Why Mobility Before Strength Training Matters for Mums

Mobility before strength training is a proven way to support recovery, rebuild muscle, and improve overall resilience,  helping you feel stronger, more capable, and better equipped for the demands of everyday life. But if the body is tight, restricted, or misaligned, loading it with strength work too soon can lead to discomfort, poor technique, and even injury.

That’s where mobility before strength training comes in. They help prepare the body for effective movement, supporting better results from your training and reducing the risk of pain or inefficient movement habits that develop when the body works around tight or weak areas.

What is mobility and release work and why it comes before strength training?

Mobility and release work refers to intentional movement, breath, and self-release techniques that create more freedom and alignment in the body. This may include:

• Foam rolling or ball release 
• Fascia-focused movement patterns 
• Breathwork to support rib cage mobility 
• Postural resets or gentle stretching 

It’s not about forcing flexibility. It’s about creating space and balance so the body can move safely and efficiently during strength work.

Why this matters for mums

During pregnancy and postpartum, the body goes through significant changes in posture, joint stability, and core function. Tight chest muscles, rib immobility, shortened hip flexors, and breathing compensations are common, especially if you’re spending long hours feeding, carrying, or settling a child.

Jumping straight into strength training without addressing these changes can:

• Reinforce poor posture or pain patterns
• Limit strength gains and movement quality
• Increase the risk of overuse injuries

By starting with mobility and release work, we’re setting the foundation for long-term strength and functional movement.

The ideal sequence: release, align, then load

Before we ask a client to squat, press, or lunge, we need to assess and prepare their body.

Here’s a simple structure to follow:

1. Observe posture and breathing patterns

Look for signs of:

• Upper Cross Syndrome (tight chest, rounded shoulders)
• Lower Cross Syndrome (tilted pelvis, weak glutes)
• Shallow or chest-dominant breathing (rapid, upper-chest breathing that limits oxygen intake and core engagement)
  

2. Release what’s tight

Use tools like foam rollers or balls to:

• Release tension in the chest, hips, or back
• Improve thoracic mobility and rib expansion
• Help restore full-body alignment
  

3. Activate what’s underactive

Once space is created, activate:

• Scapular stabilisers and deep core muscles
• Glutes and hamstrings
• Postural muscles that support alignment
  

4. Load with intention

Now the body is ready for strength work. Movement patterns will feel smoother, technique improves, and the client is more likely to build functional strength.

Scope of practice: staying safe and effective

It’s important to remember that personal trainers are not massage therapists or physios. We cannot provide manual therapy or clinical rehabilitation. But we can prescribe movement, and that includes safe self-release strategies using rollers, bands, or balls as long as the client is performing the movement themselves.

By working in partnership with a Women’s Health Physio and staying within our scope, we ensure that mums get the most appropriate care at every stage of their recovery and training journey.

How to prepare the body: mobility before strength training

Mobility and release work isn’t just a warm-up, it’s a critical step that allows strength training to be safe, effective, and sustainable. When we honour how the body feels today and support it with the right tools, we build stronger foundations for tomorrow.

Want to move confidently and safely through every stage of motherhood?
Your body deserves care that supports, not stresses it through recovery, strength, and beyond. 

If you’re not sure where to start, a qualified MumSafe™ Trainer can help you feel strong, aligned, and empowered in your movement.

MumSafe™-qualified trainers are pre and postnatally certified, work alongside Women’s Health Physiotherapists, and are committed to ongoing education. When you work with a MumSafe Trainer, you know you’re in safe hands.

Click here to find your local pre and postnatal trainer

Are you a trainer who wants to offer this kind of support?
Click here to express your interest in joining the MumSafe™ team.