Training whilst pregnant

Training whilst pregnant can be a tricky period to navigate, so I wanted to write a blog here to go over some information, so that you feel empowered to keep training through your pregnancy.

To start off, all pregnancies and women are different so don’t take everything as a hard and fast rule. But there are some general considerations we can make in order to keep moving, which will make you feel better, and also keep you safe and also help manage expectations as your pregnancy continues.

First of all, if you’re in your first trimester, then nothing really needs to change. You can keep up with the exercise you were doing in the same manner. Obviously if you’re dealing with morning sickness then you may which to peel back. The only considerations I would be thinking of in the period is being cautious or avoiding exercises where you lie on your belly (think Supermans) and also exercising in extreme heat or humidity, plus breath holding upon exertion.

Once we enter the second and third trimester. This is where we will need to start making some modifications to our exercise selection and our output.

The first consideration I wanted to talk about, is that movement is good for you, so if you can keep it up. If you haven’t been exercising but wish to start, then it’s best to first check in with a Women’s Health Physio to see where you’re at with your pelvic floor and get a bit of guidance there. But if you’re starting something new, then I would be keeping the intensity pretty moderate, and the weights on the lighter side of things. Now is not the time to start upping the weights or starting F45 or Crossfit.

For those of you who have been training, as you pregnancy continues, hitting the same weights or slightly less is ok. Now isn't the time for trying to hit PBs. Lifting weights is good but gradually starting to peel back is a good idea.

Up until the 20wk mark there aren’t really any necessary movement modifications we need to be thinking of, unless you are feeling pain or discomfort in what you’re doing.

If there is pelvic girdle pain, wrist pain, pelvic pain or anything else before this point, reach out to your coach or WHP to check about this.

Once we hit the 20wk mark we will start to be a bit more mindful about how we move and our exercise selection. A common misconception is that we can’t do anything on our back. And whilst this has some merit the new research is saying that short period of time on your back are ok. But if you'd like to be on the safe side I would suggest mainly keeping off it, especially for hard efforts.

Doing crunches, sit ups, or anything where we are laying on our back for a prolonged period of time is something to avoid. However if you’re performing an exercise on your back that involves movement, then this is generally ok. Glute bridges for example where we are on our back but bridge up and keep moving is fine. But if you feel uncomfortable doing these exercises then always reach out to me or your coach as they’re not the be all and end all, we can always adapt the exercise to make you more comfortable.

Performing a hip thrust against a bench is a good alternative to a glute bridge if you prefer.

So, in general we’ll stop doing exercises on our back if there is not movement involved. So here are some exercises and the alternatives we can do, to avoid being in this position.

Deadbug - Bird/Dog

Crunches/Sit ups/toe reaches - Plank, plank shoulder taps

Bench Press - Incline press, Shoulder press

DB Pullover - Upper back bridge DB Pullover

Leg Lowers - All fours leg extension hold

As we move further into the second trimester, we’re going to want to start avoiding twisting exercises, usually these are core based exercises and a good alternative is an anti rotation exercise. This was you’ll get the same benefits but with out the twisting.

Russian twists - plank transfer

Bicycle crunches - crossbody front raise

Woodchops - Pallof Press

Often pregnant women can experience pelvic pain, and pain in their hip. If this happens to be the case for you, we’re going to start taking out any single leg exercises and opt for movements where you can keep both feet on the ground.

Lunges - Squats

Single leg glute bridge - Glute bridge

Fire Hydrants/donkey kicks - Romanian deadlift

Another consideration to take into account as your pregnancy progresses and your baby is growing is that you may wish to opt for exercises that allow for more space, or change up your stance. For example, you may wish to widen your stance for a squat or a deadlift to allow for space for your bump, or you may perform any bent over rowing exercises with a slightly wider elbow position.

Intensity and over-heating become a factor as well. We certainly want to avoid over-heating, which will play into your intensity. If you’re used to training at high intensities, it may be time to try to peel back a bit. You may keep up the same exercises providing they are appropriate but, to move a bit slower and focus a bit more on the movement pattern, how it feels rather than pushing yourself to your limits.

As you enter the third trimester and things can start to feel that bit more difficult, it’s great to remember that movement is still a great tool to feeling good, and that there are options for you to still get in a decent workout whilst being safe. Choose lower impact options. Start trading in your running for fast walking, burpees for walkouts, or the Skierg is also a nice way to get the heart rate up whilst keeping in a nice position and having low impact.

If you’re boxing, at this point we’re going to start squaring up your boxing stance. Meaning that, rather than having your dominant foot back, you’re going to have both feet under your hips like you would stand normally, and we will twist less through the punches.

Any exercise that may cause excessive intra-abdominal pressure is not a great idea, so as you start to get further along in your pregnancy, start reducing that by, planking on your knees and eventually in more of an all fours position. Push ups will become box style push ups, where you’re on all fours, and really only lowering the upper part of your chest to the ground.

Choose a bird/dog as a good go to core exercise or even a tall-kneeling front raise will get the core working whilst keeping you upright.

If in doubt, ask your coach, but I hope this provides some guidance and helps you to modify on the fly if you ever feels lost. The goal is to keep you moving, as safely and effectively as we can whilst always checking in for anything that may be going on for you. There isn’t necessarily a one size fits all approach, as everyone has different things going on, but I hope you can keep moving so that you’re feeling as good as possible during this time.

Cheers,

Lawrence