When most people think about postpartum core work, they think breathing exercises and deep core rehav. And yes — all of that matters. But there’s one piece of the puzzle that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: your oblique sling systems.

These diagonal muscular chains are the backbone of real world strength. They connect your upper body to your lower body, coordinate movement across multiple planes and underpin almost everything you do as a new mom, from carrying your baby on one hip to eventually getting back to lifting, running, and high intensity training.

If you’ve been doing your core rehab but still feel disconnected, unstable, or like your strength isn’t quite translating into daily life, then this might be exactly what you’re missing.

What are the oblique sling systems?

Your core is not a single group of muscles. It’s a system: a series of interconnected chains that work together to create stability, generate power and transfer force efficiently through your body.

The oblique slings are two of the most important of these chains. They run diagonally across your body and link your upper and lower body in ways that allow you to rotate, stabilise and move with coordination.

The anterior oblique sling connects the external oblique on one side with the opposite internal oblique and adductors (inner thigh). This chain controls rotation and anti-rotation, manages intra-abdominal pressure, and keeps your pelvis stable during weight transfer and gait. Every time you walk, rotate, or brace against a load, your anterior sling is working.

The posterior oblique sling connects the latissimus dorsi (upper back) on one side with the opposite gluteus maximus, linked by the thoracolumbar fascia. This chain drives hip extension, supports the sacroiliac (SI) joint, and transfers force between the upper and lower body during lifting, walking, and running. If you’ve ever experienced low back, hip, or SI joint pain postpartum, a disrupted posterior sling could be part of the picture.

Why postpartum changes everything

During pregnancy, your body goes through significant structural and neuromuscular changes. Your abdominal wall lengthens and stretches. Your posture shifts. Your pelvis becomes more mobile to prepare for birth. All of this affects the way your sling systems function, not just their strength, but their coordination too.

This is why so many women feel “disconnected” from their core postpartum, even after doing all the right rehab work. The deep core might be activating, but the bigger diagonal chains haven’t been retrained yet. The cross-body connection is still missing.

And this is just one piece of a much bigger picture. Rebuilding core strength postpartum is genuinely complex, there are so many layers to it. Your breathing mechanics, your deep core, your pelvic floor, your movement patterns, your load management. All of it matters and all of it takes time. The oblique slings aren’t a shortcut or a fix-all. They’re simply another important layer that often gets overlooked, and one that can make a real difference when the foundations are already in place.

Rebuilding the oblique slings postpartum can help you:

• Restore cross body core coordination — retraining the neuromuscular connection between your upper and lower body that pregnancy disrupted
• Reduce pain — strong, coordinated slings distribute load more evenly, reducing strain on your low back, hips, and SI joint
• Support pelvic floor and diastasis healing — sling engagement helps manage intra-abdominal pressure and improves tension through the linea alba
• Build the foundation for returning to impact — before running, HIIT, or heavy lifting, sling function gives your body the resilience it needs to handle load efficiently

How to train your oblique slings postpartum

The key with sling training is that it’s integrated. These exercises don’t just isolate one muscle — they challenge the diagonal connection across your whole system, layering in breath, core control, and full-body coordination.

Here are seven of my favourite drills:

1. Deadbug cross connect A foundational anterior sling drill that teaches your body to resist rotation and extension while maintaining a stable spine. Lying on your back, the cross-body connection between your opposite arm and leg directly challenges the obliques and adductors to co-contract — exactly the pattern the anterior sling is built for. Focus on keeping your lower back gently pressed into the floor and breathing out as you extend, letting the exhale drive your core engagement rather than bracing hard.

2. Diagonal pullover with iso adductors This exercise directly loads the anterior oblique sling by combining an overhead pull with sustained inner thigh activation. Squeezing the adductors isometrically whilst moving the arms creates tension across the whole diagonal chain simultaneously — something most isolation exercises simply can’t replicate. It’s a brilliant drill for reconnecting the upper and lower body and improving how your system manages intra-abdominal pressure under load.

3. Side lying hip lift to row One of the most effective posterior sling exercises available because it challenges both ends of the chain at once. The hip lift loads the glute whilst the row brings the lat into play, training these two muscles — which sit on opposite sides of the body — to work in coordination. This is exactly how the posterior sling functions in real life, making it highly transferable to lifting, carrying, and daily movement patterns.

4. Progression: DNS star plank with row: Once you’ve built the foundational posterior sling connection, the DNS star plank with row takes it to another level. The star plank position demands full-body diagonal tension just to maintain — the posterior sling is working hard to hold the position before the row even begins. Adding the row then explicitly loads the lat whilst the opposite glute is already firing, making the cross-body connection significantly more demanding.

5. 90/90 SL hamstring bridge with pulldown Single leg bridging already demands significant posterior sling engagement to keep the pelvis level and stable. Adding the pulldown brings the lats into the picture, completing the posterior chain connection and significantly increasing the cross-body demand. This combination is particularly valuable postpartum for rebuilding pelvic stability and reestablishing the neuromuscular link between your upper back and your glutes.

6. LM single leg deadlift One of the most functional posterior sling exercises you can do. The offset load of the landmine combined with the unilateral stance means your lats, glute, and thoracolumbar fascia must all work together to control the movement and keep your pelvis level — mirroring exactly how the posterior sling functions during walking, running, and lifting in everyday life. Progress slowly here, prioritising control and connection over load.

7. Split squat with rotational row An excellent drill for building rotational power through both slings simultaneously. The split squat creates an asymmetrical, stable base that challenges pelvic control and single leg strength, whilst the rotational row drives force through the posterior chain — lats, opposite glute, and thoracolumbar fascia — in a diagonal pattern that directly mirrors how the slings function during real-life movement. The deceleration phase of the rotation also demands anterior sling control, making this a rare exercise that meaningfully loads both chains in a single movement. A brilliant choice for bridging the gap between rehab and more dynamic, powerful training.

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8. Inverted row with hip flexion A powerful posterior sling drill that creates a clear diagonal demand through the whole system. The row drives lat engagement whilst the simultaneous hip flexion activates the opposite side of the chain — challenging your body to coordinate upper and lower body movement across the diagonal in the same way the posterior sling functions during real-life lifting and gait. It also requires significant trunk control to prevent the hips dropping or rotating, making it as much a core stability exercise as a strength one. A brilliant choice for rebuilding that upper-to-lower body connection postpartum.

The bigger picture

Core rehab after having a baby is about more than just healing. It’s about rebuilding a body that feels connected, strong, and capable — one that can handle the physical demands of motherhood and eventually return to the training you love. But that process has many layers, and it rarely follows a straight line. The deep core work, the breathing, the pelvic floor rehab, all of it matters. The oblique slings are simply the next layer that many women reach for too late, or miss entirely.

The oblique slings are the bridge between early rehab and real-world strength. They’re what takes you to “my whole body is working together.” Training them isn’t about adding complexity for its own sake, it’s about making sure your body is actually connected, from top to bottom, front to back, left to right. That connection is what makes lifting feel easier, running feel more controlled, and daily movement feel less like effort.

There’s no single exercise, system, or approach that fixes everything postpartum. But building strength that works across your whole system, not just the parts you can see or feel in isolation, is what sets a strong foundation for everything that comes after. That’s where real strength starts. And that’s exactly where the slings come in.

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Ready to train your whole system? All of these exercises — and a full progressive program — are inside the Lift with Emily App. Start your 7-day free trial today.