PREGNANCY
The strength to carry
Looking for a prenatal trainer to help you stay strong while you're pregnant?
Follow prenatal fitness expert Trang as she and her team goes through her own pregnancy journey with you. Each customised training session in different phases is structured with exercises designed for your current stage in pregnancy, helping you feel confident while building a strong and powerful body that’s ready to take pregnancy in its stride.
Why should I work out during pregnancy?
REDUCE ACHES AND PAINS
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Regular exercise during pregnancy can help maintain overall health and well-being. It can contribute to better cardiovascular fitness, increased muscular strength and endurance, improved flexibility, and better posture.
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Pregnancy can often bring fatigue, but regular exercise can help boost energy levels and reduce feelings of tiredness. Engaging in moderate-intensity exercises can help combat pregnancy-related fatigue and promote a sense of vitality.
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Physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins, which are known as "feel-good" hormones. Regular exercise during pregnancy can help reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression, promoting a more positive mood and improved mental well-being.
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Pregnancy and childbirth require physical strength and stamina. By exercising regularly, pregnant women can strengthen their muscles, including the core and pelvic floor, which may help in labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery.
PREPARATION FOR LABOUR
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Exercise can help alleviate common pregnancy discomforts such as back pain, swollen ankles, constipation, and bloating. Strengthening exercises can improve posture, which may help reduce back pain and enhance overall comfort during pregnancy.
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Physical activity can enhance blood circulation, reducing the risk of swelling (edema) in the extremities. Regular movement can help minimize fluid retention and promote healthier blood flow throughout the body.
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Staying active during pregnancy can help manage weight gain within healthy limits. It can also support a healthy metabolism and aid in postpartum weight loss.
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Some studies suggest that women who exercise during pregnancy may experience shorter labor durations and have a higher likelihood of a vaginal delivery. Additionally, postpartum recovery may be smoother for those who maintain fitness during pregnancy.
HOW TO JOIN US ?
1:1 Personal Training
4:1 Lifting Ladies
READY TO BE A STRONG MAMA?
Pregnancy Strength Training Islington
Empower Yourself with tailor-made prenatal strength training workouts. Each customised workout is structured with exercises designed for your current stage in pregnancy, helping you feel confident while building a strong and powerful body that’s ready to take pregnancy in its stride.
What can I expect ?
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During a prenatal training session, you can expect a focus on exercises and movements that are safe and beneficial for pregnant women from us.
We are here to help you stay healthy during your pregnancy as London's premier prenatal personal trainers. We will talk about your objectives for prenatal training as well as your preferences, worries, and concerns.
We will obtain a full medical history from you and take the time to determine your unique needs in terms of mobility, physical problems, and present levels of fitness. In this manner, we can be certain that the programme we design is the one that will serve you and your baby's needs the best.
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The session will typically start with a warm-up period to increase blood flow, warm up the muscles, and prepare the body for exercise. This may include gentle cardiovascular activities, mobility exercises, or stretching.
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Our Prenatal training often incorporates exercises that focus on improving muscular strength and endurance. These exercises are designed to target major muscle groups while considering the changes and limitations of pregnancy. Common exercises may include squats, lunges, modified push-ups, bicep curls, and shoulder presses. The intensity and weight used will be appropriate for the individual's fitness level and stage of pregnancy.
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As pregnancy progresses, changes in the body's center of gravity and hormone levels can affect balance and stability.
Our Prenatal training sessions may incorporate exercises that challenge and improve balance to help prevent falls and maintain stability. This could involve exercises such as single-leg balances, modified yoga poses, or exercises using stability balls.
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Stretching exercises, focusing on improving flexibility and relieving muscle tension, are commonly included in our prenatal training sessions.
Gentle stretches and movements that target tight areas, such as the hips, lower back, and shoulders, can help alleviate discomfort and promote relaxation.
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The trainer will provide modifications and adaptations to exercises as needed to accommodate the changing needs of each trimester.
These modifications may involve adjusting the range of motion, providing additional support, or using modified equipment.
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Prenatal training sessions may incorporate breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to promote stress reduction, mindfulness, and connection with the body and baby.
These techniques can help prepare you for labor and enhance overall well-being.
Guidelines for exercising healthily
while pregnant
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In the first trimester, if you weren't actively weight training before your pregnancy, don't suddenly take up strenuous weights. Use slow and controlled movements to lift weights as pregnancy hormones cause joints to be loosened and can increase the risk of injury.
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After sixteen weeks general advice is to avoid lifting weights while lying supine (on your back) as it can press on a major vein – the vena cava. Doing so could make you feel dizzy, lightheaded and could limit your baby's oxygen supply.
With this in mind – and as your pregnancy progresses into the second trimester – it might be best to take a seat to lift weights.
Standing for too long during a workout could cause blood to pool in your legs and make it more difficult to keep good posture as your bump will alter your centre of gravity.
