#88: Why Typical Ab Workouts Don’t Fix a C-Section Belly
“The body keeps the score: if the memory of trauma is not resolved, the stress hormones that the body secretes to protect itself keep circulating.”
If you’ve had a C-section and still feel like your belly hasn’t “bounced back” — even after doing crunches, planks, or “core rehab” — you’re not alone.
I know how it feels. Despite everything I knew and did — consistent training, a deep understanding of movement, and a very active lifestyle — my core just wasn’t working the way it should. That eventually led to back pain and instability I couldn’t fix with standard advice.
But here’s the truth: core function can be restored. Even years after your C-section. It will take consistency and commitment, yes — but the good news is, the right exercises are gentle, supportive, and energy-giving. Instead of draining you, they can actually support your recovery from fatigue, help rebalance your hormones, and gradually bring your energy back.
You don’t need to be superwoman. You just need the right starting point. And I’m here to show you that you can do this.
Many mums feel frustrated, ashamed, or confused when their tummy still feels loose, bloated, or disconnected months (or even years) after birth. And sadly, the standard advice they get — “do Pilates”, “just engage your core”, “try this 10-minute ab routine” — often misses the mark completely.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t your fault. It’s the system that’s broken. Most core workouts are based on aesthetic goals or athletic performance — not true functional recovery after abdominal surgery, trauma, or hormonal depletion.
It’s time to set the record straight. And more importantly — to give you tools that actually work for a post-C-section body, brain, and nervous system.
The Truth About “Bouncing Back”: Why It Feels So Hard After a C-Section
After a Caesarean, you’re not just healing a scar. You’re healing:
Severed fascial layers and nerves
Disrupted motor patterns
Trauma to the pelvic-abdominal-lumbar connection
Hormonal shifts that affect tissue healing, sleep, and metabolism
A nervous system that may still be in a state of high alert or shutdown
Yet the standard “core exercises” — like planks, sit-ups, and crunches — are built on the assumption that the foundation is already stable. That your brain knows how to recruit the deep system (transverse abdominis, pelvic floor, diaphragm, multifidus), and that your scar isn’t disrupting the signals. That your fascia isn’t sticky, your nervous system isn’t on edge, and your core is just “weak”.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
What My Body Taught Me (When Nothing Else Worked)
I started looking for answers because my body wasn’t improving.
Despite doing all the “right” things — daily core exercises, breathing drills, and everything I’d learned as a professional personal trainer — something still felt off. My core didn’t work the way I was taught it should. It felt unstable, disconnected, unpredictable. And I knew deep down: this wasn’t just about weakness.
So I went back to studying. I enrolled in more courses, reviewed the clinical research, and sought out teachers who approached the body differently. That’s when I discovered something essential — something I hadn’t been taught in any standard postnatal training:
A post-C-section core doesn’t just need strength. It needs reconnection.
TVA
Healing the core after surgery isn’t about jumping into crunches or “drawing your navel in.” It’s about addressing:
The nervous system disruptions caused by trauma and anaesthesia
The scar tissue that can block muscle activation and fascial glide
The inner unit — diaphragm, TVA, pelvic floor, multifidus — that must relearn how to work together
The hormonal shifts that affect energy, tissue repair, and stress response
Mentors like Paul Chek helped me zoom out and understand how the nervous system, movement, and energy systems all interact. But it was my own scar, my own healing, and the mums I worked with that really showed me what matters:
Before strength comes safety.
Before performance comes presence.
Before function comes felt connection.
What Needs to Come First (Before Strength)
That shift in understanding changed everything for me — and it will change it for you, too.
Instead of pushing through or adding more reps, I began to focus on what the body actually needs after a C-section: safety, reconnection, and coordination. Not just physically, but neurologically and emotionally, too.
Before we can build strength, we need to restore how the body works. That means starting from the inside with breath, with awareness, and with gentle reactivation of the deep core system.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
1. Nervous System Recalibration
After surgery or trauma, your brain may disconnect from certain areas of the body.
Rebuilding core function starts with gentle breath work, emotional safety, and nervous system regulation (Dr. Quiet).
Tools: Diaphragmatic breathing, gentle scar massage, grounding exercises, vagus nerve support.
2. Reactivation of the Inner Unit
The transverse abdominis, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and multifidus must fire together as a team — like a deep corset that stabilises from the inside out.
We don’t “train” these muscles through brute force. We remind them how to work together through subtle, precise movement.
Tools: TVA breath with leg slides, pelvic tilts with exhale, deep squat holds (supported), all with intentional breath.
3. Restore Reflexive Core Function
Once the inner unit is awake, we build timing and coordination so the deep core can activate when you move, lift, sneeze, or carry your child.
This isn’t about holding tension — it’s about trust. That your body knows what to do again.
Tools: Rolling patterns, crawling, developmental movements, gentle resistance training with core connection.
Why Planks and Crunches Don’t Work
When you jump into planks or crunches too early:
The outer abs take over (often reinforcing the “dome” shape or bulging belly)
You risk more pressure on the pelvic floor
The nervous system can tighten around trauma or overwhelm
You train tension, not function
It’s like trying to play the piano with gloves on — your fingers don’t feel the keys, and the music sounds off.
Until the deep system is reconnected, those “standard” moves won’t just feel ineffective — they can backfire.
From Rehab to Real-Life Strength
Once the foundation is rebuilt, then we progress — carefully and consciously — to full-body, functional training. This includes:
Cycle-aware movement (training differently through each menstrual phase)
Lifting with breath and core coordination
Training that supports your life (not drains it)
Because ultimately, you’re not training for abs. You’re training to:
Pick up your kids without pain
Walk, run, and move with joy
Feel strong, stable, and at home in your body again
What You Can Do Next
If you’re thinking, “That’s me — I’ve done the ab work, but something still feels off” — I see you.
And you don’t need to figure it out alone.
I’ve created a free resource to help you rebuild your core the right way — starting from the inside out. It includes:
Level 1 & Level 2 C-section safe core sequences
Guided breath and scar release exercises
Tools to calm your nervous system and reconnect your deep core
Download your free C-Section Core Recovery Guide here.
You deserve more than a flat belly. You deserve strength, safety, and connection in your body — not just someday, but now.
With Love,
Karo