So many questions about continuing with my workouts

S

soniabhardwaj

New member
Hello! I’m like 5 seconds pregnant (10 DPO) but have been planning this and want to continue staying as fit as I can during this pregnancy. Last pregnancy was 6 years ago and I wasn’t working out before or during. I was very overweight going into it and had never had a real fitness routine. Fast forward to now- I’ve been consistently working out every morning for almost 3 years. I love working out at home with Beachbody on demand and don’t want to change that habit. I totally understand At some point modifications will be necessary, but I have some specific questions:

All of this of course is barring any physical issues that would stop me from doing this.
  1. Did you change the intensity of your workouts in the first trimester? I usually do a 30-40 minute workout that changes daily while following a workout program. This can include weights, hiit, aerobic cardio, plyo, anything like that. Can I continue as long as I feel good doing so?
  2. Is there a benefit to continuing strengthening my core during the first trimester? I know I will need to stop focused core work after 12 weeks, but should o continue doing core focused days in the programs I follow?
  3. Is there any equipment that you found helpful as your pregnancy progressed? I’m considering an adjustable bench so I can do chest flys/presses and tricep work without laying on my back.
  4. How do you modify things like planks, burpees, or basically anything that will be obviously a no go once I have a bump?
I appreciate any responses! Like I said I know I’m super early but I’m a planner by nature and want to make sure I have a fitness path of some sort.
 
@taisho Agreed. Pre-pregnancy I worked out 5 days per week. Up to 6 weeks I continued to workout and felt no different. From 6-12 weeks I did not workout once because of nausea & tiredness. I swear I only got out of bed to go to work. After 12 weeks I started feeling good again and and working out 3-4 days per week and just taking it easy. It’s an adjustment I wasn’t prepared to make but had to. Some people still feel fine and are able to workout the whole time. I’m jealous of those people but hope you are one! lol. Good luck!
 
@soniabhardwaj Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I think the rule of thumb is generally ok to carry on what you were doing pre -pregnancy but to check with your doctor or midwife if you have any concerns. I was similar in that I worked out quite intensively (triathlon training & weights) but have been floored by fatigue and nausea and have been best buds with my sofa for the past few weeks. I’m now 9w+3 and getting a bit of energy back so starting to think about (very) gentle weights and cardio again. My midwife said that as long as I felt well whilst exercising I was fine to continue, she didn’t place limits but I’ve heard other doctors can.

I think being generally active and fit throughout pregnancy is a great goal but try not to be discouraged if you struggle quite a lot in the first trimester as your body is doing so much! Good luck :)
 
@soniabhardwaj Before I really answer any of your questions with my personal experience, I think one thing that all pregnant women will tell you is this - the best made plans often go awry.

The first trimester kicked my ass. I had no desire to change the intensity of my workouts or my busy bee attitude. I was last pregnant about 14 years ago, have spent years becoming much stronger and prioritizing my physical health, and intended on having the fittest pregnancy ever.

My body, which had just started growing a human, took a look at my plans, tore them up, and told me to f**k off. I was nauseated and exhausted all the time. I could only keep down simple carbs. I remember walking one mile (one!!) with my husband and telling him I genuinely wasn't sure I could make it the whole way. It took me about 25 minutes and I promptly went home to nap.

It gave me so much anxiety at first. I was sure I'd gain 60 pounds in Wheat Thins, lose all of my fitness abilities, and probably end up on My 600 Pound Life with Dr. Now lecturing me about how mashed potatoes don't have protein. Honestly, one of the best things for me was looking at this subreddit and realizing tons of women who are even fitter than me also got their asses kicked in the first trimester.

I hit week 11 and started to come back to life. I can't do the same intensity of workouts every day, but I can sometimes. I have to listen very carefully to my body. I also had to talk to my doctor. She nixed snowboarding in my first trimester, which I understood. It was a bummer to miss out, but I fall down enough while snowboarding to have made it unsafe for me.

And those are the keys here - you need to:
  1. Talk to your doctor about what is safe for you
  2. Listen to your body
  3. Do what you can to take things day by day
Buying exercise equipment for other stages of your pregnancy is like trying to buy clothes for your third trimester in your first trimester. You have no idea how your body might change. If you were overweight with your previous pregnancy, you may not have noticed some changes that can be alarming when you're fit. Like, your butt and thighs will likely get way bigger than you expect (to the horror of me and the delight of my husband).

More than anything, go easy on yourself. I promise you that the fatigue and nausea, if they hit you hard like they do 99% of us, will go away. I assure you that if your goal is to be healthy and you have the most basic of plans in place for physical health, then you'll be just fine. It can be really hard on our mental health to put high expectations on ourselves for pregnancy and then realize we are very out of control of a lot of it. The hormone changes and body changes are HUGE.

Be so kind to yourself and let life happen a day at a time. All the best!!
 
@soniabhardwaj I didn't modify till about 20 weeks. I did stop sit ups at about 15 weeks. But my physical therapist was ok with side planks and planks and dead bugs. Stoped working out due to covid at gym at 25 or so weeks. I could feel my uterus when doing hip lifts and it was odd. I got kinda lazy and just been walking since and doing pelvic floor stuff at home. I just dont work out at home. U do. So you can find many pregnancy related workouts. Keep it up
 
@soniabhardwaj Definitely bring up your exercise routine with your doctor at your first appointment. That’s priority one.

My doctor said I can keep doing what I was doing before but to be smart, listen to my body, and realize I’m more prone to injury due to hormones and relaxing joints/ligaments. That’s usually the general advice to most women. I am pretty active - running, biking and various strength routines at home - and I’ve continued all of it.

