Maintaining posture through pregnancy: 3 exercises to address common challenges
In addition to being a CrushCamp Coach and Personal Trainer, Anna Levy is certified in Pre- and Post-Natal Fitness, Fascial Stretch Therapy, and was named one of Canada’s Top Fitness Trainers by Impact Magazine. She is also our resident Pre and Post-Natal specialist, Coach of our Strong as a Motha’ post-natal class, and Mom of twins. This month on the blog she is sharing three common physical challenges that arise during pregnancy, as well as videos of exercises to combat these challenges. For questions or to learn more about working with Anna, email anna@right2roamtraining.com.
Note from Coach Anna: As I am not currently pregnant myself, I decided to employ some “method acting” for the following demonstration videos. My 15-lb medicine ball “baby” added a unique challenge and allowed me to feel the demands of pregnancy women experience every day!
PREGNANCY CHALLENGE #1: maintaining POSTURE
During your pregnancy your body experiences a multitude of changes - both physically and hormonally. You may not have much control over the hormonal changes but you do have control over the physical! The first thing to focus on is your posture because with poor posture you will experience lower back pain, hip pain, poor engagement of your core, pelvic floor, and ultimately improper form during your workouts.
EXERCISE TO COUNTER-ACT: TRX ROWS
In addition to strengthening your upper back and shoulders, TRX Low Rows also target your core without putting stress on it. Remember with the TRX that the lower you go, the closer your feet are to the anchor, the more challenging the row becomes. A stronger posterior chain and a stronger core will all result in better posture. TRX Low Rows are a great modification to Dumbbell Bent Over Rows.
Try: 3 Sets of 12 Reps
PREGNANCY CHALLENGE #2: ROUNDING IN UPPER BACK
Rounding in your upper back, also known as kyphosis, is very common amongst pregnant women because of the extra weight on your front. That is why I focus on a lot of upper back exercises to ensure proper engagement and to strengthen specifically into those muscles.
The growth of your baby exerts a horizontal force on your abdominals, as a result your linea alba (the connective tissue in the middle of your rectus abdominus) is stretched. This is known as the diastasis recti or abdominal separation. Every woman will experience a separation to some degree, but you can/should spend a good chunk of time strengthening these muscles to ensure that postnatally you can engage them correctly to ensure your recovery goes well.
EXERCISE TO COUNTER-ACT: LOADED BEAST
The loaded beast is a great modification to a front plank that you can use in your workouts or in any of the CrushCamp classes. Targets your upper body, core, quads and glutes.
Try: 3-4 sets of holding for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds.
PREGNANCY CHALLENGE #3: STRENGTHENING your core
Coning in your abdominals can happen when pregnant, it’s important to keep your core strong. Side Planks are a safe core exercise that you can do during your pregnancy as an alternative to Russian Twists or Sit Ups. During pregnancy your body experiences physical and hormonal changes which cause some muscles to be weakened or stretched, like your glutes, shoulders, back and core. Side Planks target all these muscles, which is why I love implementing them in my clients programs.
EXERCISE TO COUNTER-ACT: SIDE PLANKS
Side planks target your obliques, glutes, and those stabilizing muscles in your shoulder, upper back, and hips. Adding in the leg lift fires up your glutes even more. Remember to modify with the bottom leg bent, when planking from both legs becomes uncomfortable or too challenging.