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Jenny Devonshire | Pregnancy & Postpartum Fitness

@jennycdevonshire

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Helping mums feel strong, confident & pain free through pregnancy, postpartum & beyond.
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I wish more pregnant women knew their inner thighs are a vital part of their pelvic support system.

When we talk about the “core” in pregnancy, most people think of the abs and maybe the pelvic floor.

Your adductors, the muscles along your inner thighs, also play a key role.

They work with your glutes, obliques and deep core to keep your pelvis steady as you walk, climb stairs, get out of the car and stand on one leg to get dressed.

Together they create the tension that supports your pelvis.

In pregnancy, your posture shifts as your baby grows, your muscles are asked to provide more of the support.

This is often when pelvic girdle pain, SPD or that catching pain at the back of the pelvis shows up.

Weak or poorly coordinated adductors are common in women with pelvic girdle pain.

This is why I always incorporate adductor work with my pregnant and postpartum clients. We strengthen these muscles so they can work in coordination with the glutes, pelvic floor and core.

This exercises start from beginner to more advanced, I will do another post about how to introduce adductor work into your routine but if you’d like my free guide on adductor training, comment or DM the word PELVIS and I’ll send it to you. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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a day ago

Of course, there is no such thing as an ‘easy’ labour!

We can’t control what happens during birth, it is best to go into it without attachment to a certain kind of birth. Things can happen that are out of our control.

But, there are things we can do to give us the best chance of a smooth labour.

As they say, control the controllables.

Worst-case scenario, they don’t help, they certainly won’t do any harm.

Deep Squats
- Creating space in the top of the pelvis.

1/2 Kneeling Hip Opener
Standing Hip Shift
Adductor Rockback with Thoracic Rotation
- Open the mid pelvis, stretch the front quadrant of the pelvic floor

Quadruped Hip Shifts
Standing Hip Shifts
- Release posterior pelvic floor to help baby rotate

Back Expansion with Internal Rotation
- Helps to release tight back and posterior pelvic floor. Opens the bottom of the pelvis.

Banded IR
B-Stance Deadlift with IR
- We want strength, not just stretching so we can access IR during labour.

90/90 Camel Stretch
- Stretch you hip flexors and lats helps with pelvic mobility. Lengthening the lats helps release the lower back so the tailbone can lift and allow the baby to pass. The pelvoic floor and our hip flexors are linked, releasing the hip flexors helps to release a tight pelvic floor. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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2 days ago

You might have been told you need to relax or engage your pelvic floor. You’re trying your best, but you’ve no idea if you’re actually doing it properly.

Here’s a really quick test you can do yourself to check whether you can release and engage.
 Lie on your back. Place your fingers just on the inside of your sitting bones. You can do one side at a time, or both together if that feels comfortable. Try to relax completely.

Inhale: release Breathe into the sides and back of your ribcage, then send that breath down into your pelvic floor. You’re feeling for a gentle, gradual pressure into your fingers as your pelvic floor releases.

Watch out for bearing down. That’s a sudden, forceful push into your fingers rather than a soft release. If that happens, slow your breath down and let it be more gradual.

Exhale: engage Imagine stopping yourself going to the toilet and passing wind. It’s a gentle, gradual lift, and you should feel the pressure on your fingers slowly ease away.

Watch out for your sitting bones squeezing together or lots of pressure at the back of your pelvis. If you notice this, relax a little more and try to find that internal engagement without clenching your glutes.

Hopefully this gives you a bit more feedback on what’s going on down there. If you’re still struggling, I would always recommend seeing a pelvic health physio if that’s an option.

If not, I will be doing some more posts on this topic but feel free to drop me a DM with specific questions. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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3 days ago

I know what you’re thinking, I should have been an actress. Waiting for RADA to get in touch.

We’re constantly told to do our Kegels, to contract our pelvic floor more but for some people, the issue might be a hypertonic pelvic floor (holding too much tension), and more clenching can make symptoms worse.

