Pregnancy Workouts — kendra

Working out when your pregnant can seem completely over-rated and counter-intuitive, but I can assure you, it's not! I'm on my 4th pregnancy (in 5 years!) and I can say unequivocally that things go smoother during pregnancy AND delivery when I have worked out throughout my pregnancy. Now let's be honest - I'm not a runner, I loathe cardio and to be completely honest, working out is not something I get a "high" from like other people I know (Collin is this way and I'll never understand). It takes motivation, it takes work, and it will not happen if you don't prioritize it.

I wanted to share with you what I do during pregnancy (and often times when not pregnant, but at a higher level) to keep strong, healthy & active. My goal when working out is not to lose weight or inches (obvi), but more so to build/keep muscle, to keep my core muscles engaged and strong and to not totally let go of myself. I should mention that I just finished at a doctor's appt this morning where I had gained 10 lbs in two weeks (thanks, Haagen Dazs), so again, this is not about weight ;)

I have this set up in two rotations, so you can alternate each time you go to the gym - because work-out boredom is real. I try to work out 2-3 times a week - try mixing in a class (I do a group strength class that focuses on light weights, lots of reps, very little cardio, or sometimes will do a yoga class) or an online workout video (I love FitnessBlender!)

DAY ONE:

Cardio

10 minutes on an inverted treadmill

Lifting (each is a superset*)

Round One
Upper - 3 sets of 10 dumbbell curls (I use two 10lb dumbells, but use whatever feels right for you)
Lower - 3 sets of 10 squats (weights on shoulders, squat into heals)

Round Two
Upper - 3 sets, 10 tricep pull downs (use the tricep pulley machine)
Lower - 3 sets of 10 deadlifts

Round Three
Abs - 3 sets of 20 ab crunches
Upper - 3 sets of 10 chest presses (laying on bench)

Cool Down:
Stretch

DAY TWO:

Cardio:
10 minutes on the elliptical, bike, or stair master

Lifting (each is a superset):
Round One
Upper - 3 sets of 10 dumbell shoulder press
Lower - 3 sets of 10 lunges

Round Two
Upper - 3 sets of 10 machine lat pull downs
Lower - 3 sets of 10 machine leg extensions

Round Three
Abs - 3 sets of 20 ab crunches on a bio ball
Lower - 3 sets of 10 leg curls

Cool Down:
Stretch

A few things to note:
-Keep your weights on the lighter side - pregnancy is not the time to push yourself when it comes to lifting.
-If you don't have a gym membership, most of these can be done at home with some simple weights - look up alternatives (on youtube or google!) to using the machines.
*A superset is an alternating set - i.e. you alternate between each workout three times - so 10 curls, 10 squats and then back to curls, and then squats until you've done each three times. The beauty of supersets is that they make your workout quick and double as cardio, because they're not designed to stop in between.

My hope is that this gives you some direction in your workout and keeps things short & simple - because nobody hates a long workout as much as I do ;)