Is your pregnancy workout program safe and effective?

A well-planned pregnancy workout program can go a long way toward helping you achieve a healthy and fit pregnancy. Most women can exercise safely and effectively throughout their pregnancy. However, modifications and adaptations will likely be required along the way. Let’s look at some general guidelines for prenatal exercise and then some great workout options for your pregnancy workouts.

Before we get into it, you can grab your FREE resistance band workout designed for pregnancy. Five workout videos are available further down the email, but this is the only place you’ll get this pregnancy resistance band workout. It’s a PDF, so you can save to your device and do it whenever you like.

You can grab it by clicking the link below (and click here to learn all about resistance bands and how to use them).

The benefits of a pregnancy workout program

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) highlights some of the benefits of a pregnancy exercise program. I have summarised these below with some added clarification based on some of the problems I have seen within the prenatal fitness industry.

You can also check out this post about the benefits of prenatal exercise.

Improvement or maintenance of physical fitness

Personally, I don’t believe the goal should be to improve your fitness during pregnancy unless you’re starting at a very low base fitness level and you need to improve your fitness level for health reasons. A pregnancy workout program should be designed to help nourish your body during this special time, and it’s not an ideal time to look at breaking records.

Help with weight management

Similarly, don’t misinterpret this one. You’re meant to gain weight during pregnancy; hopefully, that’s obvious. However, a suitable pregnancy workout program can help ensure that you gain a healthy amount of weight rather than an excessive amount that could lead to health concerns.

Although there are guidelines for recommended weight gain during pregnancy, the right amount for YOU might be different for your friend, for example. An appropriate pregnancy workout program can also help make losing weight easier after pregnancy.

Reduces the risk of gestational diabetes in obese women

It’s generally recognized as safe for women with gestational diabetes to exercise during pregnancy. However you should do so under the care of your primary health care practitioner.

Improves psychological well-being

As you may be aware, this is one of the wonderful benefits of an exercise program, whether you’re pregnant or not!

Other benefits associated with exercise and pregnancy

Other benefits associated with exercise and pregnancy, as highlighted by ACOG, include:

• The potential to decrease the risk for preeclampsia and cesarean delivery
• A reduction in back pain, which many women experience at various stages of their pregnancy
• Eases constipation – a common complaint among pregnant women!

Safe exercises during pregnancy

The most important thing to remember is that your pregnancy experience is unique to anyone else’s. You’ll experience different feelings in your physical body and energy levels at various stages throughout your pregnancy, and your experience may be different from one pregnancy to another. Therefore, an individualized, adaptable approach is important to ensure that you’re helping rather than hindering your ability to have a healthy and fit pregnancy.

The following recommendations are again based on those from ACOG, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and Physical Activity Australia.

Before we get to them, grab your free pregnancy yoga postures pdf. Just click on the link below.

Keep it simple and sensible

• Obtain approval to carry out an exercise program from your primary care physician. After your GP confirms that you do not have a high-risk pregnancy or a high likelihood of complications, then you can begin your pregnancy workout program.
• If you were sedentary before becoming pregnant, you can still exercise during pregnancy. However, you will need to ease into things very gradually. If you were exercising before you became pregnant, you can continue to do so. Some adaptation of intensity and mode of exercise may be required.
• You should always listen to your body when it comes to carrying out an exercise program, and this is especially so during pregnancy. ACOG recommends that you should still be able to talk when exercising while pregnant. This provides a good indication that you’re not over-exerting yourself.
• Pay extra attention to your hydration levels and ensure you fuel and refuel appropriately before and after your workouts. You may also notice that you become overheated more easily than before you were pregnant. If you need to, stop and have a break or adjust your intensity as needed
• Adapt and change your pregnancy workout program as required. For example, exercise in early pregnancy can be tough if you’re constantly throwing up or you’re feeling exhausted. Give yourself a break and give your body the rest it needs during this time.
• As your body and center of gravity change, modify your workouts as needed. Use a chair for seated exercises if there is too much weight on your pelvis. You can also hold a chair or wall for balance as needed.

Exercises to target and avoid during pregnancy

There are a few variations in opinion on what forms of exercise are suitable during pregnancy. Really, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. I cringe a little when I see women doing very high-impact workouts in the late stages of their pregnancy.

I’ve seen them advise that everyone is different and that if you feel like moving and jumping around, then do it. This may be fine, but sometimes physical problems from these activities may not be immediately evident. Yes, listen to your body and move if you want to, but also respect the structural changes that are going on during this time.

