I’ve had the pleasure of helping several expecting mothers stay fit, active, and healthy through their pregnancy. While every client is different, each of my expecting clients have all shared an amazing dedication to keeping their bodies strong and mobile, and making sure delivery and recovery are as manageable as possible.
Recently, one of my pregnant clients was kind enough to write a review of our experience together:
If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, starting a fitness routine may seem daunting. Your body is changing and, if you’ve never worked out before or don’t feel entirely comfortable in a gym setting, strength training may seem like too much to handle on your own.
With that in mind, here are a few tips for each trimester that my prenatal fitness clients and I used to maintain their health and fitness during the weeks leading up to delivery.
*Always consult a healthcare professional before beginning any fitness routine. This article is for educational purposes only.
FIRST TRIMESTER (Weeks 1 - 12)
During the first trimester, it’s important to set the foundation for your pregnancy. With my clients, that begins with strength training. If you’re new to the gym, strength training can be very intimidating and potentially dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. One of the biggest risks of working out while pregnant is tripping/falling, so it’s important to take your time and make sure you are comfortable with every movement and executing it with proper form before even adding weights.
I like to start my clients with basic body weight exercises like squats and lunges before adding appropriate weights once they become comfortable with the exercises.
By the end of the first trimester, the goal is to make sure the client is comfortable lifting weights and moving their bodies through the basic movements of squat, lunge, push, pull, hinge and rotate. It’s important to get the fundamentals down before limitations begin in the 2nd trimester.
SECOND TRIMESTER (Weeks 13-27)
Good news! By the second trimester, your body should be adapting well to the challenge of strength training. You should be able to perform basic movements with moderate weights and feel the benefits of increased muscle mass, increased energy, and increased balance and stability even as your body changes throughout the pregnancy.
The biggest limitation in the second trimester is the removal of the supine position for core exercises. Laying supine can compress the inferior vena cava, which can reduce blood flow to the fetus and cause dizziness.
Luckily, there are plenty of core exercises that can be performed standing. I like to have clients perform standing rotations, knee raises, bird dogs, and leg lifts to keep their core muscles strong, their hips flexible, and bodies mobile.
THIRD TRIMESTER (Weeks 28 - The End)
We’re in the home stretch. By now, you should be a seasoned fitness enthusiast and one strong mama to be!
In the third trimester, I like to increase focus on hip mobility. Your baby bump is at its largest and your center of gravity will definitely feel off.
It’s important to maintain mobility in your hips and keep your body as mobile as possible. Exercises like lateral leg raises, seated hip openers, deep squats into inch worms, and butterflies are great ways to keep your hips open as your body continues to change.
Yoga sessions are also highly recommended as low impact workouts that can keep you flexible and help relieve stress and lower anxiety.
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