If you’re worried about leaking, it’s easy to start tensing more in anticipation.

Sometimes letting go is what you need instead.

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles, and like every muscle in the body, it needs to relax and contract. If it gets stuck in a tense state, it can’t function well.

If it gets overworked, it gets fatigued. A bit like holding a bicep curl 💪 for hours and then finding it hard to pick up even a light object.

Some signs associated with a tight pelvic floor:

* Bladder urgency, or feeling like you need the toilet constantly
* Leaking when running, jumping or sneezing
* Constipation, because the pelvic floor won’t relax to let stools pass
* A tense jaw
* Clenching through the glutes
* Painful intercourse
* Lower back pain, tailbone pain or SI joint issues

There’s a time and a place for Kegels, but we also need to learn to relax and let go. I’ll be sharing some techniques to help you release your pelvic floor, telling someone to relax isn’t helpful if they don’t know how. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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8 days ago

Are you stretching all parts of your pelvic floor? Many people only focus on deep squats but these miss the back quadrants.

Front (anterior) pelvic floor
 Bilateral movements, using both sides at once, such as a deep squat target the anterior pelvic floor.

For something more relaxing, lie on the floor with your hips on a block and let your legs fall open to the sides, a bit like a frog.

In these positions, stick your bum out slightly so you’re in an anterior tilt. Breathe down into your pelvic floor, really sending the breath into that area, then let it release as you exhale. We’re not trying to engage here, just breathing in and letting go.

Back (posterior) pelvic floor
 For the back of the pelvic floor, we want a rounded spine and internal rotation through the hips. Hero’s pose is a great option. Sit upright with your knees in and feet out, or lie forward as I’ve shown in the video. Again, breathe in, then relax as you exhale.

Thinking in quadrants
 Most of us also have some imbalances, so it’s more useful to think of the pelvic floor in 4 quadrants: right and left, anterior (front) and posterior (back).

Because of typical pregnancy posture, it’s likely your left posterior and right anterior pelvic floor will be tighter, while the other two are a little lengthened. Single-sided stretches help us address this.

This half kneeling hip opener stretches the front of the pelvic floor. With your left leg forward or out to the side, you’re stretching the left side, and vice versa.

Hip shifts with your tailbone tucked under stretch the back of the pelvic floor on the side you’re shifting towards, the side that’s on the block.

You can play around with these bilateral stretches and see if you notice a difference between your sides.

I hope these help you feel a stretch in your pelvic floor, let me know if you give them a go. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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6 days ago

Myofascial release for the pelvic floor 🤍

If you keep stretching, stretching, stretching, or you’re trying to let go of your pelvic floor but finding it really difficult, you might want to try a bit of myofascial release. It helps work on the areas surrounding the pelvic floor, along with a little bit of trigger point work.

I’ve got both a foam roller and a ball here. For the ball, you could use a lacrosse ball, although that might be a little intense. A tennis ball is much softer, or a Yoga Tune Up ball is the Goldilocks, the just right.

The foam roller is the softer option. I wouldn’t use a knobbly one like mine, but I don’t have the softer ones so I will power through.

Either in a squat or with your legs extended, work side to side and forwards and backwards into the perineum.

That might be enough for you. But if you want a more targeted release, use the ball in the area between your sitting bone and your tailbone, and again, work around on it.

The key here is making sure you can relax and really breathe into it. If you’re holding even more tension, or having to really hold yourself there because it feels too intense, back off, because it won’t help. We need to be able to relax in each position so our body can let go a little bit.

Once you’ve finished these releases, go back to trying your stretches.

And if you don’t know how to stretch, I’m doing another post all about stretches to target the different quadrants of your pelvic floor: front, back, left and right (anterior, posterior, right and left).

We want to target each of these, not just one portion. So make sure you stay tuned for the next one! by @jennycdevonshire

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7 days ago

We’re constantly told to do our Kegels, to contract our pelvic floor more but for some people, the issue might be a hypertonic pelvic floor (holding too much tension), and more clenching can make symptoms worse.

