Pregnancy Exercise Guide
What basic exercises/movements are safe:
- Walking, indoor cycling, elliptical, and water aerobics are considered some of the safest forms of exercise. They are low impact, carry little risk for injury, and can be continued until birth.
- Kegels!!! These exercises are great for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and should be performed regularly pre and post pregnancy.
- To perform a Kegel, contract the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine or to prevent passing gas. As you contract, the rest of your body should remain still (it's like a stealth workout) making them able to be performed anywhere.
- Hold the contraction for 5-10 seconds, then relax for 2 seconds. That would be considered 1 rep.
- Try to do 5 sets of 10 reps throughout the day every day.
- Doing this exercise will greatly improve labor and recovery.
Exercises safe for pregnancy: (just a few of the countless safe movements)
Here is a basic formula for the exercises listed below
Exercise | Reps | Tempo | Sets | Rest |
---|---|---|---|---|
All odds | 10-20 reps each | 1-5 seconds hold for each rep | 2-3 sets | 30-90 seconds between each set and exercise |
All evens | 10-20 reps each | 1-5 seconds hold for each rep | 2-3 sets | 30-90 seconds between each set and exercise |
Mix and Match,- pick what you need to work on | 5-10 reps each | 1-10 seconds hold for each rep | 1-3 sets | 30-90 seconds between each set and exercise |
I would start by going through 1 set of each exercise to determine your proficiency with each movement. Then I recommend spending more time on the harder exercises because those are the ones where you can improve the most.
- Bird dog (works shoulders and glutes, stabilizes the core muscles)
- Fire hydrants (work outer gutes, stabilizes core, stretches inner thigh)
- Jane Fondas (works outer thigh and glutes, stretches inner thigh)
- Calf raises (works calves)
- Modified push ups - on ground and against wall (works chest, triceps, shoulders, core)
- Lunges (works quads, glutes, hams, stretches hip flexors, improves balance)
- Wall slide/sit (works quads)
- Rowing (works back and posture muscles)
- Seated wall press (works shoulders and external rotators, stretches lats, arm pits)
- Chair dips (works triceps, shoulders, chest)
- Front or side raises with dumbbells (works shoulders, upper chest)
- Deadlift/hip hinge (works glutes, hams, lower back - very important movement to master!)
- Squats (works quads, glutes, back - also very important movement to master)
- Step ups (works quads, hip flexors, calves, glutes, improves balance)
- Hip drops - from step (works medial glute, oblique, quadratus lumborum, stabilizes hips and spine)
- Shadow boxing - with dumbbells (works shoulders, upper chest, improves coordination)
- Tailor sit-isometrics (active stretch for inner thigh)
- Stability ball plank - knees (works core, shoulders, chest, improves balance and stability)
- Wall crunches (works abs and core, isometric contraction makes this effective, can be combined with kegel)