Can I do core exercises during pregnancy?
Yes. Keeping your core strong during pregnancy is one of the most useful things you can do for your body. The question is not whether to do core work, it is understanding what your core is actually doing during pregnancy, and choosing exercises that support that rather than work against it.
Somewhere along the way, sit-ups became synonymous with core work. They are one small part of it. During pregnancy that has left many women either avoiding core work altogether when they do not need to, or continuing with sit-ups without a clear picture of what their body is doing right now.
What your core is actually doing during pregnancy
Your core is not just your abdominal muscles. It is a system that includes your diaphragm at the top, your pelvic floor at the bottom, your deep abdominal muscles wrapping around the front and sides, and the muscles along your spine at the back. They all work together to manage pressure and support your body through movement.
During pregnancy that system is under significant demand. Your uterus is growing upward into the space your diaphragm needs, downward onto your pelvic floor, and outward through your abdominal wall. Your core is adapting to all of that at once. Keeping it strong and functional makes a real difference to how you feel and move throughout your pregnancy.
What helps your core during pregnancy
The most effective core work during pregnancy focuses on the deep system, your pelvic floor, your deep abdominal muscles, and your breathing. These are the muscles doing the most important work right now.
Pelvic floor exercises are core work. Breathing well is core work. Side lying work is excellent during pregnancy, particularly for the obliques, which take significant load as your abdomen grows and your posture changes. Bird dog, seated core work, and exercises on all fours are all effective options that work well at different stages of pregnancy.
You do not need specialised equipment or classes for any of these. Most can be done at home with no equipment at all.
What about sit-ups?
Most of the conversation around sit-ups in pregnancy focuses on the separation of the abdominal muscles. That is only one part of the picture, and arguably not the most important one.
What we know less about is what sit-ups do to the rest of your body during pregnancy. The repeated forceful contraction drives pressure downward through your pelvic floor, which is already under significant load. It increases pressure through a pelvis that is already congested during pregnancy. For women managing haemorrhoids or varicose veins, that additional pressure is worth considering. There is also the impact on breathing. Your lungs are already working in a reduced space as your uterus pushes upward. Compressing your abdomen repeatedly during a sit-up drives that pressure further upward, into an already crowded space. Many women notice this as increased breathlessness during and after the exercise.
The research has not caught up with the whole body picture yet. What we do know is that there are more effective ways to work your core during pregnancy, and most of them feel a lot better than a sit-up by the third trimester anyway.
How to know if an exercise is working for you?
Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. Rather than a list of exercises you can and cannot do, here is what to pay attention to.
If you notice coning or doming along the centre of your abdomen during an exercise, that is your body signalling that the load is more than your abdominal wall is managing comfortably right now. Modify or rest.
If you notice leaking, heaviness or pressure in your vagina during or after exercise, that is your pelvic floor telling you something. Do not push through it.
If an exercise makes you noticeably more breathless than the effort warrants, ease back and try a modified version or a different exercise altogether.
None of these signals mean you have done damage. They mean your body is asking for a different approach right now.
References
Theodorsen, N., Bo, K., Fersum, K., Haukenes, I., & Moe-Nilssen, R. (2024). Pregnant women may exercise both abdominal and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy without increasing the diastasis recti abdominis: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2024.02.002
Gluppe, S., Engh, M., & Bo, K. (2021). What is the evidence for abdominal and pelvic floor muscle training to treat diastasis recti abdominis postpartum? A systematic review with meta-analysis. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 25, 664-675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2021.06.006
Cabral, A., et al. (2025). Transversus abdominis and rectus abdominis activation exercises do not alter inter-recti distance in pregnant women: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy, 71, 254-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2025.09.013
WHEN Exercise and Pregnancy Guidelines, Version 2 (April 2026). Women’s Health Education Network. www.when.org.au
WHEN Abdominal Exercise and Diastasis Recti During Pregnancy Position Statement (2026). Women’s Health Education Network. www.when.org.au
Developed by the WHEN Clinical Team
Clinically reviewed by the WHEN Clinical Governance Committee
Last reviewed: 02/07/2026