As others have experienced, I got my ass kicked starting around 6 weeks due to nausea and fatigue. I just did what I could manage. At 15 weeks now, I feel better and even strong! I run at a slower pace now naturally - extra blood volume gets me out of breath a lot easier. I also bike indoors (to eliminate any fall risk). I’m still able to do exercises on my back (chest press, inverted rows) but I can tell I’m getting to the end of my rope with exercise on my back. I’d like to invest in an adjustable bench but good ones are real pricey, so I may find other ways to modify.

I was ok with planks but eliminated crunches/sit ups/anything with twisting motions. If I’m doing strength, I purposely start with a light weight to see how my body feels before trying something heavier. I aim for moderate weight now (not trying to hit any PRs!).

I think any level of activity is awesome during pregnancy for a lot of reasons. Just know you will naturally see your abilities decline and don’t try to push it! I think we get conditioned to “push through the discomfort” when you’re used to being really active, and you really have to change that mode of thinking when pregnant.
 
@miller541 Thanks! I actually had a preconception visit with her and when I asked if I can keep working out she was not only good with it but encouraged it. I appreciate you typing up your experience for me. Super helpful!
 
@soniabhardwaj With strength, also be mindful of your back. I’m finding I need to go easy on deadlifts and squats (have to be mindful of weight I’m using) because my lower back is naturally arching as my belly grows. I may feel ok doing the move, but later on I’ll be more sore than I think I should be.

And some moves you’ll just know feel off. I did plank rows and the combination of holding a plank with one hand and rowing up with the other just felt weird on my hips. Like I could feel something move that doesn’t usually move. Hence why I like to work through the motion with a light weight first to see if the motion feels good and then add weight to it. I did some movements in my first pregnancy that left me in bad shape for the rest of my pregnancy, so I’m really trying to be safe this time.

Push ups can be done on an incline (hands on a bench) as you get bigger. Same for planks. Still effective! And prevents the belly from hitting the ground (and also protects the back more!).
 
@soniabhardwaj In your first trimester my sense is it’s fine to continue with whatever you have been doing (I kept doing HIIT workouts and ran a half marathon). As you go along I think the main thing to avoid later is crunches- my OB office at least suggest red push ups, plus and burpees were fine if I can do them.
 
@soniabhardwaj I modified in first trimester because I was puking all the time! Yuck! When I discovered the miracle that is unisom, I didn’t feel as sick anymore and so I returned to hard workouts. I didn’t slow down until 27 weeks. That’s when I did my last box jump. I stopped cycling at about 30 weeks because my balance was getting, uhm, precarious. And my running slowed to a walk, but I kept walking a ton right up until my water broke at 37 weeks. The limits on what you can do arise from fatigue and your body shape changing, not from baby’s needs. Congrats to you! Enjoy it!
 
@soniabhardwaj *just sharing my experience please check with a doctor or prenatal exercise specialist

I didn’t modify anything until about 12 weeks pregnant. I could feel “full” (didn’t start showing until about 25 weeks) despite not having a bump. Core work became the bottom priority for me as I did not want to risk an separation. I’d say you’ll know when it’s time to scale back. I was an instructor at solidcore which is a high intensity low impact full body workout on a megaformer, and around 12ish weeks I could start to feel pulling in my groin area so I stopped taking classes as i had to modify nearly everything and it didn’t seem worth it to me. Lunges became somewhat painful and all of the core work felt “wrong”.

I cycled throughout my entire pregnancy, and lifted weights (arms, squats... at home because quarantine :/)

As far as a bench, I don’t think you’ll need to buy one, you can safely do chest press on the floor until you reach a point where it’s uncomfortable. Being on your back is perfectly safe during pregnancy until the point where you feel light headed/nauseous/dizzy. I never personally felt that way while being on my back until very late in pregnancy. If you do find yourself uncomfortable, I’d recommend a birthing ball (10$ on amazon) and use that for breathing / core work and chest press. You can still work your transverse abdominals by engaging them in breathing work versus sit ups/crunches etc...

I really do think that exercise kept me healthy and my pregnancy was extremely easy. FTM and I labored for less than 5 hours before holding my little girl, I contribute a lot of that to cycling/weight training/aerobic work. Not sure if any of this is helpful to you, but moral of my long post is do what you can, until it feels wrong and never push yourself! You’re growing a baby, exercise is going to feel different but every little bit helps! Congratulations!
 
@soniabhardwaj If you have Instagram, I recommend following Hannah Bower. She is currently pregnant actually and posts a lot of good pregnancy workouts but more important she discusses incorporating proper abdominal bracing with exercise to protect your core. She also sells a pregnancy workout guide and a core guide full of info if you’re up for buying something. You need to be careful with anything that increases intraabdominal pressure (crunches, pull ups, pushups, overhead work are big ones) and modify those as you start showing. She explains it all very well.
 
@soniabhardwaj Congrats mama!! First trimester, be kind to yourself and do whatever you can do. Honestly, it might not be much. And that’s okay! Just make it through.

I feel such a connection to the energy of this post. I was this excited and determined before symptoms hit me hard. I’m 12w now and slowly starting to get my enthusiasm about the world back, so if you get hit hard (knock on wood that you don’t!) just know that it’s temporary!
 
Thanks for all the responses! With my son I had zero symptoms my entire first trimester (total unicorn pregnancy) so I’m being cautiously optimistic about this. I know every pregnancy is different though. Hoping I can maintain some form of activity for this trimester.
 
@soniabhardwaj For what it’s worth, I had very minimal symptoms in either of my pregnancies either. No vomiting, minor nausea. Nothing that impacted my fitness whatsoever. I competed in the CrossFit open from weeks 5-11 during my last pregnancy and no one other than my coach knew I was pregnant. It’s entirely possible you’ll have a similar experience with your second pregnancy as you did with your first!
 
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