Small Group Post Natal
Recovery Program
Small group training sessions for mums and birthing people in Bassaleg, Newport
I know what it’s like to look around and feel like you haven’t been considered. Most gyms don’t allow kids, and working out at home doesn’t always feel like enough distance from the laundry and the “to-do’s”
Your body doesn’t feel the same - and sometimes, the things that used to feel good don’t feel so good anymore
Or, you might not be able to do the things you enjoy due to issues like lower back pain, leaking wee, or your joints feeling unstable.
After having a baby, I believe we are yearning for deep, genuine community of people who are going through the same thing.
And I believe that every woman deserves professional, expert support to help with post natal recovery.
And when you’re so exhausted or you’re showing up with a a stained top and odd shoes, it helps to have a sense of humour in those early days too!
In these sessions, you can come as you are - stains and all! You don’t need to perform. Your baby can cry, or play, or be held the whole time
Exercises will be modified around you and your post natal body, and how you are feeling on the day.
This is what the post natal program is really about. Community. Support. Connection. Then, we can look at the movement stuff.
Trying to get fit after having a baby can leave you feeling like an afterthought
You’re recovering from a pregnancy, a birth and you’re looking after at least one more little human.
Lets create the space you deserve to reconnect with your body and build forward even stronger.
Why attend a specific post natal recovery program?
Pregnancy changes the body, and so does birth.
Often people can feel disconnected from their body after pregnancy and birth - or at least, it’s not feeling that great.
Whether it’s shoulder pain, abdominal separation, leaking wee or persistent back or hip pain - they all link together, even if at first they seem to have nothing to do with each other!
Working on a full body approach to strength and healing is key to teaching the body to feel connected and eventually strong and powerful!
We can be smart about how we build strength in way that respects these changes, and I find that this makes reconnecting with the body more effective and sustainable.
You can build strength doing almost anything, but paying attention to HOW your body is moving through targeted exercises and personalised coaching suitable for your current level of recovery is where you’ll feel like your symptoms can ease and getting stronger doesn’t feel like such a hurdle.
Hear from Our Clients
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I’ve been going to Anika’s Buggies and Barbells class as well as small group PT sessions, and I can’t recommend her enough! Being able to bring my baby along is an absolute game-changer – I wouldn’t be able to commit to training otherwise during maternity leave. She’s really helped me rebuild my strength postpartum, and is brilliant at pinpointing exactly what I need to work on, whether it’s mobility, flexibility, or easing specific aches and pains. On top of that, she’s so friendly and welcoming – the classes have such a comfortable, supportive atmosphere that makes you actually look forward to exercising.
— Sarah, Mum of 2
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I would highly recommend Anika to anyone looking for small baby/child friendly classes in a lovely private studio. After only a few sessions I was noticing the results, with less back pain, more strength to lift my daughter and better mental health. I love the way the classes are structured, split into strength and conditioning sections and the fact that you quickly feel more confident using the correct techniques to lift correctly. Anika is motivating and very knowledgeable and will tailor each workout to you as an individual, with your personal goals in mind. At the same time, the small group sessions are a lovely chance to socialise (both for me and my toddler) and we look forward to them every week!
— Jo, Mum of 1
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Anika's small group PT sessions have been great and just what I needed to work on my fitness postpartum and I have made so much progress already! She works with you to reach your goals and targets exercises to improve any aches/pains as well as rebuilding your core strength! Its so hard to find opportunities to work out with your baby and Anika creates a really baby friendly environment in both these sessions and her Barbells and Buggies class. Definitely recommend!!
— Rachel, Mum of 2
Keen to get started with the Post Natal Recovery Program?
You can either:
Book Directly onto an upcoming course
Book a Free discovery call to learn more
Can the Post Natal Recovery Program help me with specific issues I’m facing?
The post natal recovery program is the ideal return or start to fitness after having a baby. This course can help you with:
Reducing aches and tension in your neck, shoulders, spine and hips
Building strength safely in the post natal period
Learning safe and effective technique to get stronger, build muscle and tone your muscles
Helping you with reducing leaking when you cough, sneeze or jump. In many cases leaking can be improved by learning about pressure management and how to relax the pelvic floor using movement, and building whole body strength. In some cases, more specific help is needed and in this case I may suggest that you seek 1:1 support from a pelvic physiotherapist.
Improve the strength and tone of your belly muscles after being pregnant
Providing general nutrition advice for nourishing your body postpartum.
