Advice please

[godlesstc]

Hi everyone!
I’m 5 weeks pregnant. So far the nausea and fatigue aren’t too bad. I’m sticking to my normal workout schedule for now. Everyday I try to stretch in the morning and before bed. I do twenty five jumping jacks daily. Monday to Friday I walk to the gym. It’s 0.4 miles away from my house. At the gym, I power walk at 4 mph for 50 minutes. I usually get to 3.31 miles. I know I shouldn’t try to add too much to my routine, but is there anything you would recommend I do? I’m going to add two sets of kegels a day. Thank you in advance!

 

[morganpettit97]

@godlesstc The muscle groups I tried to focus on strengthening were core, shoulders/back, upper body, and also worked on my squats. You’ve got a while to go so stay active and have fun!

 

[godlesstc]

@morganpettit97 Thank you! Any specific exercises you could recommend other than squats?

 

[morganpettit97]

@godlesstc Glute bridges (lower body, core), planks (whole body), push ups (upper body, core), lunges and split squats (lower body), bear crawls (upper and lower body), clamshells (lower body), monster walks (lower body). Add weights or resistance as needed. Make sure to keep doing mobility work (trunk rotation, yoga/stretching) too!

 

[godlesstc]

@morganpettit97 Thank you so much!

 

[nebensonnen]

@morganpettit97 I did most of these too! Just watch out for any pelvic pain! I started to get SPD which gave me a sharp pain whenever I did a single leg exercise OR moving my leg from a position away from my body to closer. So clam shells or monster walks could agitate but do what you can whole you can!

 

[katrina2017]

@godlesstc I would suggest weight training. Cardio you're on fire so good job.

Start with bodyweight squats, work up to goblet squats and eventually barbell if you are strong enough. Split squats and kettlebell RDLs too. Scope out your gym's Smith machine, squat racks, leg extension machines, hack squat and leg press.

I would also put some effort into strengthening your back, biceps and shoulders, which you will need carrying around a baby and (if you choose) breastfeeding. Dumbells are a good place to start, but there are a ton of machines at gyms which will show you what to do via diagram.

 

[godlesstc]

@katrina2017 Thank you! I’m a little worried about upping my workout so much. I’ve heard before that if you couldn’t do something before pregnancy, you shouldn’t expect to do it during pregnancy. What kind of gains would be reasonable? Like 15 lb weights?

 

[katrina2017]

@godlesstc I would still do it, it sounds like you're not starting from absolute zero since you have a lot of cardio. I would start with 5 lb weights (dumbbells), bodyweight squats and very low weight on the machines. You're mostly going to be started by getting used to the movements and working up slowly from there, if you're comfortable and your body is agreeable. I do think there's value in "slightly and safely pushing yourself" during pregnancy. The squats alone will help tremendously with childbirth.

 

[godlesstc]

@katrina2017 Awesome! Thank you so much!

 

[2myronic]

@godlesstc You're doing awesome!! I'm at 29 weeks now, and the muscles I'm counting on the most are my transverse abs. I wish I'd been a little more diligent with prenatal pilates leading up to now!

I also have been doing yoga regularly for years, and my OBGYN and pelvic floor PT always say "Oh that's so great, keep doing all the yoga!!" So, apparently yoga is a good idea too.