Pregnancy is a time of many changes to a woman's body. When you combine these changes with an exercise program, the instruction for a pregnant and postnatal woman is different than for your average female exercise participant. The additional weight during and after pregnancy causes an increase in body temperature and heart rate, so exercise intensity needs to be monitored. A pregnant and postnatal woman's body is much more flexible, so limitations during stretching are required. As a fitness instructor, your responsibility is to provide a safe and effective workout program that is comfortable and safe for your participants.
Cardiovascular
Step 1
Instruct an extended warm up of five to 10 minutes. Include full body movements such as walking, marching in place, arm circles, arm raises, knee lifts and heel touches to prepare the body for exercise.
Step 2
Stretch after the warm up. Spend 10 to 20 seconds in each stretch. Include stretches for the lower back, back of the legs, front of the legs and the chest and shoulders to loosen the body for the cardiovascular workout.
Step 3
Follow the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines for participating in 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity. Encourage your client to walk, dance, cycle, swim or use an elliptical machine for up to 30 minutes. Begin with five to 10 minutes, if your client is new to exercise. Add an additional five minutes each week until she is able to complete 30 minutes at a time.
Step 4
Use low-impact movements during pregnancy such as walking, water walking, cycling or low-impact aerobic movements that always have one foot in contact with the floor for cardiovascular exercise.
Step 5
Follow the 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity with a five- to 10-minute cool down of a reduced intensity exercise. Walk slower if walking was the activity. Walk in the water after swimming laps. Reduce the pedal speed if cycling.
Step 6
Stretch your participant's main muscle groups again, such as the back, hamstrings, chest and shoulders. Do this from a standing position and avoid lying on the back for stretching exercises. Instruct your client to ease slowly into the stretch as her body is more flexible during this time.
Strength Training
Step 1
Include a five- to 10-minute full body warm up prior to strength training. Use exercises such as walking, cycling, or stair climbing to prepare your client's body for the workout.
Step 2
Use a light weight amount that can be lifted 10 to 15 times.
Step 3
Include exercises such as arm curls, arm extensions, shoulder presses, chest presses, rows, squats and seated leg extensions to strengthen the major muscle groups.
Step 4
Select exercises that keep your client in an upright position and not lying on her back if she is in the second and third trimester.
Step 5
Perform one to two sets of strength training exercises two or three times a week.
Step 6
Allow for one day of rest in between strength training workouts. Keep the weight resistance amount the same, or close to the same, as pregnancy is not a time to make strength gains, but to maintain strength and tone.
Step 7
Stretch the muscles that you have strengthened following the workout.
Tips and Warnings
- Postnatal women can return to exercise following their doctor's clearance. Begin at a reduced exercise intensity until the woman adjusts to her current fitness level and the bodyweight changes from giving birth. If she is breast feeding, recommend feeding the baby prior to the exercise session, and eating adequate calories to support breast feeding and exercise.
- Stop the exercise immediately if your client experiences vaginal bleeding, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, amniotic fluid leaking, chest pain, labor contractions, muscle weakness or calf swelling.