If you’re worried about leaking, it’s easy to start tensing more in anticipation.

Sometimes letting go is what you need instead.

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles, and like every muscle in the body, it needs to relax and contract. If it gets stuck in a tense state, it can’t function well.

If it gets overworked, it gets fatigued. A bit like holding a bicep curl 💪 for hours and then finding it hard to pick up even a light object.

Some signs associated with a tight pelvic floor:

* Bladder urgency, or feeling like you need the toilet constantly
* Leaking when running, jumping or sneezing
* Constipation, because the pelvic floor won’t relax to let stools pass
* A tense jaw
* Clenching through the glutes
* Painful intercourse
* Lower back pain, tailbone pain or SI joint issues

There’s a time and a place for Kegels, but we also need to learn to relax and let go. I’ll be sharing some techniques to help you release your pelvic floor, telling someone to relax isn’t helpful if they don’t know how. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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8 days ago

Don’t want to give up hip thrusts during pregnancy? You don’t have to.

Many women find they can keep doing standard hip thrusts right through pregnancy.

Simply placing the bar on your thighs rather than across your hips can keep things comfortable.

But as your bump grows, you might find even that starts to feel awkward, so here are some options:

1️⃣ Bumper plates Using bumper plates raises the bar slightly, making it easier to get underneath. Start with your feet a little further away, then walk them back once you’re in position. You’ll probably need to reduce your range of movement but still a great way to work your glutes. It is a bit of a faff to set up, though!

2️⃣ Smith machine I love the Smith machine because there’s no loading and unloading the bar, which makes life much easier, especially with heavier weights. I found elevating my feet gave me a bit more range. Again, keep the bar lower, on your thighs rather than your hips.

3️⃣ Resistance band Play around with the strength of your band. Anchor it under your feet, or, if your gym setup allows, anchor it either side of you and get underneath (this is actually the better version). You can also add dumbbells, which is great if a dumbbell alone isn’t heavy enough.

4️⃣ B-stance landmine hip thrust A great alternative. The B-stance works mainly the side holding the landmine, while your other foot gives you more stability than a full single-leg variation.

5️⃣ Single-leg hip thrust Place the weight on one thigh and lift up into a single-leg hip thrust. If you’re dealing with any SI joint pain, this one might not be for you.

And of course, all of these can be done with just your bodyweight. Increase your reps until you feel close to failure, and you’ll still get the benefits without worrying about external load. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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9 days ago

The balloon test is a great way to assess your ability to manage abdominal pressure.

Intra-abdominal pressure is the pressure within the core canister. When you manage it effectively, you create stability, like an unopened drink can. When we aren’t able to manage pressure effectively, we can experience symptoms such as leaking, coning or pelvic floor issues.

Postural changes during pregnancy impact our ability to manage pressure. This won’t necessarily resolve postpartum, so we need to consciously reestablish postural alignment and breathing mechanics to manage pressure effectively.

This balloon test helps address alignment, provides resistance to work against, and highlights compensations in your breathing strategy.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your feet at 90 degrees, press your feet into the wall, and drag downward without moving your feet (this helps switch on your proximal hamstrings, which help bring your pelvis into alignment).

Place the balloon between your lips, tongue gently pressed into the roof of your mouth to keep the balloon in position,

Take a deep breath in through your nose, try to breathe into the sides and back of the ribcage (reaching arms forwards will help with this).

Slowly exhale into the balloon; your stomach muscles should draw inward and your ribs down rather than your belly bulging.

Inhale through your nose and repeat 5-6 breaths.

If you notice your belly bulging, try a slower exhale and think about lifting up from your pelvic floor rather than pushing outward. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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10 days ago

Another quick workout for those busy days when you’re juggling work, kids and general life.

I love a full-body circuit that also gives you a bit of a cardio workout.

