I bought Expecting and Empowered and I feel scammed - a review

[jdnc]

@choirmom Hey, forgot to mention! If you like lifting, check out Katie Crewe’s Instagram (@katiecrewe). She was very recently pregnant and posted a bunch of at home workouts that you can do with just bodyweight or with one set of dumbbells or kettlebells.

 

[etriem]

@choirmom i bought the physical guide and plan to pass it on through my local buynothing group, and personally it was a waste because i lost motivation/energy as my belly got bigger, having to chase a very high energy toddler, and working. but, i do find them to be very helpful/informative on instagram. they frequently do stories reminding of how to best sit/walk/hold your posture etc amongst other things. it’s a shame that they seem to have put effort into the guide as it is and left it at that. i’d wager they’d make a lot more off it if they turned it into an app and allowed a subscription.

another point is to join the fb group you have to have actually purchased the guide yourself (they ask for your confirmation #/email used to purchase) which is just really yucky to me. there isn’t even that much info in there-really just another typical mom group.

i also can’t remember if i read it here, on their ig, or in the guide, but somewhere said you aren’t necessarily meant to do the pelvic exercises right before the strength exercises, and that you can do them anytime of day. when i did have energy, breaking them up helped cut it down from a 1.5 hr workout to a more manageable 45 minutesish.

 

[kkdaniela]

@choirmom This is why I’m glad I didn’t buy E&E — I thought it might be too slow or boring for me.
Meg squats is not a Women’s health specialist, but I started doing her Stronger By The Day programming when I was about 12/14 weeks pregnant and did it all the way up to weeks 33/34 when I started doing just yoga and walking instead. I really believe the SBTD helped me maintain good overall strength in pregnancy. I modified anything that didn’t feel good or that I knew was contraindicated in pregnancy and had no issues.
Also, $8/mo cannot be beat.

 

[ttown]

@kkdaniela I love Meg Squats!

 

[aellen1995]

@choirmom Thank you OP, just wanna add to the hook/fixture thing for resistance bands: you can get a door anchor for resistance band on Amazon for a few dollars. That way you can fix the bands on the door frame and work out that way. I find it super useful. You don’t need to mount a permanent hook into your wall.

 

[obelex]

@choirmom

The Bloom Method

I'm late to this thread but because - despite yes, it is certainly at times too "mama-y" and hipster girlfriend-y - I have really, really enjoyed the Bloom Method. Do I whine and complain and engage in what I've started calling The Great Procrastination when it's time to get started? Absolutely. But I actually just re-did some of the beginner videos and was surprised how much easier I was able to actually complete them which means that, despite my whining and complaining, I definitely seem to be getting stronger!

I'm now 26+3 and having been doing various Bloom videos since week 12ish and am really pleased to be honest. I'm really just using it for strength, core, and pelvic floor strengthening & lengthening because I'm still running quite comfortably 45ish min a few times a week. Plus the educational pieces etc.

I would say I was medium-fit before getting pregnant; running consistently and long enough distances to sign up for a half marathon (bahaha, first trimester fatigue did away with that plan!) but not really doing much else.

What I have found is that you have to dig a little to get to the challenging stuff because it's not always super intuitively laid out, and sometimes I've found things kind of by accident. Anything marked 'Intermediate' in the strength/core things I've basically not been able to get through (How!? How are these 37 week pregnant ladies doing squats, then side lunges, then holds, THEN single leg get ups?!), as well as the "BirthPREP series are real challenges. I've also been doing a lot of combining when I have time and energy, such as on Strength, then one Core, etc.

Things I don't love; No specific form section - while they do remind you of form in between I've definitely had to look up things online when I wasn't sure. Not quite enough stretching; only a handful of videos. Not enough actual Pelvic Floor work; only two videos.

Anyway - I'm mostly writing because I'm surprised at how much I've felt like they have contributed to me feeling better and stronger and like I am much more mobile because I know how to keep the core stable while doing things like changing sheets, lifting things etc!

 

[iamthankful]

@choirmom Sounds like it should be an app! A PDF, the way you describe it, just sounds lazy!

 

[gnre]

@choirmom Thanks for the write up. I also looked into E and E based on Reddit mentions, but didn’t end up buying because the website, lack of videos and/or app, and high price made me feel like it might not be worth my time. I did think, though, that maybe I would give it a second look as I got larger and later in pregnancy since specific guidance would be helpful at that point vs self-modifying my typical routines. Now I won’t bother since it sounds like that main supposed benefit isn’t even there.

 

[zoss]

@choirmom Your review is super helpful, thank you for sharing! I am almost 29 wks and starting to look for a pregnancy specific program since I'm having incontinence and pelvic pain issues (it's my 2nd pregnancy, and been working with pelvic floor PT since week 18). I did look at E&E and almost bought the 3rd trimester guide due to all the rave reviews, but am so glad I decided not to! I am very strongly considering subscribing to the Mamastefit monthly subscription for my last 2/3 mos since it doesnt make sense to buy the entire pregnancy guide at this point. I love her informative content on IG and you access the workouts through an app, not a cumbersome pdf. She has a home and gym version. I'm also looking at her post partum program too, depending on how I find her pregnancy one. I've emailed her with a few questions about the program and she has been super responsive, which I appreciate. I haven't seen much input on her programs but I am going to give it a shot!

 

[katrina2017]

@choirmom I really appreciate this write up. I'm trying for #2 right now, and trying to sort out how I want to approach fitness this time around, and this program was a possibility.

However, I just got diagnosed with hypertonic pelvic floor and am working with a PT to resolve it -- so yeah, this is very clearly not the program for me. My last labor took 4 hours of pushing because I suck at bearing down (which I now know why), there's no way I need that ish.

 

[elmarie111]

@choirmom WOW thank you for this! What a total scam! Thank you for the info. And fwiw, Russian twists are already feeling very wrong for my body at 8 weeks. That is shocking.

 

[katrina2017]

@choirmom I HATE E and E and wrote a very similar review to yours (either on this account or my other account). I agree with everything you said! The cable attachment thing pissed me off and I had to skip those weeks or sub a different work out. And Russian twists and mountain climbers..? For REAL? The program sucks.

 

[emlagacu1992]

@choirmom Very late to the party, but wanted to add my own "thank you!"
I'm 5 weeks, FTM, and have a lot of interest in the pelvic floor muscles exercises because I have been diagnosed with a hypertonic pelvic floor. I want exercises that can help me relax and lengthen that pelvic floor even more than I want strengthening.

 

[vlod]

@emlagacu1992 Would you want to split either the Belle Method Push Prep or Hannah Bower's core guide? Want to get something, but trying to limit how much I'm spending on online classes...

 

[phileolove]

@choirmom Thanks you for sharing! Was about to purchase but you're saving me money. Appreciate it.