I have decided to start lumping these weeks together more so my pregnancy posts don't get so annoying :) The past few weeks have been incredible because I have felt so much movement and my husband was finally able to feel him kick too. It is definitely reassuring when you feel that movement after a few hours of them not moving.
As I have started to get more energy, my workouts have been amazing. I am still able to keep up with the intensity with few modifications. Here are some of the things that I have been modifying:
Lying Hamstring Curls -> Seated Curls or Standing Cable Curls
My stomach is getting larger and I can still lie gently on my stomach but the way the lying hamstring curl sits is at an angle and puts pressure on my belly so bye bye lying hammie curls.
Box Jumps-> Jump Squats
I was able to keep up with box jumps until I started to get indigestion lol so I just switched to jump squats. Probably not a bad idea because I am already noticing a shift in my center of gravity with only 10 additional pounds so I can't imagine what it will be like when I am even bigger. No prob, jump squats are nothing to scoff at.
BB Glute Thrusts-> Kneeling Glute Thrusts on SM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoNeiMW-3nM) or Banded Thrusts
I love me some BB thrusts but with the growing baby bump it just doesn't work nor is it a good idea unless you hold dumbbells over the area and then you lose some of the engagement. So, I switched to banded or one leg thrusts with bodyweight or my favorite, kneeling glute thrusts shown in the youtube clip above. Note: I do not go that heavy while pregnant.
BB Glute Thrusts-> Kneeling Glute Thrusts on SM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoNeiMW-3nM) or Banded Thrusts
I love me some BB thrusts but with the growing baby bump it just doesn't work nor is it a good idea unless you hold dumbbells over the area and then you lose some of the engagement. So, I switched to banded or one leg thrusts with bodyweight or my favorite, kneeling glute thrusts shown in the youtube clip above. Note: I do not go that heavy while pregnant.
BB Step Ups-> Lowered the step
Up until now, I was able to use a higher box for my step ups and I would also add in kickbacks. Now that my bump is growing, I have lowered the step for safety reasons- I am clumsy and pregnancy makes you even more clumsy and my balance is shifting so I really don't need to bust my a$$ on bb squats trying to prove a point in the gym .
One of my favorite exercises lately is the elevated lunge on the smith machine, but I can't seem to manipulate my leg quite as high during the kick up due to the bump and I am sure that the kicks will eventually have to be taken out.
Crunches, planks, etc.-> Transverse Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Exercises
This is something that I neglected to mention in the beginning of my pregnancy because I just assumed most women were familiar with diastasis and knew that crunches and planks would exacerbate it. I was wrong. I see so many gorgeous preggo women crunching it up on IG or planking away, even doing weighted ab routines. I stopped all crunching, reverse crunching, Russian twisting, v-up-ing, etc. after my first trimester. Since then I have focused my core routine on strengthening my transverse abdominals.
For those of who may be unfamiliar, diastasis is the separation of your rectus abdominals. During pregnancy, your uterus grows, stretching the muscles in the abdomen, leading to abdominal separation — a condition called diastasis recti. Diastasis recti develops in late pregnancy but performing exercises such as crunches or planking places extra strain on those muscles and can make matters worse.
Early on in my pregnancy, I stumbled across Blooming Bellies Fitness on Instagram. They had videos posted of expecting mamas doing something called belly pumping. I watched as some of the ladies that Brooke at Blooming Bellies worked with posted stories of their birth and postpartum recovery and I was amazed. It seemed like those who had worked with Brooke all experienced an easier labor due to the exercises that strengthened the transverse abdominals and pelvic floor. Most of these mothers also swore that because of this, they also carried smaller because they created more room for the baby. I have to admit that her Instagram and client testimonials are quite impressive so I soon began a dialogue with Brooke. Since she was in Colorado and I am in Atlanta, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to perform any of the exercises correctly but Brooke offers distance programs that include Skype sessions in order to ensure that the exercises are being performed properly.
I began belly pumping around week 12 or 13 and started the other exercises for pelvic floor engagement about a month ago. Immediately I could feel the difference. I had gone a few weeks without doing abdominal exercises due to the risk of exacerbating diastasis and I could feel the workout in my transverse abdominals just from belly pumping. I am hoping that it helps make my labor easier by focusing on strengthening those labor muscles! Check out Blooming Bellies Fitness on IG @thebloommethod. They have a lot of new things in store for distance clients so keep an eye out.
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