Welcome to your second trimester. This is a follow up to our 5 Exercises for your First Trimester which you can find here if you are in that stage in your pregnancy. The second trimester is considered weeks 13-27. For a lot of women the second trimester is a point when they start to feel a little bit better as your first trimester symptoms start to decline and you may even feel a boost of energy. There may still be days where you just don’t feel up to getting exercise in and that is okay, something is always better than nothing, but when you feel like rest needs to be the priority then take the rest…you shouldn’t feel guilty about this…you are growing a tiny human after all!
Exercise and movement has been shown to have a variety of benefits for both mom and baby during pregnancy and the second trimester may be the most optimal time to do this for many people. These benefits can include
- Increased blood flow for both mom and baby
- Strengthening muscles that support the back, pelvic floor, and belly which will all benefit you as you continue to move through your pregnancy and into postpartum
- Increased energy and mood
- Improved sleep quality
- Regulation of prenatal weight gain
- Preparation for labour, delivery and recovery
Although it is completely healthy and normal (in most situations) to continue to exercise during your pregnancy as you enter into the second trimester you may need to start to make some adjustments to your exercises. Early in the second trimester you will likely be able to continue with what you were doing preconception and in the first trimester but remember that your weights will likely be less than they were preconception and this is perfectly normal. As you progress through your second trimester you will want to start to minimize front loaded exercises like pushups and planks by replacing them with other exercises or moving them to an incline to decrease the stress on the linea alba (midline of your belly). You will also want to start rolling into and out of exercises instead of sitting straight up for the same reason.
While you can lie on your back during pregnancy as long as you have no negative symptoms during the second trimester is when you may start to experience these symptoms. If you feel lightheaded or dizzy while laying on your back roll to your side and minimize time on your back as much as possible or use a reclined position instead of laying flat on your back.
For many women the second trimester is the time to start to reduce high impact exercises. As baby grows the downward pressure on your pelvic floor begins to increase and these high impact exercises may increase this pressure even more. This will be very individual specific so this is just a general guideline but you will want to consider decreasing thinks like jumping, running and skipping. Try swapping these higher intensity cardio options for things like walking, cycling (stationary) or swimming.
As with preconception and during your first trimester you will want to continue to practice your diaphragmatic breathing exercises throughout your second trimester. You can learn more on diaphragmatic breathing here.
Let’s look at the 5 exercises for your second trimester now. For each of these exercises I have included 2 variations and these build off the exercises from the first trimester blog. Remember that you are not limited to these exercises, but they are some important ones to include in your training.
Exercise 1: Squat
Squats are a fantastic lower body exercise that covert well to everyday life. Every time you sit into or get out of a chair you are using a squat motion, so makes sense to perfect this motion right?! A Banded Squat may be a comfortable alternative to using hand weights or a bar in your second trimester (although you do not necessarily have to abandon the weights in your second trimester by any stretch. As your belly grows you may find you need to widen your stance into a Sumo Squat stance to accommodate for growing belly and baby. When performing squats always ensure that you are reaching your bum back towards an imaginary chair behind you. Keep your chest proud and your core activated, driving through your heels as you stand back up
Exercise 2: Row
The row targets the muscles of the upper back between the shoulder blades. Because of the hunched posture that people take daily these muscles are often stretched out and weakened which compromised posture. This can also occur during pregnancy as the size of the breasts increase and during breastfeeding which is why it’s super important for moms to strengthen these muscles. The bent over row and supported single arm row can be both be done during your second trimester. You may find the bent over row is good earlier in the trimester. As the size of the belly increases you may want to add the support of a bench, couch or chair later in the second trimester.
Exercise 3: Hip Thruster
The hip thruster exercise is ideal for activating the glutes and targeting the lower body. The glute muscles are important to help maintain optimal hip positioning and help drive a lot of the movements that occur at the hip joint. Generally these muscles are weakened from sitting and focusing on improving glute function helps to improve posture, positioning the hips and may even help relieve back pain. Banded hip thrusters and banded hip thruster + abduction are a great option in your second trimester as you may not be as comfortable placing weight on or around your hips.
Exercise 4: Chest Press
Generally chest muscles are tight in most people due to the hunching posture we take in everyday life over our phones, computers and tablets. This can be exaggerated even more during pregnancy as the breasts grow in size and in the postpartum with holding and feeding a newborn. Mobility and stretching is important to help release the chest muscles in conjunction with strengthening. As pregnancy progresses the chest press is one of the most affected exercises. Give the traditional chest press a try by bringing your feet to the bench (instead of leaving them on the floor) or the incline chest press is you have difficulty laying on your back due to lightheadedness or dizziness.
Exercise 5: Pallof Press
As we talked about in the Exercises for the First Trimester Blog core exercises tend to become more difficult throughout pregnancy. If you were using more traditional core exercises in your first trimester you will likely start to adjust as you move through your second trimester. This is to help prevent excess pressure on the linea alba which can contribute to diastasis recti (this is very individualized and almost every pregnant individual will have some amount of diastasis). The Pallof press is a great option here and has a few different variations that you can try. I’ve included two variations below.
Exercise throughout pregnancy has many benefits for both mom and baby but it’s also important to know how to modify exercises safely. Now that you are in your second trimester you are likely going to have to start making additional modifications at some point during this time. Welcome these changes with open arms and if you are looking for additional guidance please reach out here. A happy, healthy pregnancy starts with you and exercise is a great addition to this journey.
ashleepedlowcoaching.ca 
One thought on “5 Exercises for Your Second Trimester”