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10-Minute Prenatal Pilates (No Equipment)

Stay active with this guided Prenatal Pilates class at home – safe for all trimesters of pregnancy! This full body pilates routine requires no equipment and just 10 minutes to sculpt and strengthen your legs, back, arms, chest and core muscles. Modifications are provided for all fitness levels.



 

This workout is brought to you in partnership with lululemon.

My prenatal barre and pilates workouts are some of the most popular pregnancy workouts.

The combination of low impact cardio, strength training, and pregnancy-safe core exercises makes this a great workout for any trimester.

And it’s also a great beginner workout, or workout for the postpartum period.

This full body pilates class is done entirely from the mat – no big up and down motions (that can cause nausea in early pregnancy and get tougher as your belly grows).

pregnant woman performing a modified side plank or knee down side plank | prenatal pilates

Prenatal Pilates Workout FAQs

Is Pilates Safe During Pregnancy?

Pilates is one of the best forms of pregnancy exercise. It focuses on low impact strengthening exercises, with an emphasis on stabilizing the joints and strengthening the deep transverse abdominal muscles, which can help manage common pregnancy-related aches and pains.

What Can You Not Do In Pilates While Pregnant?

Avoid deep rotation/twisting motions or moves that cause coning or doming of the core. After the first trimester, avoid laying on your back for extended periods of time to avoid the uterus compressing blood flow in the inferior vena cava, which can make you nauseous or dizzy. You may also want to use additional balance support (such as a chair or counter) as your center of gravity shifts.

pregnant woman performing a table top leg lift | prenatal pilates workout

Safely strengthen and tone during pregnancy with this quick and effective prenatal pilates workout class: a boutique pilates studio experience at home!

This full body prenatal pilates routine combines my favorite pilates-inspired exercises, modified to be safe for changing needs during pregnancy.

A pilates routine designed to safely strengthen the abdominals and engage the pelvic floor muscles; and easily modified depending on your energy levels and stage of pregnancy.

Add this quick pregnancy pilates workout to your pregnancy exercise program 1-2 times a week to maintain strength through the first trimester, second trimester and third trimester.

Workout Equipment:

No Equipment Needed.

Option to add ankle weights or light dumbbells if you want to increase the challenge!

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pregnant woman performing cow pose as part of prenatal pilates workout

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided full body prenatal pilates class on YouTubeled by certified personal trainer and prenatal Pilates instructor, Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 5 Pregnancy Pilates Exercises
  • Timed Intervals (40 seconds of work, 20 seconds rest; complete as many reps as you can in the timed interval)
  • Repeat Each Move x2 Sets

As always with exercise during pregnancy, listen to your body and perform the range of motion that feels comfortable to you.

Workout Outline

  1. Quadruped Cow Pose to Bear Crawl Hold
  2. Bird Dog and Abduction
  3. Thigh Dancing and Chest Fly
  4. Two Three-Point Push Ups and Two Rear Leg Lifts
  5. Modified Side Plank and Side Leg Lift and Rainbow
pregnant woman performing thigh dancing with goal post arms as part of prenatal pilates workout

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Pregnancy Pilates

5 Best Prenatal Pilates Moves

Quadruped Cow Pose to Bear Crawl Hold

Targets: Deep transverse abdomen muscles, rectus abdominis (six-pack ab muscles), oblique muscles, shoulders, back, legs, glutes and quads.

cow pose to bear crawl hold prenatal pilates

How To Do A Quadruped Cow Pose to Bear Crawl Hold

  1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees.
  2. Inhale as you let your belly slightly drop, raising your gaze up as you breathe through into your belly.
  3. Exhale, drawing your abs tight around your torso as you tuck your toes under and lift your knees one inch off the mat, finding a bear crawl. Hold for a three-count.
  4. Inhale as you lower your knees to the mat, finding a neutral spine position.

Bird Dog and Abduction

Targets: Every muscle in your core; including: deep transverse abdomen muscles, rectus abdominis (six pack ab muscles), oblique muscles, hip abductors, shoulders and quads.

Your core is designed to stabilize your body as your arms and legs move away from your body. The bird dog is an excellent exercise in core control and focused breathing.

bird dog and abductions | pregnancy pilates

How To Do A Bird Dog and Abduction

  1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees. Pull your belly button in towards the spine.
  2. Extend your right hand in front of you and your left leg out behind you.
  3. Squeeze your abs to stabilize your torso as you extend your limbs away from your body – pressing your right arm out towards the right side and your left leg out towards the left. Your floating arm and leg moving in opposite directions.
  4. Bring your floating limbs back to center, then lower to the mat with control, returning to a quadruped position.

Thigh Dancing and Chest/Back Fly

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, chest, shoulders, back and core.

thigh dancing and goal post arms | pregnancy pilates

How To Do Thigh Dancing and Chest/Back Fly

  1. Start in a kneeling position, knees under hips, tops of your feet pressed into your mat. Goal post your arms so that your elbows form 90-degree angles, palms facing out.
  2. Sit your hips back, hovering your glutes an inch above your heels. As you sit back, pull your elbows in towards each other, rotating your palms to face in towards each other.
  3. Squeeze your quads to lift your hips, squeeze your back to pull your arms apart, returning to starting position.

Two Three-Point Push Ups and Two Rear Leg Lifts

Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, back, hamstrings and glutes.

three point push up and two leg lifts | prenatal pilates workout

How To Do Two Three-Point Push Ups and Two Rear Leg Lifts

  1. Find a modified high plank position, shoulders stacked over wrists, knees on the mat. Float your right foot off the mat, hovering it a few inches above the ground.
  2. Perform a “mini” push up, bending your elbows to lower your chest a few inches towards the mat, then pressing evenly through your hands to return to your modified high plank position. Repeat twice.
  3. Then, hold modified high plank position and perform two rear leg lifts: squeezing your right glute to raise your right foot up a few inches and down a few inches. Repeat twice.

Modified Side Plank and Leg Lift Rainbows

Targets: Obliques, upper abs, lower abs, outer glutes, hip abductors and shoulders.

pregnant woman performing modified side plank and leg lift rainbows

How To Do A Modified Side Plank and Leg Lift Rainbows

  1. Begin in a modified side plank position, left forearm on the mat and shoulder stacked over elbow. Modify your side plank by dropping your bottom left knee to the mat.
  2. Brace your core for stability as you start drawing half circles with your top right foot, tapping it back behind your body and drawing an arc with your toes to tap it in front of your body.

Shop This Post: lululemon Favorites

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.

pregnant woman performing a rear leg extension

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 Wunder Train High Neck Bra. Wearing a size 8, my typical lululemon bra size. I love the high neck on this bra, especially with a changing bust size during pregnancy/postpartum. This bra provides the perfect amount of coverage and security.

lululemon Ebb to Street Tank. Wearing a size 8 for pregnancy (I typically wear a size 6 in lululemon shirts and tanks when I’m not pregnant). This tank has seamless support-to-stretch balance. It has a built in bra which I love too.

Find more of my favorite pregnancy workout leggings, tops and sports bras in this post: The Best lululemon Maternity Workout Clothes.

Pin This Workout: 10-Minute Prenatal Pilates Class

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This workout is brought to you in partnership with lululemon. And this post does include affiliate links; I do make a commission of items purchased through this post at no additional cost to you. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Nourish Move Love and all the content you see on this blog possible.

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