Your body comes fully equipped with an amazingly strong and stable baby carrier: pelvic floor seat, diaphragm handle, and the obliques and transverse abs making up the sides and wrap around the low back. These specific muscles of the core are what I target and train in practically every prenatal workout in the BodyWiseMama Member Studio. Once you master a few go-to moves with modifications, you’ll be well on your way to rocking some solid core training in your prenatal workouts at any and every trimester – from 1st through 4th.
Some basic guidelines to follow when you start training for the strongest baby bump body:
- Diaphragmatic breathing is your bump’s basic BFF: inhale = muscles expand / exhale = muscles contract
- Steer clear of deep crunching, extreme twisting and overstretching.
- Breathe into the “corset muscles” (forgive my anti-feminist metaphor!) that wrap around the bump for positive feedback/engagement in the abs (i.e. a feeling of bracing/containment/drawing in and up that you can actually see if you use a mirror – a visual lift in your bump)
- If you feel cramping or a sense of straining in the muscles surrounding the bump during any exercise, stop and take a few moments to relax and breathe deeply. Resetting your body/mind for a few moments might be all you need to get back into it with a bit more support and a couple of positional modifications.
- If you’re not sure that you’re engaging your core muscles safely and effectively, leave core-specific work off the table for now and reach out to me for a free 30-minute consultation. I’m happy to help coach you through a few exercises that are tailored to your body.
This workout will bolster your core from the bottom up in a three-dimensional way: front, side and back.
Side Lying Abduction (full range) x 20 right leg
Side Lying Abduction (pulse) x 20 right leg
Side Lying Abduction (knee drive) x 20 right leg
Repeat on left leg.
Kneeling Plank (hands or forearms) x 5-10 diaphragmatic breaths
Hands & Knees Hover Hold x 5-10 diaphragmatic breaths
Side Table with Lateral Raise x 20 each side (use a light weight, 2-5 lbs., or no weight)
Block Hold Bridges x 10-20 (small range of movement; exhale to lower/inhale to lift)
Bridge Hold x 5-10 diaphragmatic breaths
Frog Legs (with OPTIONAL bicycle if in the first 20-24 weeks) x 5-10 breaths OR 20 alternating bicycles