Do Lateral Pull-down Exercise When Pregnant

How to Do Lateral Pull-Down Exercise When Pregnant

Last Update: September 18, 2008

Video By: LIVESTRONG.COM

Lateral pull down exercises are a safe and effective way for pregnant women to strengthen arm muscles during pregnancy. Learn how to do lateral pull-down exercises in this pregnancy video.

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Transcript of this video

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Place feet shoulder-width apart
Hold shoulder blades back & down
Use good posture
Move arms overhead & forward
Move arms down & out at shoulders

About this Author

Known as the trainers' trainer, Carol Ann has 19 years of professional fitness training experience, a Master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and CEC provider status with AFAA and ACE. She holds current fitness certifications including Group X Instructor, Personal Trainer, Pilates, Yoga, Aqua Fitness, Kickboxing, and Lifestyle Fitness Coaching. Carol Ann has traveled nationally and internationally training fitness professionals, presenting certifications and workshops, and sharing her knowledge for specific training techniques and application. Along with various fitness training DVD's, she is the creator and star of the fitness DVD series called The Steel Physique System. She also is a freelance fitness expert writer for several publications. In 2008 she is launching Studio Group X, a premier state-of-the-art group exercise studio in North Tampa, FL. The focus is to engage her clients into leading healthy lifestyles for a lifetime through an educational and fun process.

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CAROLANN: This is how to do lateral pulldown while pregnant. Now when you're pregnant, we tend to put on some weight in the areas that we really don't want to. So you want to maybe work that bra overhang area. So what we're going to do are lateral pulldowns, and we're going to use our resistance tubing to do so. So let's think about great posture. We're going to use an exercise ball so that we can incorporate the core muscles, which is very important while being pregnant to prepare you for that delivery date. Now, your feet are shoulder-width apart, firmly planted. You want to think about pulling your navel in towards your spine. Your shoulder blades are back and down, and really think about great posture out through the crown of your head. Now, grab the tubing with the handles and a little bit of the tubing so you can create that resistance. Then extend your arms overhead, straight up, maybe slightly more forward so that you're protecting the shoulders, and then you want to pull your arms down out to the sides and lower the tubing down towards the chest. Very nice. And lift right back up again. Good. Now, as she continues to perform this exercise, what you want to concentrate on is right here in the lat area. As you pull down, this is that bra overhang that you may start to get. So we want to try to avoid that and this exercise is awesome, really creating that strength in that lat area. To breathe properly will be to inhale as you extend your arms overhead; exhale as you pull the arms down. Inhale through the nose as you lift your arms up and then exhale as you bring the arms down, out through the mouth. Great. Now, rest just for a moment. You can perform about 15 reps. If you have the energy, you can do three sets. Remember to never work to exhaustion while you're pregnant. So three things to remember: navel in towards your spine; keep your arms slightly more forward that the rest of your body to protect your shoulders; and then remember to inhale to prepare, exhale as you perform the movement. And that is how to do the lateral pulldown while you're pregnant.