Your home for women's health and fitness

Core and Pelvic Floor Programs | Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification

Professional Certification

Pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise training for health and fitness professionals

The Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist Course is leading a movement in women's fitness and healthcare. This certification focuses on pregnancy modifications, postpartum timelines, limitations, and special considerations. You will learn proven corrective exercises that progress pregnant or postpartum clients with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (leaks, tightness, and prolapse), Diastasis Recti, SI Joint Pain, and Low Back Pain into high-intensity exercise.

Dr. Sarah Duvall, DPT, PT

Dr. Sarah Ellis Duvall, PT, DPT, CPT, CNC

Dr. Anna Hammond, DPT, OCS

Dr. Anna Hammond, DPT, OCS

Programs for Women

Online core and pelvic floor rehab programs for pregnant and postpartum women

The CES team is the last stop for many women on their path to recovery. We are passionate about finding solutions to the problems no one else has been able to resolve. Through our comprehensive, industry-leading online programs, the CES team has rehabbed thousands of women with prolapse, leaking, pelvic floor pain and tightness, diastasis recti, hip pain and much more.

Articles

CES articles cover a wide range of topics including diastasis, the pelvic floor, hip strength, back pain, posture, working out and personal motherhood triumphs.

safe exercises with prolapse FI

Safe Exercises with Prolapse and Ones to Avoid

July 20, 2021

low down on lube FI

The Low Down on Lube

June 28, 2021

DR- definition, causes and treatment feature image

Diastasis Recti: Definition, Causes and Treatment

May 10, 2021

how to check for DR featured image

How to Check for Diastasis Recti

March 31, 2021

Dr and pregnancy article

Diastasis Recti and Pregnancy

March 12, 2021

Exercising while pregnant: why you should, and how to do it safely

Exercising While Pregnant: Why You Should, and How to Do It Safely

February 22, 2021

More Articles >

Videos

Improve Pelvic Floor With Posture

What is Pressure Management: Diastasis Recti Recovery, Pelvic Floor Recovery and Hernia Health

How to Train Pelvic Floor Muscles | Isolate and Contract

Front Pelvic Floor Contraction

Why Strengthening Your Middle Traps Helps Core and Pelvic Floor Issues

Why Does a Full Squat Cause Back Pain?

More Videos >

Join us on Instagram

@drsarahduvall

120k followers

Sep 24

Today’s Friday challenge is for those with hypermobility. Hypermobility means a joint has more than the normal range of motion. ⁣⁣Hypermobility can be hard, because it can make a joint feel unsafe so the surrounding muscles may lock down to help the joint feel safer. This can be especially true if you are not strong around that joint. Strength is your friend when you are hypermobile!⁣⁣There are a few tricks to make workouts more hypermobile-friendly. Bringing awareness to your workout can help with the repetitive aches, pains and tightness you may feel. ⁣⁣Check out today’s video and challenge yourself in your next workout. Did you notice any differences when implementing the challenge? ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#hypermobilitysyndrome #hypermobility #hypermobile #ehlersdanlossyndrome #ehlersdanlos

Sep 22

Pregnancy myths can be frustrating! Probably the one we hear the most is the myth that it’s safe to just keep doing what you’re doing exercise-wise during pregnancy. ⁣⁣Some women need to cut back, and others need to safely start exercising. Pregnancy can be a great time to safely start an exercise program as long as you don’t have any complications preventing it!⁣⁣Naturally, all myths and advice come with the tag of ”it depends.” Every pregnancy is different, so advice that’s good for some women is not so good for others. ⁣⁣Swipe through the images to see some facts about exercising while pregnant. Have you heard any pregnancy myths? If so, comment below and let’s hear them! 👇⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#pregnancy #pregnancyexercise #postpartum #postnatal #secondpregnancy #thirdpregnancy #pregnancyfacts #fitnessprofessional

