This full body pregnancy workout is designed to help expecting moms maintain strength throughout pregnancy. These low impact exercises for pregnant women are safe for the first, second and third trimesters. If you were active before pregnancy and have struggled to find workouts that are pregnancy-safe but challenging, this is the workout for you.
This pregnancy workout was created out of my own discontentment with existing pregnancy workouts online. As someone who was training 5-6 days a week prior to pregnancy, I had a hard time finding pregnancy workout videos that challenged me.
So I created this challenging, low impact strength workout to keep me moving safely during pregnancy.
Free Pregnancy Workout Plan
Pregnancy Workout FAQs
Can I Start A Workout Routine While Pregnant?
When it comes to exercise for pregnant women, strength training is the name of the game. This keeps you strong and ready for labor. I also like to include pelvic floor exercises and low-impact aerobics to my pregnancy workout plans. Prenatal yoga is another popular form of pregnancy exercise.
What Are The Benefits of Pregnancy Workouts?
Maintaining a regular exercise routine during pregnancy can reduce common aches, pains AND help you maintain strength to prepare for labor. Physical activity can reduce risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, bloating, swelling and back pain.
What Exercises Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy?
Listen to your body. In general, you want to avoid forms of exercise that put you at higher risk of injury, especially during pregnancy when your center of gravity has shifted. If you are experiencing SPD or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy, avoid sheering movements that can make this pain worse: lunges, walking up stairs, single leg exercises (What To Expect).
Advanced Pregnancy Workout: 30-Minute Full Body Prenatal Workout
Stay motivated to workout at home during pregnancy with this 30-Minute Full Body Prenatal Workout.
Strength training is the name of the game during pregnancy, and this workout has it all — from squats and deadlifts, to bicep curls and tricep extensions.
Timed Intervals (perform move 1 for 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest; perform move 2 for 30 seconds work, 15 second rest, perform move 3 for 20 second work, 10 seconds rest)
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, core, biceps and shoulders.
How To Do A Dumbbell Squat and Curl and Press
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your hips, palms facing in towards one another.
Sit your hips back as you lower into a squat.
Then, drive through your heels to stand tall, curling the dumbbells up towards your shoulders as you stand. Keep your palms faced in for the entire curl (hammer curl).
Once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, sit your hips back as you lower into a squat again.
Then, drive through your heels to stand tall and press the dumbbells straight overhead for a shoulder press.
Lower the dumbbells with control back to the starting position and repeat.
Clean and Overhead Press
Targets: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, traps, middle and lower back and abdominals.
How To Do A Clean and Overhead Press
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, slight bend in the knees. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your sides (palms facing in).
With a slight bend in your knees, hinge your hips back and power through your hamstrings and glutes to “swing” the dumbbells up to shoulder height. Your heels will pop up off the ground as you finish the “clean” motion.
Then, press the dumbbells overhead, locking out the elbows with arms straight overhead.
Return the dumbbells to shoulder height, then lower them back down to your sides and repeat the movement.
Sumo Squat and Deadlift
Targets: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, hips and inner thighs (or adductors).
The wider, sumo squat and deadlift can provide more space for your belly as your pregnancy progresses.
How To Do A Sumo Squat and Deadlift
Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold one dumbbell in each hand between your legs.
Bend your knees to lower down into a sumo squat, pushing your knees out towards your pinky toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees.
Pause and hold at the bottom of your sumo squat, then push your hips up and rotate your toes to be parallel (facing forward).
Squeeze your glutes and inner thighs as you pull the dumbbells up your thighs (like you’re doing a deadlift) to stand tall.
At the top of your deadlift, slightly rotate the toes out to find the top of your sumo squat stance.
2-Pulse Sumo Squat and Half Bicep Curl
Targets: Inner thighs, outer thighs, glutes, quads and the muscles of the forearms, the biceps muscles
How To Do A 2-Pulse Sumo Squat and Half Bicep Curl
Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance). Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of you, elbows bent at 90 degrees, elbows by your waist, and palms facing up towards the ceiling.
Bend your knees to lower down into a squat, pushing your knees out towards your pinky toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees.
At the bottom of your sumo squat, perform a pulse by raising up an inch, then lowering back down an inch. Repeat for a 2-pulse.
Then, drive through your glutes to stand back up to the starting position; pulling your inner thighs together as you stand tall. As you stand, curl the dumbbells up to shoulder height, keeping your elbows in place.
With control, lower the dumbbells, stopping when your elbows form a 90-degree angle (performing a top half bicep curl) and repeat the sumo squat pulse.
Seated Overhead Tricep Extensions and Chair Squat
Targets: The long head of your triceps (back of the arms), legs, glutes, quads, abs and core muscles.
How To Do Seated Overhead Tricep Extensions and Chair Squats
Start sitting on your bench or chair, feet hip-width apart and firmly planted on the ground. Think about bracing your core to keep your body stable.
Hold one or two dumbbells vertically between your hands straight overhead.
Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, bringing the dumbbell(s) behind your head.
Then exhale as you press the dumbbell(s) back overhead. Think ‘hide the dumbbell, show the dumbbell’ if you were watching yourself in a mirror. Repeat to perform three overhead tricep extensions. Keep your elbows close to your ears throughout the entire movement (don’t let them flare out).
Then move the dumbbell(s) to a front-racked position at shoulder height.
Then drive through your heels to stand tall, driving your hips forward.
Hold for a moment, then bend your knees and sit your hips back towards the chair and repeat the seated overhead tricep extensions.
Reverse Grip Back Row
Targets: Both the lower back and upper back, specifically the lats and rhomboids.
How To Do A Reverse Grip Back Row
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing out away from the body.
Hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor (neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button and rib cage pulled in).
Pull the weights back towards your hips, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
With control, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
Incline Push Up and Shoulder Tap
Targets: Arms (primarily chest and shoulders), back, transverses abdominis (deep core muscles) and obliques (side abs).
Adding an incline removes the intra-abdominal pressure that can cause Diastasis Recti during pregnancy.
How To Do An Incline Push Up and Shoulder Tap
Stand or kneel in front of your bench or chair. The higher the surface, the easier the push up will be.
Plant your hands on the bench and step back into a high plank position. Shoulders are stacked over wrists, neutral spine.
Hold this incline plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, as you slowly lower your chest towards the bench. Lead with your chest, elbows fall about 6 inches away from your body (not out to the sides).
Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.
Then perform a shoulder tap by tapping the right hand to the left shoulder.
Place the right hand back on the chair or bench and repeat the incline push up, alternating the hand that performs a shoulder tap after each push up.
Kneeling Single Arm Curl and Press
Targets: Upper arms — shoulders, biceps and core.
How To Do A Kneeling Single Arm Curl and Press
Start in a kneeling position, both knees on the mat with legs bent at 90 degrees, toes tucked under and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in towards one another.
Extend your left arm overhead, locking out the elbow and keeping your bicep by your left ear.
Hold the left arm overhead as you perform a hammer curl to overhead press on the right arm. Curl the dumbbell up to shoulder height, then press overhead; palm stays facing in.
Lower the dumbbell in the right hand back to the starting position with control.
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Pregnancy Workout
Pregnancy Workout
