Gym training during pregnancy
Gym training during pregnancy is a familiar topic for many women, especially if strength and resistance training were already part of your life before pregnancy. It is perfectly natural to worry about the best and safest way to train during pregnancy without putting your own or your baby’s health at risk. There is no specific reason to stop training at the gym during pregnancy unless your doctor has advised you to do so. Continuing resistance training during pregnancy is important because it helps you keep your muscles strong.
If you trained regularly at the gym before pregnancy, I definitely recommend continuing if you can and feel well enough. Your goal should be less about getting stronger or achieving a shapely physique and more about maintaining your existing fitness and sense of well-being. Your training load during pregnancy depends on how far along you are and what your training load was before pregnancy.
I certainly do not recommend starting a new type of training or training program during pregnancy. If you have never trained at a gym before, pregnancy is not the best time to start.
Why can training during pregnancy be beneficial?
- Better well-being during and after pregnancy
- Fewer leg cramps
- Less excessive weight gain and fat accumulation
- Stronger back and leg muscles help prevent or reduce back pain
- More energy and a positive mood
- Training helps prepare your body for childbirth
- Faster recovery after childbirth
When training during pregnancy, I recommend using machines rather than free weights, as this means you do not have to maintain your balance while performing an exercise and your body is more securely supported. You also do not need to engage your stabilizer muscles as much, which can cause excessive tension in your core muscles.
Recommendations for gym training
- Do not perform exercises while lying on your stomach
- From 20 weeks of pregnancy onward, exercises performed while lying on your back are also not recommended
- Make sure your heart rate does not exceed 140 beats per minute
- Do not train in a stuffy room, as this can easily leave you short of oxygen and cause your body temperature to rise
- Choose comfortable workout clothes that are not too warm
- Allow enough rest between exercises
- Choose a weight with which you can perform 12-14 repetitions, and perform 8-10
- Pay attention to your breathing – do not hold your breath while performing exercises
- I recommend a longer warm-up than usual to give your body time to prepare for the workout ahead
- Drink enough water
- Do not put excessive strain on your muscles, as the physical stress that follows recovery from muscle tension is not good for you or your baby
I have structured the resistance training as a circuit. Personally, I find circuit training works well during pregnancy because it means I do not perform several consecutive sets for the same muscle group. That would create excessive muscle tension. In circuit training, you move from one exercise to the next and finish the circuit with a short bout of aerobic exercise. Rest before starting another circuit. Complete 2-3 circuits of the exercises in each workout.
I recommend resistance training at least 2 times a week and aerobic training 3-4 times a week. During aerobic training, make sure your heart rate does not get too high. Your training load should allow you to hold a conversation while exercising.
The aim of training during pregnancy is to maintain your own and your baby’s health and well-being. Continuing moderate training benefits both your health and your baby’s.
Author: Egle Eller-Nabi
Source:Turg.Fitness.ee
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