This program covers all basis for a strong and healthy start to exercise after pregnancy, from core strength to whole body strength and gentle stamina training.
The Post Natal Recovery Program would suit you if…
You’re ready to build strength to support daily life and function with detailed, personalised coaching to help you reconnect with your post natal body
You understand that laying a strong foundation is the key to being able to confidently push harder and get back to full fitness later on
You want to invest in learning how to move really well so you can build a strong, fit and resilient body for life - even after having kids.
And most of all, you’re excited to see where sustainable, consistent effort will lead you - looking forward to all the fun, powerful and endorphin-giving things you’ll unlock with each step of recovery!
The Post Natal Recovery Program might NOT be the best fit for you if…
You would rather ignore any core and pelvic floor symptoms and instead go hard from the off, even if things aren’t feeling so good “down there” and this type of training seems to make it worse
You aren’t interested in laying the foundation - you want to do your old workouts immediately, even if secretly you know that it’s not feeling that great or you’re having to suffer through workouts
You aren’t interested in rewiring how you move - weight on the scale is your priority, and you’d rather see fast weight loss over building function and resilience first
We can make your abs the strongest they’ve ever been - yes, even before having kids!
What will we learn in the Post Natal Recovery Program?
First we’ll look at building strength through the hips and core, teaching you how to manage pressure effectively in your belly using specific breathing techniques in your core exercises. Learning to manage pressure is about understanding how to breathe and which muscles in your core to engage and is the first step to preventing leaking and reducing pelvic floor symptoms.
We’ll look at improving your flexibility and mobility in key areas that tend to ache, such as shoulders, spine and hips, while learning how tightness in these areas contributes to difficulties with managing pressure.
You’ll learn great technique for your key movements for the whole body, adapted to suit your level of recovery. Here we’ll layer in the core and breathing work so that it translates over to your daily functional movements.
As your core becomes stronger and you become more confident, we’ll progress the core work to challenging variations that make you break a sweat while improving your symptoms as we go.
Our Process
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01 # Connect
Connect to the right muscles, learn to move without excess tension, and build targeted strength as your foundation for the work we have to come!
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02 # Integrate
Integrate across the whole body to develop efficient, powerful and strong movement ready to test yourself in the gym and in life. You’ll be feeling stronger - but we’re not done yet!
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03 # Explore
Explore the strength and stamina you’ve built with faster, more athletic movement and targeted efforts designed to tone and strengthen across the whole body
Everything you need to know about the post natal recovery program:
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The Post Natal Recovery program runs during school term times for the Bassaleg, Newport area.
Currently our only session is
Tuesday 11:30 am
If this time doesn’t suit you, you may enjoy one of the small group personal training sessions instead.
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Small group strength and conditioning sessions take place in our private studio in Bassaleg, Newport. We’ll be the only ones in the space, so sessions are truly yours to enjoy without worrying about anyone else around you.
We’re in the lanes between Bassaleg and St Mellons, near Michaelston-y-Fedw. The studio is on private land so if you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of it before, that’s probably why!
Address
Neuadd Wen
Penylan road
Bassaleg
Newport
NP10 8RW
Once you’ve been here once, it’s super easy to find. But it can feel daunting to find us the first time and so when you sign up, you’ll receive more detailed instructions on how to find us!
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Sessions are £15/ session, and sessions run for around 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes.
A term is paid upfront, and most terms are 6 weeks with some being shorter and some being longer, so you’ll be paying around £90 every 6-7 weeks.
You also get access to short no-equipment home workouts you can do in your own time to support our training and get even more out of your learning.
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Yes! For the daytime sessions, many mums bring their babies and they really enjoy looking at the birds out of the big window, or playing with the other little ones.
Sessions can be modified if they are fussy or want to be held constantly, and I encourage them to go wandering and be curious! Babies and toddlers are not expected to stay put, or stay quiet - as a mum to a very active toddler I know that’s not always possible! We also have ways to baby-proof and toddler-proof the “dangerous” parts of the equipment if we need to. I’d love for you to bring them along!
For evening sessions, people don’t tend to bring babies as the session times are designed to be that bit later so the babies are (hopefully!) in bed
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If you’re unsure, I’d love for you to book a discovery call with me. I’ll tell you honestly if I think it’s the right place for you to get started, and if it’s not, we can find a more suitable option.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Small Group Post Natal Recovery Program
Keen to get started with Small Group Strength and Conditioning?
You can either:
Book directly onto the course
Book a Free discovery call to learn more