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15-Minute Prenatal Bodyweight Workout (Low Impact Cardio)

Looking for a good pregnancy cardio workout? Try this 15-minute, full body prenatal bodyweight workout. These nine low-impact cardio exercises at home are safe for all trimesters of pregnancy (a great low impact workout at home for beginners too).

A quick, full body prenatal bodyweight workout at home, no equipment needed.

If you’ve done one of my low impact workouts before, you know: low impact does NOT mean low intensity.

This prenatal workout will raise your heart rate in a pregnancy-safe way. These low impact HIIT cardio exercises are safe for ALL trimesters of pregnancy. Which also makes this a great cardio workout for beginners, bad knees and weight loss.

pregnancy woman performing a knee drive and single arm punch overhead in a pregnancy cardio workout at home

Prenatal Bodyweight Workout FAQs

Are Bodyweight Exercises Safe During Pregnancy?

If you are healthy and your pregnancy is normal, it is safe to continue or start regular physical activity during pregnancy (ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists).

What Are The Benefits Of Prenatal Bodyweight Workouts?

Staying active during pregnancy can reduce lower back pain and other common aches and pains pregnant women experience. Prenatal bodyweight workouts are particularly effective because they can be done anywhere, no equipment needed, and can efficiently raise your heart rate. Prenatal cardio and strength training are both beneficial.

What Are The Benefits Of Low Impact Workouts During Pregnancy?

Low impact workouts are great for all seasons of life, though especially beneficial during pregnancy because they raise your heart rate and burn calories (without running or jumping), are joint friendly (limits stress on joints) and prevent injury and risk of heart disease.

pregnant woman performing standing knee drives, low impact cardio exercises in a prenatal bodyweight workout

15-Minute Prenatal Bodyweight Workout

Raise your heart rate in a pregnancy-safe, low impact way with this prenatal bodyweight workout at home.

I filmed this prenatal workout routine in my second trimester, but it’s a great pregnancy cardio workout for the third trimester of pregnancy as well.

Do these nine low impact cardio exercises at home or in a gym. There’s no equipment needed, bodyweight exercises only.

It’s all timed intervals, which means you move at your pace, striving for as many reps as you can in the 30 second timed intervals.

I suggest adding this low impact cardio workout to your exercise routine 1-2 times a week.

Workout Equipment:

No equipment, bodyweight only.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Prenatal Bodyweight Workout on YouTube led by certified personal trainer and prenatal fitness instructor, Lindsey Bomgren. 

The guided video includes form cues, pregnancy modifications and motivation along the way.

Your Prenatal Bodyweight Workout Looks Like This:

  • 9 Low Impact Exercises At Home
  • Timed Intervals (30 seconds per exercise, moving directly from one exercise to the next)
  • Repeat All 9 Exercises x2 Sets (rest for 60 seconds between sets)

Prenatal Bodyweight Workout

1. Squat And Alternating Balance Punch 
2. 3 Knee Drives And 3 Lunge Pulses, R/L
3. Front Knee Strike And Rear Kick, R/L
4. 2 Jabs And 1 Squat 
5. 2 Lateral Walks And 1 Cross Jab
6. Speed Bag 
7. Front Kicks 
8. Side-to-Side Squat Punch And Row 
9. 3 Fast Feet And Floor Tap

9 Prenatal Bodyweight Exercises At Home

Squat And Alternating Balance Punch

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders and core.

pregnant woman performing bodyweight cardio exercise, squat and punch

How To Do A Squat And Alternating Balance Punch

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Bring hands or knuckles up to “defend” your face in a guard position (or slightly lower).
  2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
  3. Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes. As you stand tall, perform a knee drive on the right leg, driving the knee up towards the chest.
  4. As you perform the knee drive, perform a single arm punch with the opposite, left arm, driving the left hand overhead.
  5. Bring the right foot back down to the mat as you bring the left arm down in front of you again.
  6. Repeat the squat, alternating the leg that performs the knee drive with the opposite arm punch.

Modification: Option to omit the knee drive and perform a squat and alternating overhead punch while keeping both feet firmly planted on the mat.

3 Knee Drives And 3 Lunge Pulses

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, arms, back, shoulders and core.

pregnant woman performing 3 knee drives and 3 lunge pulses, bodyweight cardio workout

How To Do 3 Knee Drives And 3 Lunge Pulses

  1. Start standing in a neutral position, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Step your right foot back into a reverse lunge. Lowering your right knee towards the mat, aiming for 90-degree angles in both knees. Pulse for a three-count in this loaded reverse lunge position.
  3. Then, perform three knee drives on the right leg by quickly pulling the right knee towards your chest and sending it back.
  4. Repeat this, alternating the lunge pulse and knee drive for the timed interval.

Front Knee Strike And Rear Kick

Targets: Hips, hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, lower abs and core.

pregnant woman performing a front knee drive and rear kick, prenatal bodyweight workout

How To Do A Front Knee Strike And Rear Kick

  1. Start standing feet hip-width apart, left foot slightly forward and right foot slightly back.
  2. Perform a knee drive on the left leg by driving the left knee up towards your chest with power and control. Weight is in your right back foot.
  3. Lower the left foot back so it’s flat on the ground, then shift your weight into your left foot and perform a rear kick on the right, sending the right leg long behind you.
  4. Repeat, alternating the front knee strike (or knee drive) and rear kick for the timed interval.