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We know you know your body is changing. You see it, you feel it, it's real. But does your routine know it?
Changing up your routine as your body changes is one of the most important things to do if you want to continue training safely.
Be careful with free weights at this stage as there's a chance you could accidentally knock your bump.
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A strong, flexible pelvic floor is so important for all pregnant women as it can help prevent and treat:
bladder leaks
bowel leaks
pelvic organ prolapse, and;
improve sexual function
'National NICE – national institute for health and care excellence– guidelines recommend all pregnant women do daily pelvic floor squeezes,'
And having a strong pelvic floor, stretches into fitness too, helping safely strength train for longer and heavier without increasing their risk of pelvic floor problems.
'When lifting any weight, our core cylinder automatically has to engage,' . The pelvic floor is situated at the bottom of – and is the most important part of – our core. A strong one means a strong core which means you'll be able to lift heavier weights more safely.
How to do pelvic floor squeezes
Simply, you need to pretend you're stopping wind – you should feel a tightening and lifting sensation that begins at the back passage, adding that there should be no external signs from the outside that you're doing them. The rest of your body – stomach, legs and bum should all stay still.
How many pelvic floor squeezes to do
'Eight squeezes at least three times a day. But, ideally, these need to be short and long ones.
Short squeezes are where you squeeze and release immediately.
Long squeezes are where you squeeze and hold for 10-seconds before letting go.
If you feel like you're not fully releasing between each one – which, heads up, you need to do – take a deep breath in and out. That should release the tension.
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A common thing to do when lifting weights is to hold our breath as we huff and puff the heavy things around. Short story: stop doing that.
Try to breathe normally and use the Talk Test – e.g. can you keep up a conversation while working out without feeling breathless – to make sure you're staying the right side of exertion.
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This is a biggie – always work within your abilities, limits and comfort. Pregnancy is not the time to try to smash PBs. Sorry, but it's not. Instead, allowing yourself plenty of rest and time to recover
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Felt your centre of gravity shift as the baby grows and your body changes? Thought so. This change in balance can make you less stable and unfortunately more likely to fall over.
With this in mind, Trang recommends not lifting any weight over your head or up from the floor, and, if you're in any doubt to slow down and consult your maternity team.
FAQ
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If you're planning on training during pregnancy, even if you're continuing on from doing so pre-pregnancy, it's always best to check with your doctor or midwife first.
It's safe to add resistance to your workout, for example using resistance bands or bodyweight movements, that will strengthen and tone you. 'It is also safe to start weights if you'd like, but be careful with the load.
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Absolutely not!
If you're up pregnancy-creek without a dumbell in sight, don't fear. Focusing on bodyweight moves and adding light resistance with bands can be enough to build strength and increase endurance – both of which will help you and your body to carry your babe in the womb and beyond.
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If pre-pregnancy you were throwing about chalky metal or getting down with a barbell on the regular, it can seem unnatural to stop everything once you get that positive result.
But is it safe?
Your body is changing rapidly, so you want to be sure your workout is beneficial and supports these adaptations.
One of these adaptations is the introduction of the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which helps soften the ligaments around your joints during pregnancy and prepares your pelvis and cervix for birth. However, this hormone and the resultant effect can make heavy weight training more dangerous as your joints become unstable.
Loading yourself up with too much weight could put excess pressure on your looser joints, risking strain and injury,
So, during pregnancy, don't try to embark on a strength or power training programme to dramatically increase strength – instead, just aim to maintain and hone what you're already doing to support your body.
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Short story, it depends. Trang suggestsavoiding any movements you're not familiar with, due to the fact that it's best to have a pre-pregnancy benchmark of what each exercise should feel like before your body began to change.
Saying that, if you're working 1:1 or 4:1 with a trainer they may have you perform new exercises which, because you're under qualified supervision, is permissible.
Trying out new moves solo in your garden? Not so much.
'As with any workout, you want to avoid pain, so notice how your body is feeling each day. Some movements may cause pelvis or lower back pain in pregnancy, so you'll want to avoid those
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This will depend on you, your pregnancy and how you're feeling week-to-week and day-to-day. However, there are some national guidelines to follow.
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines for pregnancy recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, with no known adverse risks to a pregnant woman.
'The guidelines recommend muscle strengthening activities twice a week, however, throughout the pregnancy, the body goes through significant changes, such as increased laxity (looseness) of joints, changes in centre of gravity as the bump grows and an increased resting heart rate.
Therefore as the pregnancy progresses, consider modifying your program and be guided by how you feel.
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No matter your experience or skill level, watch out for the following signs during exercise. If you have any of them, stop and seek immediate medical help:
bleeding from the vagina
feeling dizzy or faint
shortness of breath before starting exercise
chest pain
headache
muscle weakness
calf pain or swelling
regular painful contractions of the uterus
fluid gushing/leaking from the vagina
reduced baby movements