09/03/2026
4 things to know about pregnancy and exercise…
As someone who recently got my:
Pregnancy & Postpartum Exercise Instructor Certification
At Best You we are currently training 2 pregnant women and 1 postpartum woman, and I wanted to share 4 useful things to know.
1. Pregnancy doesn’t mean you have to stop training.
If you are already training, keep training. If you’re new to exercise, start conservatively and build gradually. As the pregnancy progresses, make smart changes as needed.
2. As your body changes, your training should change with it.
For example, around 20 weeks, we start limiting prolonged exercise flat on your back. That doesn’t mean accidentally being on your back for 20 seconds is dangerous; we’re just modifying exercises so you’re not spending extended periods there.
Or for example, if single leg exercises start to feel uncomfortable, then we just do more bilateral exercises.
3. Core training doesn’t stop; it changes.
You want to train your core; you just become more thoughtful about how you’re doing it. As pregnancy progresses, we generally move away from a lot of high-pressure, aggressive bracing and repeated sit-up-style work and toward exercises where you can control your trunk and breathe well.
Think about gently lifting the pelvic floor as you exhale, rather than bearing down.
Inhale → relax.
Exhale → gently lift and engage.
4. Train for the physical changes pregnancy creates.
Keep strength training your whole body, but put a little extra emphasis on the muscles that help you handle your changing posture like your glutes, hamstrings, and upper back.
Pregnancy isn’t a reason to stop training.
For most healthy pregnancies, exercise is not only safe, it’s recommended. The goal is to keep training and intelligently modify as your body changes.
