4 of the Best Strength Training Exercises to do While Pregnant
Exercising with weights regularly while pregnant can help reduce your risk of pregnancy complications and ease pregnancy discomforts as you get closer to your due date. There is absolutely no reason to stop working out when you find out you’re pregnant, unless instructed by your doctor.
In fact, being pregnant should be more of an incentive to continue to workout in order to take care of your body. Making exercise a regular part of your weekly routine will keep you feeling your best, physically and mentally!
*It’s always a good idea to speak to your doctor before you start any workout routine. Once you get the clearance from them to strength train, consider doing these four exercises to do on a weekly basis.
1. The Pallof Press
I love the pallof press because it’s a core exercise that requires no twisting across the midline of the body or bending of any sort. It also puts no pressure on your pelvic floor like a plank can. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing a plank, some women just find it uncomfortable as they get closer to their due date. (They often say it feels like a lot of pressure on their bladder). The pallof press is not only safe, but it’s extremely effective for the entire duration of pregnancy. You can do it at home with a resistance band or at the gym on a cable machine.
2. The Squat
The squat is one of the most comprehensive, beneficial compound movements anyone can work into their strength training program- pregnant women included! It’s safe to do in the beginning of your pregnancy, in the middle and at the end (as long as there’s no pain in the knees, back, etc). If you are someone relatively new to the squat, squatting against a wall on a swiss-ball might be helpful. I’ve trained hundreds of clients throughout their pregnancy and the squat has been one of those exercises I’ve kept in most people’s programs. The only time someone wasn’t squatting with me while pregnant was when they weren’t squatting with me before they became pregnant. The rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t start anything new that you weren’t doing previous to getting pregnant. So if you’re someone new to the squat, I suggest continuing the movement by adding the swiss-ball and having the wall to keep your form in check. I’ve had women squat with dumbbells, kettlebells and even barbells while pregnant. You can squat at home with just your bodyweight or bands as well. This is an exercise that works your quads, hamstring, glutes and the pelvic floor muscles as well.
3. The RDL
The DB RDL, or any hip hinge pattern, is going to be beneficial to keep the strength up in your hips, glutes and lower back. The RDL also helps with balance and helps to decrease lower-back and hip discomfort due to muscle fatigue. The same rules apply for the RDL as they do for the squat- as long as the client was doing some kind of variation of the RDL before they became pregnant, they can and should continue to do practice the movement during their pregnancy. The only time I would not recommend the RDL is if someone is experiencing back pain that is new with the pregnancy. Someone can do the RDL at home with just their body weight or at the gym with dumbbells, a kettlebell or using a barbell.
4. The Row
Any row variations are a fantastic exercise for pregnant women since posture is something that can easily be compromised- especially in the third trimester. The row reinforces good posture because it retracts the shoulder blades back and works the middle to upper back. In the context of a gym, you can use the seated row weights machine or the cable machine (when your bump is still smaller as later on sitting on the ground with a large bump is too hard for most women). At home you can adapt the row using a resistance band and hooking it over a strong banister or seated hook the band over your feet.