Two respected core programs, two opposite philosophies
One rebuilds your core through whole-body movement. The other rehabs the abdominal wall the way a physio clinic would. Here is how to work out which one is your fit.
Quick answer
Restore Your Core and The Tummy Team are both long-running, well-regarded postpartum core programs, but they approach the same problem from opposite ends. Restore Your Core, created by movement teacher Lauren Ohayon, treats your core as part of a whole-body system, so you spend real time on breathing, ribcage position, hips, glutes and feet rather than on abdominal drills alone. The Tummy Team, founded by physical therapist Kelly Dean, is closer to structured clinical rehab, with a strong focus on retraining the transverse abdominis and, for some mums, using abdominal splinting alongside the exercises. Choose Restore Your Core if you want varied, coached movement and you are willing to give it months. Choose The Tummy Team if you want a defined, therapist-led course with a clear beginning and end. Both sit at the premium end of the market, which is why plenty of mums start with a low-cost one-time guide and add a program later.
Why these two get compared so often
If you search for help with abdominal separation, the same handful of names keeps appearing, and these two sit near the top of almost every list. They have both been running for well over a decade, both were built by women who work with postnatal bodies for a living, and both reject the crunches-and-planks advice that made so many mums worse in the first place. That shared ground is real, and it is worth saying plainly before we pick them apart.
Abdominal separation is also common enough that a whole industry has grown around it. In a widely cited cohort study, Sperstad and colleagues found separation in 60% of women at six weeks postpartum, 45.5% at six months and 32.6% at twelve months (Sperstad et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016). In other words, a large share of mums improve substantially in the first year without any paid program at all, and a meaningful minority do not. Knowing which group you are likely in should shape how much you spend.
of women had a measurable abdominal separation at six weeks postpartum
still had one at six months postpartum
still had one at twelve months postpartum
Figures: Sperstad et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.
What Restore Your Core actually is
Restore Your Core is a movement-led program. The premise is that a soft, doming midline is usually a symptom of how you breathe, stand, brace and load your body, not an isolated fault in one muscle. So the work spreads outward: rib position, diaphragm mechanics, hip mobility, glute strength, foot and ankle function, and how all of that changes the pressure inside your abdomen.
In practice that means a video-led curriculum you progress through over months, with a lot of attention paid to how a movement feels rather than how many you complete. Mums who like it tend to say the same thing, which is that other things improved too: back pain, hip pain, the feeling of being braced all day.
Its genuine strengths
- It addresses the pressure system, not just the abdominal wall, which is often what a stubborn case actually needs.
- Strong coaching on breathing and alignment, taught slowly enough to actually absorb.
- Good fit for mums who are years postpartum and have already tried the obvious exercises.
- An established community, which matters more than people expect for follow-through.
Where it may not suit you
- It is a slow burn. If you want a tick-box plan with a finish line, the open-ended format can feel vague.
- The whole-body focus means less time on the specific thing many mums came for, which can be frustrating early on.
- Premium pricing, and historically a subscription or membership-style commitment, so check the current terms before you sign up.
What The Tummy Team actually is
The Tummy Team was built by Kelly Dean, a physical therapist whose own severe separation shaped the method. The approach is much closer to what you would meet in a rehab clinic: assess the abdominal wall, retrain the transverse abdominis deliberately, progress through defined stages, and carry the new habit into how you lift, carry, cough and get out of bed. Abdominal splinting has long been part of the method for some participants, used as a temporary support while the deep muscles learn to fire, not as a permanent fix.
Its genuine strengths
- Clinical structure. You know what stage you are on and what finishing looks like.
- Very direct attention to the transverse abdominis and to functional habits through the day, which is where most real progress happens.
- Built by a licensed physical therapist, with pathways for more significant separations.
- Clear guidance on the day-to-day mechanics that keep undoing progress, like how you get up off the floor with a toddler on you.
Where it may not suit you
- Less emphasis on whole-body movement and general strength, so some mums finish stronger in the middle and still weak elsewhere.
- Splinting divides opinion, and it is not right for everyone, so it is worth discussing with your own clinician.
- Also premium priced, and the course format means you are buying a defined block of content rather than an ongoing library.
