Exercise during pregnancy can help maintain your health and keep you feeling energized. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercising during pregnancy can also help you prepare for labor, and "being in good shape may even shorten your labor and speed your recovery." The Mayo Clinic further explains that strength training is safe during pregnancy as long as you avoid heavy weights. Consult your doctor before you begin exercising, and always listen to your body.
Prone Hamstring Curl
Hamstring curls target the back of the leg. Strengthening your legs helps support the added weight put on during pregnancy. Begin on the floor on your hands and knees. Extend your right leg out so that it is parallel with your body. From here, curl your leg in by bending at the knee, bringing your heel toward your bottom and squeezing through the back of your thigh. Extend your leg back out and repeat. Repeat the motion on your left leg.
The American Council on Exercise suggests general guidelines when exercising while pregnant, including extending your warm-up and cool-downs, avoiding exercise when it is hot or humid, and eating a small snack before exercise to help avoid hypoglycemia.
Abduction/Adduction
Strengthen your outer and inner thigh with abduction and adduction leg lifts. Begin with abduction, targeting your outer thigh, by lying on the ground on your side. Support your head by resting it on your arm and stack your legs on top of each other. Lift your top leg as high as you can or until it is straight up. Lower it back down slowly and repeat. Flip over and repeat on the other leg.
Target your inner thigh with adduction. Start on your side in the same position as before and bring your top leg in front of you, bending your knee and placing your foot on the floor. Raise your bottom leg up and down. The motion is small yet effective.
Bird Dog
The bird dog is an effective exercise to help strengthen and stabilize your back. Start on the ground on your hands and knees. Slowly raise your right arm and extend your left leg at the same time, trying not to rotate your hips or tilt your shoulder. Raise your arm and leg until you feel your hips tilting or until they are in line with your body. Slowly lower back down and repeat on the opposite arm and leg.
Wall Push-Up
Perform push-ups on the wall to strengthen your chest and triceps. Begin by standing in front of a wall and placing your hands on it slightly more than shoulder width apart. Step your feet back about 2 to 3 feet from the wall, keeping your back straight. Bring your chest toward the wall by bending at the elbows. Straighten your arms and return to the starting position, keeping your hands on the wall. Repeat.
Plie Squats
Plie squats strengthen your legs and glutes. Start standing with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward. Squat down slowly by bending at the knees, keeping your back straight and making sure your knees do not go past your toes. Bend down as far as it is comfortable or until your knees are slightly above a 90-degree angle. Use the power of your legs to return to a standing position.
Biceps Curls
Biceps curls are an efficient weight training exercise that strengthens the front of your arms. Remember to avoid lifting heavy weights while pregnant. Begin standing in a neutral position with 3- to 5-pound dumbbells or another weighted object, such as soup cans, in each hand. Turn your palms facing outward and curl the weights up by bending at the elbows, keeping your elbows in by your body. Lower the weights down slowly and repeat.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Core Exercises: Pregnancy and Exercise: Baby, Let's Move!
- ACE Personal Trainer Manual; Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. and Daniel J. Green, Editors; 2003
