder height, slightly wider than shoulders. Inhale, bend elbows, lower chest toward wall. Exhale, engage TVA and push back. Repeat 10 times. If the previous 8 felt easy, these 10 should feel like a gentle progression. Keep your body in one straight line throughout. Doming check: Check your midline at the bottom of each push-up. If doming appears, step closer to the wall.

Illustration of Standing Cat-Cow Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Standing Cat-Cow

2 min

Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on your thighs, knees slightly bent. Inhale: arch your spine gently, lifting your chest and looking slightly upward (Cow). Exhale: round your spine, tucking your chin and drawing your belly button gently inward (Cat). Repeat 10 times. This is the same spinal mobility as the seated version, but standing adds a gentle balance challenge. Doming check: Watch your midline during the Cat (rounding) phase. If doming appears, reduce the range.

Illustration of Pelvic Floor Coordination Drill Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Pelvic Floor Coordination Drill

3 min

Lie on your back, knees bent. This drill combines slow holds and quick flicks. Start with 5 slow contractions: exhale, lift your pelvic floor to 60% effort, hold for 5 seconds, release fully. Then do 10 quick flicks: rapid engage-release, 1 second each. Rest for 10 seconds. Repeat the entire sequence 3 times. This trains both the slow-twitch (endurance) and fast-twitch (reflexive) fibres of your pelvic floor.

Illustration of Constructive Rest Pilates exercise, Pink Pilates Club

Constructive Rest

3 min

Knees bent, feet wider than hips, knees falling together. Arms by your sides, palms up. Close your eyes and breathe naturally. Let your body absorb the work. You have earned this rest. Stay for 2 full minutes.

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Pink Pilates Tip

Doming check: watch your midline during every exercise. If you see a ridge or bulge, stop and reduce the difficulty.

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