Free up your ribcage, improve expansion, and build better core coordination

Postpartum recovery isn’t just about regaining core strength — it’s about rebuilding how your system moves and coordinates. One area that’s often overlooked is rib mobility.

Your ribcage plays a crucial role in how you breathe, stabilise, and generate strength. During pregnancy, your ribs naturally expand and flare to make space for your growing baby. That adaptation is completely normal, but it often leaves lingering changes in posture, breathing patterns, and core coordination once the baby arrives.

When the ribcage stays lifted or “stuck” postpartum, it limits how well the diaphragm and pelvic floor can communicate. Breathing becomes shallow and chest-dominant, the upper abs tense up to create stability, and the lower ribs lose their ability to expand laterally or posteriorly (toward the sides and back). Over time, this can make it harder to connect to your deep core, manage pressure, and build strength efficiently.

Many postpartum women focus on strengthening their abs but skip restoring rib and thoracic mobility — which is what allows the core, breath, and pelvic floor to actually work together again.

Why Back and Lateral Expansion Matters

When we talk about “breathing into your ribs,” most people imagine inflating the belly or chest. But true 360 breathing involves expansion into the sides and back of the ribcage.

That lateral and posterior movement creates space for the diaphragm to descend fully and the pelvic floor to respond naturally to pressure. Without it, breath stays front loaded, the spine stiffens, and the system compensates with tension — usually in the upper abs, lower back, or hips.

Restoring rib mobility and expansion means your breath can move where it’s meant to go. It improves posture, core coordination, and even how you load and lift.

To do this effectively, we move through three layers of training:

• Mobility — creating space through breath and movement
• Integration — linking the ribs, core, and pelvis through coordination
• Strength — maintaining rib-pelvis connection under load

1. MOBILITY — Creating Space for Expansion

Before building strength or coordination, the body needs to move well. This stage focuses on opening space through the ribs, spine, and lateral line, allowing for better breathing mechanics.

Banded Open Book Stretch

This variation restores rotation through the upper back and helps the ribs glide smoothly with breath.
By anchoring the lower body and reaching the top arm across, you promote mobility through the thoracic spine — a key factor in releasing rib stiffness. The added band creates gentle tension, encouraging deeper expansion into the side and back ribs. Over time, this reduces upper ab gripping and improves ease of breath.

Benefit: Restores rotational mobility and encourages posterior rib expansion, helping you breathe more evenly and reduce tension through the upper trunk.

Reach Roll Lift

A classic mobility drill that combines shoulder, thoracic, and rib movement.
As you reach, roll, and lift your arm, the ribcage rotates and expands — creating a natural rhythm between breath and movement. The lift phase activates the upper back and encourages opening through the lats and intercostals, which are often tight postpartum.

Benefit: Improves rib-through-spine motion and thoracic extension, enhancing the ability to expand and rotate the ribs for better breath mechanics.

Lateral Line Stretch

This stretch targets the entire side body — the obliques, lats, and intercostal muscles that support rib movement. By lengthening the lateral line, you create space for expansion into areas that are typically compressed during pregnancy or prolonged sitting/feeding postures.

Benefit: Encourages 360° expansion through the ribs and improves spinal mobility, making it easier to stack ribs over pelvis and access deeper breathing.

2. INTEGRATION — Linking Breath, Core, and Upper Back

Once movement is available, the next step is teaching your body how to use it. Integration drills connect the ribs, adductors, and lats — key players in stabilising your system.

Supine 90/90 Breathing with Block Squeeze + Isometric Pulldown

In this position, your ribs and pelvis are aligned, allowing the diaphragm and pelvic floor to work together.
The adductor squeeze activates the inner thighs to stabilise the pelvis, while the isometric pulldown engages the lats and obliques. Breathing into your back and sides teaches the body to expand and contract through the full ribcage.

Benefit: Reinforces rib-pelvis stacking, strengthens the deep core system, and improves coordination between breath, lats, and adductors.

Short Lever Side Plank with Rotation

This modified side plank blends lateral core stability with rotational control. As you exhale and rotate, the ribs close and the obliques engage to support the spine. The shorter lever position (knees bent) makes it accessible in the earlier postpartum stage while still challenging coordination.

Benefit: Builds rotational control and lateral stability through the obliques and serratus, helping you maintain rib alignment during more dynamic movements.

Half-Kneeling Chop

A cross body integration exercise that links the upper and lower body through a diagonal line of tension.
The movement requires the ribs to stay stacked over the pelvis as you rotate, teaching you to manage pressure and resist unwanted movement. It’s a great bridge between foundational breath work and strength training.

Benefit: Trains anti-rotation strength and rib control, enhancing functional stability for lifting and daily movement.

3. STRENGTH — Maintaining the Stack Under Load

The final step is translating your improved rib mobility and coordination into strength work. These drills teach your system to stay connected under resistance and load, which is the key to sustainable strength.

Short-Seated One-Arm Pulldown with Reach

In this position, you maintain a stacked posture while engaging the lats and anterior core. The reach encourages the ribs to stay closed and connected, while the pulldown builds strength through the back and obliques.

Benefit: Reinforces rib control during loaded pulling patterns and strengthens the core-lat connection crucial for stabilising under heavier lifts.

Landmine Press with Rotation

This press variation combines power and control. The landmine path allows a natural arc that mimics functional reaching, while the half-kneeling setup demands rib-pelvis alignment. The reach/rotation keeps the ribs integrated as you press, preventing flaring or overextension.

Benefit: Trains strength, stability, and pressure management through the full system — perfect for progressing toward overhead or rotational work postpartum.

The Takeaway

Rebuilding your core isn’t about endless ab exercises — it’s about restoring the movement system that supports your breath, posture, and strength.

When you free up your ribcage and restore lateral and posterior expansion, you reconnect the pieces: ribs, diaphragm, core, and pelvis. That connection translates to stronger lifts, easier breathing, better posture, and a body that moves — and feels — like it’s working as one.

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