A friend of mine ran a half marathon when she was 40 weeks pregnant. However, I’ve found that running isn’t right for me at all during pregnancy. In fact, any form of impact activity places way too much strain on my spine and pelvic area. So even in the earlier stages of pregnancy I stick to low impact exercise.

Types of exercise that are generally recognized as safe for your pregnancy workout program

Walking, swimming, and water workouts

I found that shallow water aqua aerobics exacerbated my pelvic bone pain towards the end of pregnancy, but deep water aerobics was ok. Monitor your symptoms and adapt accordingly.

Stationary cycling

Road biking and mountain biking are generally not recommended due to the risk of falling. Your center of balance changes when you’re pregnant, so you may also find it harder to balance while riding a bike on the road.

Modified stretching, yoga, and Pilates

Ideally, attend a class or do a pregnancy workout video that has been modified with the pregnant body in mind. For example, most abdominal work is best avoided during pregnancy, as are deep twists in yoga.

Weight training at moderate intensities

Heavy lifting is not generally recommended due to the possibility of decreasing blood flow to the uterus. Avoid lifting heavy weights overhead as this could increase your blood pressure further and place excessive strain on the spine.

You can also do low-impact aerobics or pregnancy-specific exercise classes. Do start your pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and continue them through the postnatal period and beyond.

Exercises to avoid during pregnancy

A few points were made in the section above that highlight areas of caution during pregnancy. These include heavy lifting, deep twists in yoga, and non-stationary cycling. Other exercise modalities to avoid are:

• Contact sports and sports that have a high risk of falling. Examples include trampolining, gymnastics, downhill skiing, horse riding, and team sports involving contact, like basketball and football. Be careful with any exercise on uneven ground. Remember that your joints are more relaxed during pregnancy, so you could be more likely to sprain an ankle. Although pregnancy exercise guidelines vary from country to country, they all advise that pregnant women avoid activities with a high risk of falls, trauma, or collisions
• If you’re an athlete, consult with your primary care practitioner regarding risks and modifications to your training program.
• Be careful of high-impact activities and excessive stretching, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. The joints become more relaxed during this stage, and you could have a higher risk of injury if you over-stretch.
• Avoid lying on your back from the second trimester onwards. This position can decrease blood flow to the fetus. Pilates and yoga workouts often need to be modified a lot as they frequently include many exercises in this position. Aim to modify by propping your upper body up or exercising on your side.
• “Hot” yoga or Pilates, scuba diving, and exercise at altitude (unless you are already used to living and exercising at altitude).

You must also understand the signs and symptoms that indicate you should stop exercising.

Options for your pregnancy workout program

Now, let’s get onto the fun part—the safe exercise options! I’ve put together a number of workouts for pregnant women that follow the guidelines for safe exercise above. Of course, you could purchase a pregnancy exercise DVD. Otherwise, there are lots of free pregnancy workout videos on YouTube, my own included.

Remember that your pregnancy workout routine should change based on how you’ve been feeling and your pregnancy stage. You won’t find any full-hour pregnancy workouts on my channel – because do you really feel like working out for an entire hour?

Guess what? On the days you do, you can try more than one workout or repeat one more than once.

All the videos below come from my YouTube channel. Jump on and subscribe if you haven’t already, os you can get notified when I add more videos.

Pregnancy Upper Body Workout

This one is completely specific to the upper body. It will help keep your arms toned throughout your pregnancy. It’s a nice way to help you maintain the upper body strength you’ll need for carrying bubs too.

Pregnancy glute workout

Gosh, the one area that I found the hardest to maintain during and post-pregnancy was my glute strength. Has anyone else noticed their butt disappear during or after pregnancy? If you experience back pain like I do, it’s likely that your butt (glute) strength, or lack of it, is going to play a role in that.

Aim to keep your glutes as strong as possible to help support the stability of your hips and pelvis and reduce your back pain. This prenatal fitness workout focusing on butt and hip stability should help.

Pregnancy yoga and pregnancy stretches

Every pregnancy workout plan should include some stretching and relaxation. I’ve put together stretching and pregnancy yoga routines to help ease your aches and pains.

They’re also great for when you really just need to chill out a bit or if you’re having a low-energy day. I was 39 weeks pregnant with my first child when I shot the yoga video, so it’s pretty gentle.

Prenatal cardio workout

Finally, this is like an “old school” aerobics workout. It’s completely low impact and will get your body moving in all directions. The goal is to raise your heart rate just enough to release those endorphins and feel like you’re doing some work for your heart and lungs.

Thanks for checking out my workouts for pregnant women! What does your pregnancy workout program look like? I’d love to hear about it, so please comment in the box below!