When we talk about core strength, most people think of ab exercises. But a strong core isn’t just about how your abs look or how long you can hold a plank — it’s also about how well you can control movement through your thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (low-back) spine.

Postpartum, this control often gets disrupted. Pregnancy naturally changes posture, breathing patterns, and ribcage positioning. The growing belly can increase lumbar extension (arched low back) while restricting thoracic mobility (rib expansion and rotation). After birth, sleep deprivation, feeding positions, and repetitive baby-carrying can reinforce these compensations.

Why does this matter?

• Too much movement in the lumbar spine often shows up as low back pain, pelvic floor strain, or doming through the abs.
• Too little movement in the thoracic spine limits rib expansion, rotation, and pressure management—making the abs and pelvic floor grip harder.
• Dissociation and control between pelvis and spine help your system share load efficiently, reducing symptoms and making you stronger in lifts, running, and daily life.

Training control across flexion, extension, rotation, lateral flexion, dissociation, and anti-rotation gives your body the foundation it needs to move well, protect the spine, and restore core-pelvic function postpartum.

Flexion Control

Being able to flex the spine under control (instead of collapsing) helps manage pressure in the abdominal wall and pelvic floor. Many postpartum women compensate by “gripping” abs or overusing hip flexors instead of smoothly rounding the spine. Restoring segmental flexion teaches the system to share load across the ribcage and pelvis.

Exercise: Cat Cow with Band Feedback
Benefits: The band provides tactile feedback, helping you move vertebra by vertebra instead of hinging from one spot. Practicing controlled spinal flexion/extension restores awareness and teaches your abs to coordinate with breath, reducing coning and improving mobility.

Extension Control

Controlled spinal extension builds strength and endurance in the posterior chain without collapsing into the lumbar spine. This is essential postpartum, as many develop swayback posture or over-rely on their low back.

Exercise: Prone Swimmers
Benefits: Strengthens spinal extensors and improves scapular control while keeping the lumbar spine neutral. Builds mid-back endurance needed for posture during feeding, carrying, and lifting without stressing the low back.

Rotation

Healthy thoracic rotation allows for better rib expansion, pressure management and efficient load transfer. Without it, the lumbar spine often twists too much, creating strain. Postpartum, limited rotation can show up as stiffness, poor pressure management, or discomfort with twisting.

Exercise: Thread the Needle (Banded Rotation)
Benefits: Teaches controlled thoracic rotation while the lumbar spine stays stable. Restores ribcage mobility, improves breathing patterns, and supports rotational demands like running or reaching without overusing the low back. Adding in an adductor stretch to this one!

Lateral Flexion

Side bending is often forgotten but essential. It trains the obliques and QL, supports rib-pelvis stacking, and improves pressure control. Postpartum, lack of lateral control often shows up as hip hiking or pelvic shifting.

Exercise: Half-Kneeling Windmill
Benefits: Trains lateral flexion while maintaining rib-to-pelvis connection. Strengthens obliques, glutes, and lats together, which improves stability in single leg tasks and reduces pelvic floor strain during loaded movements.

Dissociation (Pelvis vs. Spine)

Learning to move the hips without dragging the spine along (and vice versa) is crucial for pelvic and core recovery. Without dissociation, the lumbar spine often absorbs movement that should come from the hips, overloading the back and pelvic floor.

Exercise: Quadruped Hip Circles with Spine Control
Benefits: Teaches the pelvis to move independently while the ribcage and spine stay stacked. Improves hip mobility without stressing the low back—helpful for squats, lunges, and daily bending tasks.

Exercise: Deadbug with Wall Push
Benefits: Builds rib-pelvis dissociation while reinforcing deep core stability. The wall push activates serratus and lats to “lock down” the ribs, while the legs move without doming or collapsing the spine.

Anti-Rotation / Stability

It’s not just about creating movement — it’s also about resisting it. Postpartum, deep core stability often needs retraining to handle the demands of carrying, lifting, and twisting without strain. Anti-rotation drills teach your body to stay strong when forces try to pull it out of alignment.

Exercise: Bear Position Shoulder Taps
Benefits: Builds the ability to resist rotation and extension while shifting weight from one side to the other. Strengthens deep core muscles, integrates rib-pelvis alignment, and mimics the stability needed for daily activities like carrying a baby, pushing a stroller, or lifting groceries.

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Key Takeaway

Thoracic and lumbar control is a key part of your core and pelvic floor recovery. By retraining movement and stability across flexion, extension, rotation, lateral flexion, dissociation, and anti-rotation, you restore balance to the system. This reduces back pain, improves pressure management, and makes every lift, run, or daily movement feel stronger and more supported.

Want step-by-step progressions to restore your core? Check out the Core Rebuild program inside the Lift with Emily App—designed to move you from foundational drills to full-strength training.