Pregancy and How Your Training May Change

If the gym is a regular part of your routine and you’ve just found out your expecting you may start to wonder okay now what…

The truth is that when it comes to pregnancy your training will likely need to change…but that doesn’t mean that you can’t train or shouldn’t train. It also doesn’t mean that you have to give everything you love up. Knowing how you can adjust your training throughout pregnancy can be super beneficial and can help keep you comfortable and safe as you progress through your pregnancy.

So what can you do to keep yourself moving in the safest way throughout pregnancy…let’s talk about it…

One of the biggest things to consider as pregnancy progresses will be the changes in your core. As your belly grows the muscles of your core will begin to stretch. Muscles become weaker when they are stretched as they aren’t able to function in the most optimal way. The diaphragmatic breathing exercise can be used to help your core stay connected as best as possible as your pregnancy progresses. It also helps keep your muscles moving through a full range of motion. Aim to use the diaphragmatic breath each day throughout your pregnancy to help keep your core functioning as optimally as possible.

Because your core will continue to change throughout pregnancy it’s important to be aware of your core. Planks are a common core exercise however as your pregnancy progresses the plank may be an exercise that needs to become modified at some point. As your belly grows and the muscles in your core stretch these muscles will not be able to activate in the same way. Moving your core exercises to either an elevation, seated or upright position can be helpful.

The Pallof Press is a great standing core exercise that has many variations. The Pallof Press is an exercise that is safe to use at any point in pregnancy and can become a part of your regular repertoire even after pregnancy. I have included a demonstration or a basic Pallof Press but there are tons of different variations that can used to activate all areas of the core.

Another modification that will likely come with pregnancy is widening the stance. As the belly grows you will likely need to take your feet further apart to accommodate for your growing belly. Below I have included an example of a regular squat and a sumo squat with a wider stance but this doesn’t just apply to squats.

You can also widen your stance with exercises like the deadlift (to a sumo deadlift) and a lunge or split squat variation by taking your feet a bit more out to the side to accommodate for that belly as it grows your healthy, happy baby.

Another pregnancy modification that you may want to incorporate as you progress is to take exercises you’ve done in standing positions to seated or kneeling positions. As your belly grows you may have more difficulty keeping your core active. If you find that you are struggling in some areas with regards to core activation you may see benefits if you try taking some of your exercises to a seated position. For example when performing a overhead press traditional core activation is important to keep your torso neutral and keep your back from arching too much.

If we move the overhead press to a seated variation as shown below less core activation is required and if you are able to place your back against an inclined bench you don’t have to worry as much about that lower back arch. This can be beneficial if you are struggling with core activation as you progress throughout your pregnancy.

Another change that will likely happen at some point through your pregnancy is moving from exercises on your back to exercises from a seated or standing position. Generally it’s advised that we avoid exercises on our back beginning in the second trimester of pregnancy, however as long as you are okay on your back and not experiencing and nausea or dizziness you can lay on your back into your second trimester for short periods of time.

At the point that you start to experience symptoms on your back it may be time to move to different standing or kneeling variations. You may also get to a point where you can lay on your back without feeling symptoms but you are just generally uncomfortable and this can be an opportunity to transition to other activities in standing or kneeling positions as well.

Pregnancy doesn’t mean that you can’t do the things that you love. Will your fitness routine change…probably in some ways yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to give everything up altogether. These are some of the common adaptations that you may need to make at some point in your pregnancy, however you may find that you need to modify sooner or later than others and that is okay. Everyone’s journey is unique and no ones journey follows a textbook path. Remember that pregnancy is a time of maintenance, adjust your goals and expectations to keep yourself moving and comfortable but realize that you don’t need to make all the gains during pregnancy. Listen to your body, make adjustments as needed and enjoy the process.