Quote:
Originally Posted by NoExcuses
What kind of lifting were you doing? Light, heavy, moderate? Is it ok to be working her abs with weighted sit ups also? She wants to have really strong abs for the pushing of course. I figured cardio would be good for the baby.
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I didn't run...but I do know some women that were dedicated runners that did into their second trimester. I carried my kids in such a way that running would have caused me some serious abdomen and groin strain. I would be more apt to say walking/treadmill and elliptical as she's less apt to pull a muscle in her groin or abdomen.
I was a moderate lifter and light towards the end. But I was also in
very good physical condition before all my pregnancies. I had cramping if I lifted too heavy...so that is why I decided on moderate. I never did any weighted or dedicated ab work quite honestly because I had really strong abs from working on a farm and was out walking all the time and I had very short and fairy easy deliveries with all three of my kids.
I actually avoided bb squats and bb deads and bb bench work. I was concerned with losing my balance and/or dropping a bar on myself. I switched to dumbbells so that I could drop them quick if trouble struck.
During my third trimester I was carrying 'too forward' and had no balance for deads, or squats or lunges. I could do bodyweight squats with the assistance of a chair to keep me from toppling over. But I didn't do them long as I dropped early with all my kids and the pressure was way too much to risk squats or lunges of any sort.
I also did a lot of yoga stretching for my lower back as I had a lot of lower back pain and numbness the further along I got.
There are some very good lifting and yoga DVD's out there for pregnant women. You can probably find some on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Or check with your local library.
Something that was not really around during my pregnancies that are great for helping with core work are balance balls. They support a woman's spine nicely so she can do some core work without risking as much strain as if she was on a flat less forgiving surface.
Every woman's body is different. I was in great condition, yet had to be very careful not to cause cramping while I was training. If she's in very good condition now she should listen carefully to her body and back things down as she goes along.
A lot of continuing training during pregnancy is common sense. A baby that is growing in your uterus is going to cause your balance/center of gravity to change drastically. It can take a while for some women to 'go off balance'...or it can happen early on like it did for me. You have to be careful to prevent cramping, and groin, lower back, and abdomen strain.
I also stopped doing 'explosive' work completely and concentrated on moving fully and smoothly through the range of motion (As best I could as I got further along.) and concentrated on correct breathing. That helped to prevent cramping for me.