1. Make Space for the Belly: Widen the Stance
Widening the stance is a common modification for most of our leg-based movements:
- Deadlifts
- Squats
- Lunges
Widening the stance creates more space for the belly, so we are not compressing the belly against the thighs. Usually, this is more uncomfortable than it is dangerous, but your comfort is also important while working out!
Another reason to make space for the belly is that the belly can impede hip flexion, or how much you can bend at your hip. If we have limited hip flexion as we lower in a squat or deadlift, we will likely round the back to accomplish the movement.
Maintaining a more neutral spine position is optimal for pregnancy due to stabilization changes!
So if you are lifting and are finding that your belly is hitting your thighs and it is uncomfortable, or it is causing you to compromise your form, try widening your stance!
Watch the breakdown video below for some ideas on how to modify the deadlift for pregnancy!
2. Adjust the Positioning
Next, we can adjust how we are set up in a movement but then do the same movement in a different set up!
Examples could include:
- Standing to seated overhead press
- Hip thrusts to Kneeling Banded Hip Thrusts
Changing HOW we set up the movement can increase our comfort and form in an exercise.
This could include:
- Changing our position from standing to seated, would provide more support and be easier since there is less stabilization required.
- Changing our relationship with gravity from supine/bridge or tabletop to more upright.
- Examples:
- Hip thrust to Kneeling Hip Thrust
- Bench Press to Standing Cable Press
- Bent Over Row to Seated Row
- Examples:
Changing how we set up a movement can allow us to still achieve the same intent and sensation! We can still strengthen the glutes in a hip thrust movement pattern but adjusting it from a bridge position to a more upright position can help us stay more comfortable!
If you want more of a breakdown of WHAT to do throughout your prenatal workouts, check out our prenatal fitness programs! We offer it in two formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength in the Teambuildr App (traditional delivery format)
- 40-Week Prenatal MINI Strength in the Teambuildr App with shorter workouts!
- Prenatal On-Demand with full-length workout videos that you follow along as you workout
3. Add More Support
As pregnancy progresses, we may find that we need more support in our movements!
During pregnancy, we may experience the following that can affect how we stabilize and balance:
- Postural adaptations
- Shift forward and up of our center of gravity as the belly grows
Due to these shifts, we may need to add more support to our movements so that we can continue to FEEL the sensation we are trying to achieve.
This could include:
- Adding a box at the bottom of your squats or bent-over rows
- Holding onto a sturdy structure or rings for your leg-based movements
- Adding more pads or boxes at the bottom of a lift to decrease range of motion, such as a hip thrust or deadlift
- Adding yoga blocks in your yoga poses
We can still achieve the same movement pattern but decreasing the range of motion or adding support can ensure that we can maintain optimal form! Watch the video for a breakdown of how to modify the squat during pregnancy.
4. Change the Equipment
Next, we can change the equipment we are using! This one can be a hard one to do mentally.
Instead of using a barbell, we may need to adjust to dumbbells or bands to accommodate our pregnancy.
When would you need to change equipment?
- The barbell is uncomfortable sitting against the belly, such as in the hip thrust.
- The barbell path is impeded by the belly, such as in Olympic lifts
- Adjusting from pull-ups at the bar to a cable pull-down to protect the core
This may mean that you cannot lift as heavy since it is harder to lift a dumbbell than a barbell loaded with plates. This can be what is hard to let go!
It is okay if movements do not look exactly the same as pre-pregnancy! It is okay if you use different equipment to achieve the same intent or sensation!
5. Protect the Core
As our belly grows, the abdominal wall musculature and tissues thin to accommodate for baby’s growth. This will also result in diastasis recti (DRA) where the abdominal muscles of the six-pack abs separate.
It is important to understand that DRA is NORMAL and a necessary adaptation of pregnancy. If you carry your baby into the third trimester, you WILL have DRA. It is okay!
Although DRA is a normal part of pregnancy, we still want to prevent or minimize coning during exercise, which could damage the connective tissue of the abdominal wall. This means that it may be harder to heal from DRA postpartum!
How can we protect the core?
- Avoid or minimize abdominal coning by modifying core-intensive exercises
- Instead of sit-ups, try kettlebell swings or focus on hip extension
- Instead of Russian twists, try rotational core exercises such as the diagonal pul down or upward chop
- Instead of planks, try a bear position hold or farmer carries
We can adjust from core-intensive movements to variations that allow us to better manage pressure and avoid coning. Watch the video for a breakdown of how to do the cable or banded pull down instead of the pull up!
6. Focus on the Pelvic Floor
And finally, throughout pregnancy, there may be an increased emphasis on the pelvic floor!
I didn’t even know what a pelvic floor was until I was pregnant with my first baby.
The pelvic floor is a sling of muscles at the bottom of your pelvis that serves a TON of functions, such as supporting your pelvic organs (aka your significantly larger uterus and baby), maintaining continence (aka not peeing when you jump), and plays a large role in childbirth!
We can focus on MOVING the pelvic floor (this is more than just Kegels, but pelvic floor activations are important too) and RELAXING the pelvic floor (most of us have pelvic floors that are TOO tight).
We can incorporate pelvic floor relaxation exercises within our prenatal workouts, and different breathing drills to help us connect with our pelvic floor as our body changes daily!
Watch the breakdown video on how to do a standing hip shift to release the posterior pelvic floor as you prepare for birth.
Change the SHAPE not the SENSATION
As we approach prenatal fitness, we will likely NEED to modify movement to support our changing body. BUT this does not mean that we should not workout or do the type of fitness we enjoy. We may need to focus rather on the intent that we are trying to achieve, rather than how the exercise looks!