It’s not the best way to build muscle, but if you’re short on time and want to raise your heart rate while still strengthening your muscles, this is a great little circuit.

Do 10 reps of each:
1. Thrusters
2. Bent-over row
3. Lateral lunge to curtsy with bicep curl
4. Deadlift
5. Side bend
6. Hamstring bridge

Keep going for as many rounds as you can fit into the time you have.

You can also use this as an exercise snack: do one round between other tasks and repeat throughout the day.

Save this for the next time you need a bit of inspo for when you’re short on time. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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12 days ago

Want to get stronger at home without buying more and more weights? 🏋️‍♀️

So many mums tell me this is their problem. Weights take up loads of room, and as you get stronger you need heavier ones, so it never ends. You could just add more reps, but that gets boring fast and your sessions get longer and longer.

Instead, try making the exercise itself more challenging. Here are four squat progressions, from easiest to hardest:

1. Kickstand squat Come onto the ball of one foot and keep most of your weight in the front leg. It’s almost a single leg squat, but with a little support from the back foot, and it’s great for balance too. Do it with body weight or go straight to adding load.

2. Bulgarian split squat Elevate your back foot on a sofa, chair or anything you’ve got around the house. Keep as much weight on the front leg as possible, as the back leg is just there for balance. Lower down, aiming your back knee towards the floor, then stand up tall. Add load when you’re ready.

3. Skater squat This one is purely single leg. Stand on one leg and bend down, aiming the floating knee towards the floor, then press back up to standing without using that leg to help. Hold onto something for balance if you need to, but try not to pull yourself up with your hand. Keep the work in the leg. Once body weight feels easy, add load.

4. Pistol squat The most challenging of all. Bring your other leg out in front and lower down as far as you can. This is a very advanced exercise and may not suit you if you have knee issues. To make it more manageable, you can: • Hold a resistance band anchored in front of you to take some weight off • Lower onto a chair or sofa, choosing lower targets as you get stronger • Reduce the range until you’ve built the strength to go deeper

So there you go: four ways to up the challenge on your squats and keep getting stronger, no extra weights needed. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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13 days ago

Lower back or SI joint pain, on one side or both?

It might be pelvic mobility you need to focus on, rather than more stretching.

Your lumbar spine isn’t designed to rotate very much. Its main jobs are flexion and extension (bending forwards and back).

Problems start when we lose rotation through the thoracic spine (upper back), which often happens postpartum, or when we lose movement at the sacrum.

The SI joint only has a small amount of mobility, but it plays a big role in guiding movement. When the sacrum can’t move, or gets stuck in a rotated position because of asymmetry (again, really common postpartum), the lumbar spine compensates.

That’s often where pain shows up, usually around L5–S1. This is also the area where disc herniations and injuries tend to happen. That’s not to worry you, it’s just something to be aware of.

To take pressure off this area, we want to focus on pelvic mobility. Here are some drills to get you started:

1️⃣ All-fours hip shift Hip shifting gives you more movement at the hip joint. It also reduces tension in the back of the glutes and the deep hip external rotators, so the pelvis can move.
 • Place a yoga block under one knee. Use a folded towel if the block feels too high. • Shift your weight over to the block side, without twisting at the waist. • Keeping your weight there, lift the opposite knee up and down slightly, 15 times.

2️⃣ Flexion and extension in the shift Stay in the shift and tuck your tailbone under into flexion. Take a breath in and a full exhale. Then reverse it: think about shining your sitting bones to the ceiling. You’re coming into extension from your lumbar spine, not your whole back. Take another full breath. Do about 10 reps of each.

3️⃣ Modified pigeon Bring your other knee forwards and draw the ankle across into a modified pigeon. Shift your hips towards the block side and lift your sitting bones to the ceiling. You should feel a release through the back pocket of the hip. Hold for 5–6 deep breaths. taken in Twickenham by @jennycdevonshire

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14 days ago