Tabata cardio intervals combined with full body mobility drills to raise your heart rate AND improve flexibility and range of motion. This is a great low impact prenatal cardio workout, but challenging for all fitness levels.
This workout is brought to you in partnership with lululemon.
This has been one of my GO-TO pregnancy workouts. Throughout my third pregnancy I did this prenatal cardio workout once a week (typically towards the end of the week).
It’s mentally engaging, moves quickly, and is easily modified depending on how much energy I have that day.
Stretching and mobility workouts are debatably the most important part of a well-rounded fitness routine, and yet, it seems to be the first thing to get skipped when we’re short on time (I’m so guilty of this).
So I BUILT the mobility work into a fun Tabata cardio workout you’ll actually want to do; even as your bump continues to grow.
Free Pregnancy Workout Plan
Do this Prenatal Cardio and Mobility Workout if you want to:
Raise your heart rate using just your bodyweight
Get a good sweat without being super sore
Improve cardiovascular endurance AND mobility
When exercising during pregnancy, listen to your body and take additional rest time as needed.
Download Our Free Pregnancy Workout Plan
Stay strong during pregnancy with these free pregnancy and prenatal workouts for expecting moms. 30 days of daily guided workout videos on YouTube. Safe for all trimesters of pregnancy.
If you exercised regularly pre-pregnancy, there’s no need to focus on your heart rate during pregnancy (Mayo Clinic). Some providers used to recommend a heart rate under 140 bpm, but this advice is considered outdated now. Talk to your health care provider about your specific pregnancy’s needs before beginning any exercise.
35-Minute Prenatal Cardio and Mobility Workout
SWEAT and STRETCH with this low impact cardio and mobility workout.
A full body prenatal cardio workout that combines low impact, but high intensity, cardio tabata intervals with full body mobility and stretching drills.
Boost your mood, burn calories, decrease pregnancy back pain, build strength and get your heart rate up – all in a way that’s friendly on the joints and pelvic floor.
Add this cardio and mobility workout to your pregnancy exercise routine 1-2 times a week to maintain endurance and mobility through the first trimester, second trimester and third trimester.
Workout Equipment:
No equipment, just your bodyweight.
Option to add an exercise bench/box or chair to reduce abdominal pressure during planks and push ups as your pregnancy progresses. This can also help with balance as your center of gravity shifts with a growing belly.
Shop The Best Maternity Workout Clothes from lululemon
From the best maternity leggings to supportive maternity bras, and workout tanks for your growing belly.
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, arms, back, shoulders and core.
How To Do Alternating Knee Drives
Start standing in a neutral position, feet hip-width apart. Step your right foot back into a reverse lunge.
Quickly pull the right knee towards your chest before tapping it back behind you.
Step or hop to alternate legs, sending your left leg back in a reverse lunge behind you.
Quickly pull the left knee towards your chest before tapping it back behind you.
Repeat, alternating each knee drive.
Three Lateral Squats and Lateral Shuffle
Targets: Glutes (gluteus medius), quads, hip adductors (inner thighs), hamstrings and core.
Focusing on the outer glutes or hip abductors that assist with side-to-side movements, as well as, stabilizing your pelvic floor.
How To Do Three Lateral Squats and Lateral Shuffle
Start standing, feet wider than shoulder-width (lateral squat stance), with toes facing forward or slightly turned out. Hold one dumbbell in your left hand.
Sit your hips back, bending your right knee while leaving your left leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your right leg while your left leg remains straight.
Rapidly push to the left side, bending your left knee while leaving your right leg straight. Think of performing a single leg squat with your left leg while your right leg remains straight.
Push to the right side once more, performing your third lateral squat.
Then, perform a large shuffle to the left side of your mat, staying low and loaded through your legs.
Land softly, and immediately sit your hips back and to the left, performing a lateral squat on the left. Repeat twice more, performing a right lateral squat, then ending with a left lateral squat.
Then, perform a large lateral shuffle to the right side of your mat.
Cossack Squats and Adductor Stretch
Targets: Hip, knee, and ankle mobility. As well as increases flexibility in the hamstrings and adductors (inner thighs).
A great mobility exercise to help improve range of motion in the lower body and hips.
How To Do Cossack Squats and Adductor Rotations
Start in a wide forward fold, feet outside of hips, toes pointing forward, fingertips touching the mat.
Shift your hips back and to the left. Left leg creates a 90-degree angle, right leg is straight.
Rotate your right leg open, so your toes point up towards the ceiling. Feel a stretch in your hips (inner thighs). Then bring your toes back to the mat.
Shift to the opposite side, crawling your fingers over to the right as you sit back into your right hip. Right leg at a 90-degree angle, left leg straight.
Rotate your left leg open, pointing your left toes up towards the ceiling.
Lateral Shuffle
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip abductors and core.
How To Do A Lateral Shuffle
Start in an athletic stance, feet hip-width and knees bent, core braced.
Perform a large shuffle to the left side of your mat, staying low and loaded through your legs.
As you shuffle, bring your right hand down, aiming to tap the mat.
Then, reverse the movement, shuffling to the right, bringing your left hand to tap the mat.
Box Squat
Targets: Legs, glutes, quadriceps (thighs), hamstrings, calves and core.
How To Do A Box Squat
Start standing in front of your box or bench, feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down to tap your glutes to the box behind you. Both knees bent at 90 degrees.
Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes.
As you stand, perform a calf raise by lifting your heels off the ground.
Modification: Perform an air squat with a calf raise
Hip Flexor Stretch
Targets: Hips, hip flexors, groin, quads, glutes, low back and core.
How To Do A Hip Flexor Stretch
Start in a low lunge position with your left leg forward, right leg extended behind you, supported on a bench or couch. Left foot is planted on the ground.
Square your hips to the front by tucking your tailbone. Bend your left knee, aiming for about a 90-degree angle. Think about feeling a gentle stretch in your right hip by tucking your pelvis rather than dumping into the low back.
To further intensify the stretch, add a spinal rotation by looking over your left shoulder.
lululemon makes quality apparel designed to last – through all seasons of life.
Today’s prenatal workout features some of my favorite lululemon staples that I’ve been wearing throughout my pregnancy AND will continue to wear postpartum and beyond.
Lindsey’s Outfit Details:
lululemon Align High-Rise Leggings. Wearing a size 6 for pregnancy (I typically wear a size 4 in the Align Leggings). The Align Leggings are my absolute favorite everyday-wear legging when I’m not pregnant, but they become my favorite workout leggings during pregnancy.
lululemon Muscle Love Long Sleeve Shirt. Wearing a size 6, my typically lululemon top size. I love layering this crop with a fitted tank during pregnancy! It’s lightweight but provides the perfect amount of coverage, and I’ll wear it postpartum too.
lululemon Ebb to Street Tank. Wearing a size 8 for pregnancy (I typically wear a size 6 in lululemon shirts and tanks). This tank has seamless support-to-stretch balance. It has a built in bra which I love too.
lululemon Wunder Train Leggings. Wearing a size 6 (her typical size). These are our team favorite training leggings for high intensity workouts. They are soft like the Align Leggings, but offer more compression and a stay-put waistband for higher intensity workouts.
lululemon Power Pivot Tank. Wearing a size 6 (her typical size). We love that this tank can be flipped to be worn as a v-neck OR high-neck depending on the amount of coverage you prefer.
lululemon Energy Bra. Wearing a size 8 (her typical bra size). This is our MVP bra from lululemon – it has the perfect amount of support/compression without limiting range of motion and the strappy back is such a cute feature.
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