My Favorite Pregnancy Exercises

We are getting close, friends!

In case you missed it, here are some exercise thoughts from each trimester of pregnancy.

And some other pregnancy workout-related posts!

As my due date is basically HERE, I keep thinking that my days of working out as a pregnant women are over, but I keep getting rejuvenated and I’m still wanting to move and lift most days!

At 39 weeks pregnant, here’s what I did for workouts this past week!

Monday

Took about 20-25 minutes to go through this circuit-style 5 times.

Step ups 6R/6L
Pull-up x1
KB press 3R/3L
RDL 8R/8L
Chin-up x1
TRX inverted rows x10

Tuesday

Rest

Wednesday

TGU 2 each side
Barbell back squats 5×5 (light!!)
Incline chest press 4×5
Lateral mini-band walks 4 x 15 yards each way
Neutral grip pullups 5×1
Chinups 5×1

Thursday

Completed a 30-40 minute conditioning workout moving the whole time, but nothing strenuous.

Rower
Bike
Ski Erg
Sled drags
Swings
Snatches

Friday

TGU 1 each side
Neutral grip pullups 5×1
Chinups 5×1
Double kettlebell military presses 3×5
BW squats 3×10

Followed this very short workout with a nice long walk. 🙂

I’ve been thinking a lot about this 9-10 month journey of pregnancy. Of course you know by know I strongly believe working out during pregnancy is beneficial for most women (barring any complications or doctors orders of course!).

You’ve probably have gathered that I’m a huge fan of strength training and walking as well.

If you’ve been following along on Instagram and here on the blog, you may have noticed I’ve been doing a lot of the same exercises over and over again. I’ve been sticking with the basics and changing things like reps and volume based on how I feel, where I’m at in the pregnancy and what feels good day-to-day!

I wanted to share the exercises that have felt good for the majority of my pregnancy. These are also the exercises I’ve found most effective during THIS pregnancy FOR ME. (Note the keywords – we are ALL different!)

My 5 Favorite Pregnancy Exercises

Squats

I started out doing a ton of double kettlebell front squats in my first trimester. I squatted fairly heavy during a good portion of my pregnancy as a matter of fact.

Eventually, front squats felt like they were placing too much pressure on my belly so I switched to back squats and they are still one of my favorite exercises, even at 39 weeks pregnant! Do what feels good, right? 🙂

Deadlifts

I’ve been deadlifting for the majority of my pregnancy. I stopped for a little bit during my first trimester when I wasn’t feeling strong. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t get hurt when I didn’t have the energy to focus on proper deadlifting technique.

I do narrow stance sumo deadlifts. First trimester I backed off and went lighter, switching from sets of 2-3 reps to sets of more like 5-8 reps. In the 2nd trimester I started deadlifting decently heavy for me again. As I got into the third trimester, I backed down again with higher reps and lighter weights.

Sadly, I recently retired deadlifts until post-baby as they weren’t feeling good. (Too much pressure on the pelvic floor with the giant belly!)

Pullups

It was my goal to keep doing pull-ups during this entire pregnancy. I figured if I could do them about three times a week, I could be like Milo and the bull…gaining a little bit of weight at a time, but keeping up on it. I’m happy to say this plan has worked.

If I had to guess I could probably do close to 8-10 overhand grip pullups in a row when I got pregnant. These days I’m down to multiple sets of 1 pullup or 1 chinup, but they are still happening!

Pullups have helped to keep my shoulders and upper back strong and healthy, they’ve been a great core exercise and they keep me feeling strong and healthy (and kind of powerful). 😉

Military Presses

I remember hating presses when I trained for my RKC and for my StrongFirst re-certification a few years back. I’ve had a few shoulder dislocations (as recently as last summer) so part of my reason for hating them was fear. I’d get freaked out going overhead, but once I practiced (lots of volume with light weights as part of kettlebell complexes) often, pressing got easier and more fun.

By doing tons of TGU’s and overhead walks I’ve gotten really comfortable holding a bell overhead and I’ve grown to love military presses! They’ve been a sneaky way to train the muscles in my arms, back and core during pregnancy.

Farmers Walks (and other carries and core work!)

Let’s face it, mamas. You’re going to have to carry your child and other heavy things. Might as well practice now, during pregnancy, right?

In case you missed it, here are four quick reasons training your core during pregnancy is a good idea:*

Less back pain
An easier labor
A faster and easier postpartum recovery
If untreated your client will eventually train her body to rely on other muscles (e.g. hip flexors) to stabilize her pelvis because the anterior core is now useless to them. Source.

*for most women!

Check out this post with more details about how I recommend training your core during pregnancy, but just know that you can and should (barring any complications) still focus on your so-called “mid-section” while training during pregnancy, just maybe not in the ways you thought.

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So there you have it. I’m 39.5 weeks pregnant. I’ve been training during my entire pregnancy (with modifications up and down!) and feeling great overall.

Right now, I’m bonding with my newly 4-year-old, soaking in every second of silence, catching up on some work and enjoying a little time to myself.

I’m getting really excited to meet the next little man who’s about to rock my world. 🙂

Please note: I am not a doctor. You should get clearance from your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Additionally, what feels “light” or like an “easy workout” for me may be one of the toughest ones you’ve done in a long time so please use caution and use your head. What I am doing isn’t necessarily right for you.