Your rib cage and pelvis form the frame of your core system. When the ribs are stacked directly over the pelvis, your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor can coordinate efficiently. This alignment, often called the rib–pelvis stack or pelvic neutral, isn’t about holding a rigid or “perfect” posture — it’s about positioning your body so your core can manage pressure, support movement, and generate strength in an integrated way.

How Pregnancy Shifts Posture

During pregnancy, the growing belly and hormonal changes naturally shift posture:

• Anterior pelvic tilt is common — the pelvis tips forward, the low back arches, and the ribs often flare upward. This helps balance the growing belly but also pulls the diaphragm and pelvic floor out of alignment.
• Posterior pelvic tilt can also show up, especially late in pregnancy or postpartum, as the pelvis tucks under and the low back flattens. This can limit hip extension and create tension through the back line of the body.

Neither tilt is “bad” — they’re natural adaptations. But if rib–pelvis alignment isn’t restored postpartum or you are not consciously stacking as part of your bracing method, the core system often struggles to manage pressure effectively.

Why the Rib–Pelvis Stack Matters

When your ribs and pelvis are working together, the diaphragm and pelvic floor can once again sync with each breath, spreading pressure evenly through the core. This reduces strain on the abdominal wall and pelvic floor, makes movements like squats, hinges, and presses feel more powerful, and often eases tension in the low back, neck, and upper abs. Without this coordination, it’s common to see rib flare, coning or doming through the abdominal wall, pelvic floor tension or leakage, or just a general sense of weakness during core driven lifts.

Tips for Practicing the Stack

Restoring the stack doesn’t happen through bracing harder — it comes from small shifts and consistent practice. Focus on softening the ribs down as you exhale rather than gripping your abs, and let your breath expand into your back ribs. Engaging the hamstrings and inner thighs can also help the pelvis find its place under the ribs. Start in supported positions like a 90/90 hip lift, then gradually challenge yourself with upright, rotational, and loaded movements. Over time, this restores both movement options and balance, giving your core the adaptability it needs.

Exercises to Train the Rib–Pelvis Stack

These 8 movements progress from supported breath drills to upright and loaded positions. Each one challenges your ability to maintain the rib–pelvis stack under a different demand — breath, hinge, rotation, lateral stability, or anti-rotation.

1. Standing Wall Reach with Iso Adductors

This drill expands the back ribs while the inner thighs guide the pelvis under the ribs. By gently pressing a block or ball between your knees, you recruit the adductors to support pelvic alignment. Practicing this in a standing position makes it easier to carry rib–pelvis stacking into daily life like standing, walking, or picking up your baby.

2. 90/90 Hip Lift with Banded Reach

Here, the hamstrings gently pull the pelvis into alignment while the reach expands the ribs and restores diaphragm–pelvic floor coordination. This drill is foundational for pressure management and regaining core coordination postpartum, making it one of the best starting points for practicing the stack.

3. Rockback with Adductor Squeeze

With a block or ball between your knees, the adductors activate to support pelvic floor alignment. As you shift back into the rockback, you practice keeping your ribs and pelvis stacked while moving into a hinge. This creates a supported way to prep for bigger movements like squats and deadlifts.

4. Tall Kneeling Halo (with optional Block Squeeze)

Circling a weight around your head forces your core to resist tipping or arching. Adding a block between your knees brings the pelvis under the ribs, while the halo challenges you to maintain the stack as your arms move overhead. This is an excellent way to practice dynamic rib–pelvis control under rotation and load.

5. Tall Kneeling 1-Arm Press with Iso Pulldown

In this variation, one arm presses overhead while the other pulls against a band. You can hold the band in place or progress to a dynamic variation (shown) The pulldown anchors the ribs and prevents flaring, helping you maintain stacking while pressing. It’s a powerful way to build overhead strength while keeping your core and pelvic floor engaged.

6. Side Plank with Forward Reach

The side plank demands stability from the obliques and deep core. Reaching forward integrates the serratus and reinforces rib–pelvis alignment against gravity. This teaches your body to stay stacked laterally, an essential skill for carrying, running, and athletic movement.

7. Tall Kneeling Pallof Press

The Pallof press challenges the rib–pelvis stack in an anti-rotation context. Pressing a band forward while resisting being pulled off balance forces your core to stabilize without shifting the ribs or pelvis. It’s directly transferable to running, carrying, and lifting with stability.

8. Dumbbell 90/90 Pullover

This more advanced drill integrates the lats and core while you move weight overhead. The challenge is to keep the ribs from flaring as the arms reach back, reinforcing stacking under load. It’s a great way to prepare for overhead lifts with better core coordination.

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The Bottom Line

Training the rib–pelvis stack isn’t about perfect posture — it’s about restoring the foundation of your core system. These drills teach you to align ribs and pelvis, integrate breath, and maintain that coordination under real-life movement and load. With consistent practice, you’ll notice better pressure management, stronger lifts, and less tension through your low back and pelvic floor.

Ready to Rebuild Your Core with a Proven Plan?

Your core is more than just your abs — it’s your diaphragm, ribs, pelvis, glutes, and adductors working together. When those pieces are reconnected and strengthened in the right order, you unlock better pressure management, pelvic floor support, and full-body strength that carries into lifting, running, and everyday life.

That’s exactly what my new 3-Phase Core Program inside the Lift with Emily app is designed to do.
➡️ Phase 1: Core Foundations — reconnect and restore after pregnancy
➡️ Phase 2: Core Rebuild — progress into dynamic strength and stability
➡️ Phase 3: Core Advanced — build power and resilience for lifting, running, and beyond

You don’t have to figure it out alone or guess which exercises are right for you. This program gives you the step-by-step roadmap, coaching cues, and progressive workouts to carry you from recovery all the way back to strength and performance.

📲 Start today with your 7-day FREE trial inside the Lift with Emily app — and see what your core is truly capable of.