Modification: Option to make this less intense by tapping the back foot rather than performing a rear kick. Option to make this more intense by performing a front kick rather than a front knee strike.

2 Jabs And 1 Squat

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, arms, shoulders, back, biceps and core.

pregnant woman performing 2 jabs and 1 squat, low impact cardio pregnancy workout

How To Do 2 Jabs And 1 Squat

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Bring hands or knuckles up to “defend” your face in a guard position.
  2. Perform 2 jabs by quickly punching the right arm directly out in front of you, then the left arm.
  3. Bring both arms back to your defensive position, or starting position and perform an air squat.
  4. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
  5. Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes and repeat the 2 jabs.

2 Lateral Walks And 1 Cross Jab

Targets: Outer glutes, quads, hip abductor and adductor muscles, calves, shoulders, back, biceps, chest, core and obliques.

pregnant woman performing 2 lateral walks and 1 cross jab, prenatal workout at home

How To Do 2 Lateral Walks And 1 Cross Jab

  1. Start standing in a boxing stance – feet hip-distance apart, knees bent, on the balls of your feet. Bring hands or knuckles up to “defend” your face in a guard position.
  2. Take two lateral steps to the right of your mat; maintaining a loaded squat position (knees bent).
  3. Once you reach the edge of your mat, jab your left arm across your body. Rotating through your feet, hips and upper body as you punch (hips follow toes).
  4. Bring your left arm back to your defensive position, or starting position.
  5. Then take two lateral steps to your left, performing a cross-body jab with your right arm.

Speed Bag

Targets: Arms, shoulders, back, chest, biceps, triceps, abs, core and calves.

pregnant woman performing speed bag exercise, prenatal cardio workout

How To Do A Speed Bag

  1. Start standing, feet hip-width apart, knees bent, core engaged. Send the arms just overhead, bending at the elbows.
  2. Perform a boxer shuffle by gently bouncing, shifting your weight back and forth from right foot to left foot, balancing on the balls of your feet.
  3. As you do so, imagine you’re hitting a “speed bag” (think of any kind of boxing movie you’ve seen, this is the classic move). Make large circular motions with each arm as you “hit” your imaginary boxing bag.
  4. Continue to hit the boxing bag as you maintain the boxer shuffle for the timed interval.

Modification: Option to perform the speed bag with fists at chest level rather than overhead (the higher the arms overhead, the higher the heart rate).

Front Kicks

Targets: Hips, glutes, hamstrings, arms, back, abs and core.

pregnant woman performing alternating front kicks

How To Do Front Kicks

  1. Start standing, feet hip-width apart, knees bent, core engaged. Arms are loosely in front of your chest, elbows bent.
  2. Transfer your weight into your left leg as you pull your right knee up towards your chest.
  3. Then hinge back, keeping ribcage to hips open as you kick through your right heel, kicking your right leg straight in front of you as you stand. Pull the arms back, elbows to hips.
  4. Return your right foot to the mat, bringing the arms back in front of your chest, and repeat the front kick on the left leg.
  5. Alternate the front kicks for the timed interval.

Side-to-Side Squat Punch And Row

Targets: Legs, outer glutes, inner thighs, quads, hamstrings, shoulders, chest, back, biceps and core.

pregnant woman performing side-to-side squat, prenatal bodyweight workout at home

How To Do a Side-to-Side Squat Punch And Row

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Bring hands to the hips.
  2. Step the right foot out wide and lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
  3. As you lower into the squat, punch both arms straight out in front of you.
  4. Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes. As you stand tall, shift your weight into your left foot and step the right foot back in to center. Pull the arms back to your hips to return to your starting position.
  5. Repeat, this time stepping out to the left for the squat.

3 Fast Feet And Floor Tap

Targets: Hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves, back and core.

pregnant woman performing fast feet exercise in a prenatal bodyweight cardio workout at home

How To Do 3 Fast Feet And Floor Tap

  1. Start standing in an athletic stance with your feet shoulder-width distance apart and your hips low, keeps bent.
  2. Push through the balls of your feet and run in place quickly for a three-count.
  3. Then, drop your hips low to sit back into the bottom of a squat, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
  4. At the bottom of the squat, quickly tap the ground with your left hand. Then, pop back up into the athletic stance.
  5. Repeat, alternating the hand that taps the floor for the timed interval.

Modification: Option to omit the floor tap and just perform fast feet.

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4 comments
  1. Hi, I love these exercises… I’m not pregnant these will be my go to exercises… I’m 72 yrs d my husband & walk 3 miles 6 days per week weather permits we’re in Rowlett,Tx a suburb of Dallas…3 days I do Hiit I’m so thankful to be able to do that & JUST ❤ LIFE…I will be tuning in to you Ilove everything about your video keep up the good work

    • Hi Bettye! I’m so glad you’re enjoying these workouts — I love how active you are — that’s amazing! Keep up the great work and thanks for following along! -Lindsey

  2. Thank you so much! This workout was great. I’m pregnant and finally feeling up to working out. It’s great to exercise and know what moves are safe.

    • Lisa! Congrats on your pregnancy and so glad you love this low impact workout! It’s a great way to keep moving throughout pregnancy + postpartum (when you’re ready to get back into thing)! Keep up the great work mama! -Lindsey