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While your body is incredibly smart — it makes all the pregnancy adaptations without you even asking it — you should modify your workouts for pregnancy, specifically your core workouts.
One of the biggest questions I hear during pregnancy is can I do core exercise? And which ab exercises are safe for pregnancy? To answer all of your pregnancy exercise questions, before beginning exercise, download our Prenatal and Postnatal Exercise Guide. This robust guide covers how to safely and effectively exercise during your entire pregnancy and postpartum.
Try these four core foundation exercises from our pregnancy workouts. Perform each exercise for 30 – 60 seconds with rest in between.
TRANSVERSE ABS BREATHING
Sit on the floor with your legs crossed, back straight, abs tight. Take an inhale, as you exhale pull your belly muscles in like you are “hugging your baby” or wrapping the baby with your ab muscles. Do 60 seconds.
BENT KNEE FALLOUTS WITH CORE BRACING
Lay flat on your back, legs bent with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your belly. Slowly lower one knee to the side, as low as you can, keeping your back flat on the ground and your body centered. Raise your knee back up and then lower the opposite knee. Do 30 seconds.
We review the transverse abdominis bracing thoroughly in our Prenatal Program. Try it free!
CORE BRACING ARM SWITCH
Lay flat on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Raise one arm straight over your head and lower the other arm to be straight down by your side on the floor. Keeping both arms straight and your abs braced, switch arm positions so the opposite arm is now up above your head and the other arm is lowered down by your side. Alternate back and forth for 30 seconds, then take a break!
HIP HIKES WITH CORE BRACING
Stand with your feet together, hands on your hips, facing forward. Bracing your abs, raise your left foot slightly off the floor. Lower your hip back down so your foot just taps the ground. Then, push your hip up again, using your core. This takes core balance so make sure you have a stable surface nearby to regain your balance if needed, and don’t lift your foot too high! Repeat 5 – 15 times and then switch sides.