Side by side
| Feature | Restore Your Core | The Tummy Team |
|---|---|---|
| Founded by | Lauren Ohayon, movement and yoga teacher | Kelly Dean, physical therapist |
| Core philosophy | Whole-body movement and pressure management | Targeted deep-core rehab and functional retraining |
| Format | Video curriculum plus community, ongoing | Structured course with defined stages |
| Splinting | Not a feature of the method | Used with some participants as temporary support |
| Best for | Mums who want lasting movement change and have time | Mums who want a clear, clinical, step-by-step plan |
| Typical commitment | Months, self-paced | Weeks to months, stage-based |
| Price bracket | Premium | Premium |
Pricing and formats change. Always check each provider's current terms before you buy. Mumma Glow is not affiliated with either program.
So which one should you pick?
Answer three questions honestly. First, is your main complaint the midline itself, or is it the whole picture of back pain, hip pain, leaking and feeling generally unstable? A narrow complaint points toward The Tummy Team. A broad one points toward Restore Your Core.
Second, how do you actually finish things? Some mums need a syllabus with an end date. Others quietly resent being told what week they are on and do better with a library they can dip into. There is no virtuous answer here, only an accurate one, and it matters more than the method. We wrote a whole piece on picking a program you will actually stick with for exactly this reason.
Third, what is your budget right now? Both of these are real investments. If money is tight this year, the sensible order is to start cheap, build the habit, and upgrade only if you plateau. That is also worth reading alongside our look at what free programs can and cannot do.
Our honest verdict
Neither is a bad choice, and neither is a magic fix. Restore Your Core is the better buy for a mum who is a year or more out, has tried the obvious exercises, and suspects the problem is how her whole body moves. The Tummy Team is the better buy for a mum who wants a therapist-designed rehab course with clear stages and functional coaching for daily life. If you cannot comfortably afford either right now, do not stall your recovery waiting. Start with a low-cost structured guide, be consistent for eight to twelve weeks, and reassess. Results vary from mum to mum.
Where an affordable one-time guide fits
Mumma Glow exists for the gap these two leave behind: the mum who wants a clear, safe, progressive plan without a subscription or a several-hundred-dollar decision. Our guides are one-time purchases, yours to keep, built around the same principles both programs agree on, which are breathing first, pressure management, deep-core reconnection before load, and no crunches early on. It is deliberately the budget alternative to programs like MUTU, Restore Your Core and The Tummy Team, not a replacement for one-to-one physiotherapy.
If you want to see how we stack up against each of these individually, we have written both comparisons already: Restore Your Core measured against our approach and The Tummy Team measured against our approach. For the wider field, see our roundup of the diastasis recti programs worth considering this year.
Start without the subscription
Core Reconnect is our step-by-step deep-core rebuild for mums who want a plan, not a monthly bill. One payment, lifetime access, from $15. Use code GLOW20 for 20% off.
Frequently asked questions
Is Restore Your Core or The Tummy Team better for a large separation?
For a wide or deep separation, the structured, therapist-designed approach of The Tummy Team is often the more natural starting point, because it assesses stages and includes guidance on temporary support. That said, a significant separation is also the clearest reason to see a women's health physiotherapist in person before buying anything online.
Can I do both programs?
You can, but not at the same time. Running two programs together makes it impossible to tell what is working and usually means you do neither properly. If you want both, finish one, reassess for a few weeks, then start the other.
Do I need abdominal splinting to close a separation?
No. Splinting is one tool, used temporarily by some practitioners to support the abdominal wall while the deep muscles are retrained. Plenty of mums improve without ever using one. Ask your GP, midwife or physiotherapist whether it makes sense for your situation.
How long before I see a change?
Most mums who are consistent notice a firmer, less domed midline somewhere between six and twelve weeks, though the research above shows natural improvement continues across the first year too. Progress is rarely linear, and results vary from mum to mum.
Is a cheaper guide really enough?
For many mums with a mild to moderate separation and no red flags, a well-built structured guide followed consistently is enough. For persistent symptoms, pain, prolapse signs or a separation that has not budged in months, the money is better spent on an in-person women's health physiotherapist than on any digital program.
Sources: Sperstad JB et al., Diastasis recti abdominis during pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016. NHS, Your body after the birth. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Exercise After Pregnancy. Cleveland Clinic, Diastasis Recti.
This article is general education, not medical advice, and Mumma Glow is not affiliated with Restore Your Core, The Tummy Team or any other program named here. Results vary from mum to mum. Please see your GP, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist before starting or changing an exercise program, especially if you have pain, heaviness, leaking or a separation that is not improving.