Sep 21

Val is a valued member of our online community/CES family. She has been dedicated and consistent in her journey, and she doesn’t miss an opportunity to help encourage others in the group using everything she has learned. She is a mom of four boys ages 12, 10, 6, and 3. Val has an amazing story of perseverance, and it has been an honor to watch her journey unfold. Here is an excerpt from her interview:⁣⁣“I took it easy getting active again, but found myself eventually running and now having a new problem. My hips didn’t hurt after running—but my pelvic floor did. I could not figure out for the life of me what was wrong with my body. I assumed I needed to do more kegels, so I faithfully did more rapid-fire kegels daily, and somehow my problem only got worse. My pelvic floor would hurt for three to four days after a 20-minute run. Gradually I pushed the barrier back and could run for longer, but I always came home in pain any time I tried to push myself. ⁣⁣I’ve completed Anna’s Return To Running program which is a beautiful step-by-step, three-month journey to running in a body-safe way with great form. I am able to run with little to zero pelvic floor pain, which is amazing! I say that it’s still a work in progress only because now I’m working through some plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Another goal was to feel good while moving in a general sense. I wanted to be able to chase my then-toddler, run across the park with my kids, and walk around the neighborhood with my husband without feeling pain. I am grateful to say that I have achieved this goal and all the hard work was worth it! ⁣⁣My current goals are upward and onward. I want to climb stronger (I’m hoping to climb my first 5.12a this year! 🙌), run farther, confront my fear of mountain biking, and be able to knock out a set of ten pull-ups on a dime. I want to teach my kids to use their glutes, and model great push-up form. More than anything, I just want to feel good while doing things that I love with the people that I love.” ⁣⁣Read her full interview here (live link in bio): https://www.coreexercisesolutions.com/now-i-can-do-the-activities-i-love-again/

Sep 17

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Winner is @holliechampion and three of her friends!Women are amazing, and friendship is worth celebrating! September 17th is National Women’s Friendship Day, which makes this a great day to reflect and appreciate the amazing friendships in your life. 🥰⁣⁣In celebration of this fun holiday, we’re giving away 4 FREE spots in our incredible Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist certification course (click the live link in my bio for more information about the PCES course)! If you are already a PCES student, we’re giving away 6 FREE months in the Inner Circle, which includes access to the Shoulder Solution course and much, much more! ⁣⁣What better way to help women and build friendships than by learning together?! ⁣⁣Rules for Entry (You must do all 3 steps to be entered to win.):⁣⁣1. Like this photo⁣2. Follow @drsarahduvall⁣3. Tag 3 friends/colleagues below who you think would be interested in taking the PCES 2.0 course or joining us in the Inner Circle!⁣ ⁣Winner will be randomly chosen on September 21th at 12pm EST. ⁣⁣Participants must be 18 years of age or older. This promotion is not endorsed, sponsored, administered by or associated with Instagram (or its affiliates) in any way. Course and Inner Circle content are completely online. Winners will receive a DIGITAL copy of the course textbook if applicable. You can only win one giveaway by CES per calendar year to make sure everyone can feel the love!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#fitpro #fitnessprofessional #yogainstructor #yogateacher #pilatesinstructor #pilatesteacher #strengthcoach #physicaltherapist #chiropractor #strengthandconditioningcoach

Sep 15

I’d like to talk a bit about calming a narrative by pushing into it. I’ve always been good at worrying. I have a non-stop “what if...?” dialog running through my head most of the time. My brain just loves to worry! But I have found a way to make it more manageable and move through anxiety and negative thinking quickly instead of getting stuck in thoughts I’d rather not be having. I can’t control what pops into my head, but I can control how long it stays there and my reaction to those thoughts. ⁣⁣Climbing helps me face fearful thoughts. It helps me avoid experiencing that “what if...?” narrative running through my head because it helps me assess accurately and then act with focus. ⁣⁣I ask myself, is this really a risk, or am I spiraling into an unhealthy narrative of worst case scenarios that might only have a .01% chance of happening? Climbing has also helped me learn to trust myself more. Is a situation really dangerous and is worrying wise, or is it actually fine and the anxiety is unwarranted? ⁣⁣Steps to avoid staying stuck in an unhelpful thought pattern: ⁣🔹Acknowledge the feeling or thought. ⁣🔹Assess it for accuracy. ⁣🔹Take action, or ignore. ⁣⁣This strategy helps me with all of life. I struggle with fear over something happening to my kids. I’m sure this is a narrative that many moms know quite well. My mom said she quit worrying when we went off to college. LOL! ⁣⁣What about our bodies? What about getting a diagnosis and thinking it will never get better? ⁣⁣Fear training helps you look at situations as they are, instead of all doom and gloom and all-or-nothing thinking. ⁣⁣So the next time that feeling of worry or anxiety creeps in, take a moment to pause and assess it. Should you take action, or let that thought pass and replace it with a more accurate one? ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#postpartum #postnatal #facingfear #facingfears

Sep 13

Does anyone else miss their grandparents like crazy? National Grandparents Day was September 12th. ⁣⁣I had such an amazing relationship with mine, and it brings both joy and sadness to relive the memories. I am finding so much joy now in watching my parents get to be grandparents to my kids. It’s such a special relationship! ❤️⁣⁣If you’ve lost a parent or grandparent, how do you help their memories live on? ⁣

Sep 9

Abs Taking Over For The Pelvic Floor. What happens if our strong ab muscles take over for the pelvic floor? Sometimes our TAs (deep core muscles) or internal obliques do too much of the work and as a result you may notice when you try to do a kegel or a pelvic floor contraction that you get more of an ab burn than a pelvic floor burn. This can be very frustrating if you are trying to strengthen your pelvic floor!⁣⁣Check out today’s video where I walk you through what you can do to correct this issue and help get you on the road to working your pelvic floor muscles instead of using all abs.⁣⁣Keep in mind that the opposite can happen as well. You can have all pelvic floor and very little abs. 🤨 So being subtle with exercises and focusing on what you feel can be really helpful for teasing this out and creating balance. ⁣⁣Happy pelvic floor strengthening!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#pelvicfloor #fitpro #fitnessprofessional #yogainstructor #pilatesinstructor #pelvicfloordysfunction #abs #strongabs #transverseabdominis #physicaltherapist

Sep 7

The PCES 2.0 course opened this morning for this term’s enrollment! We have a Full Support option (filling up fast!) and a Self Study option available, as well as payment plans. Find out more information about the course by clicking the live link in my bio!⁣⁣The groundbreaking Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification has been completely reimagined with over 200 research studies and an all-new workbook. The PCES 2.0 course counts as 19-34 hours of CEU credit for most certifying bodies! This course is perfect for those who work with women in a fitness and rehab capacity. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣In this course we’ll cover (plus much more!): ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Pregnancy and postpartum timelines for modification and returning to exercise.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Pregnancy concerns, special exercises for SPD, and a section on birth prep.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Strategies to help decrease diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction during pregnancy⁣.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Breathing - maybe the most important section!⁣🔹Posture - changes that happen during pregnancy and corrective exercises.⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Pelvic floor dysfunction: leaking, prolapse, weakness, tightness and pain⁣.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹Diastasis recti: better analysis of the cause and specific corrective exercises.⁣⁣⁣⁣🔹SI joint pain and discomfort⁣⁣.⁣⁣⁣🔹A full exercise library with PDF handouts to utilize with your clients.⁣⁣⁣Questions about the course? Email info@coreexercisesolutions.com or post below!⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣#fitpro #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #certifiedpersonaltrainer #physicaltherapyassistant #physicaltherapist #physicaltherapists #strengthandconditioningcoach #yogainstructor #yogateachers #pilatesinstructor #pilatesteacher #chiropractor

Sep 6

So far, 40 is pretty great! 💃⁣⁣We’re out of the thick of it with small kids... finally! 😅 High fives to all the moms surviving that era. LOL! ⁣⁣Just old enough to really own the silliness and not care. ⁣⁣Singing in the car with the windows down ✔️ ⁣Wearing the dorky sun hat and sun shirt ✔️ ⁣Embarrassing my kids on the playground ✔️⁣Loving my body – cellulite, stretchy skin, and all – more than I ever did in my 20s and 30s ✔️⁣Embracing life ✔️⁣

Follow on Instagram

Free Resources

Free Pelvic Floor Educational Series

Join us today for this 4-part Pelvic Floor Video Series, absolutely free.

Start Your Free Course

Free Diastasis Recti Educational Series

Join us today for this 4-part Diastasis Recti Video Series, absolutely free.

Start Your Free Course

Free Pelvic Floor and Diastasis Recti Course (Professionals)

Free 6 Part Course

Working with pregnant and postpartum clients/patients?

This 6-part course offers key takeaways on breathing, pelvic floor strengthening and diastasis recovery. Sign up and start learning today!

Start Your Free Course

Join the CES Newsletter

Receive cutting-edge resources on pelvic floor health, diastasis recovery, back and hip pain and more.

Happy Hips Class