9 Top Tips for Training in Later Pregnancy

by Hatch Founder & Physio, Kat

Ok, so you might be bossing it in the gym with no troubles; full of energy, no pelvic pain, no growing pains, no swollen ankles, no varicose veins, no heartburn or haemorrhoids, no itching, no heat-spikes, no sweating in strange places, no funny walk, no emotional dramas, sleeping well, eating well, training well and generally dominating pregnancy. If this is you, you can bypass this email (who are you - a unicorn?!).

The rest of us normal pregnant humans, regardless of our athleticism, will be feeling the pregnancy hit by now. Regardless of your symptoms, here are a few exercise tips to keep you feeling great in the final stretch. 

1. Prime that Pelvic Floor

Have you seen my FREE VIDEO DOWNLOAD - The Pelvic Floor, The Core & The Breath? Now's the time to focus your training on your insides. Regardless of the type of birth you will have, it is essential to start training, relaxing and coordinating these muscles. Make it part of your new daily exercise routine to do three sets of 10 perfectly coordinated squeezes with the breath. 

2. Stretch & Mobilise

Keep your body moving. Stretch your calves in standing or sitting on the floor in a straddle and get into your adductors, lean over a large gym ball and get into your hip flexors and quads, stretch your pecs and shoulders out on a door frame, roll out your thoracic, do some pelvic tilts. 

OR 

Let MAP Online do it for you. They're our mobility programming partners and we can get you a VERY special price on their programmes. 

3. Get Friendly with a Resistance Band

Banded deadlifts, banded pull-apart, pallof presses and pallof holds are lovely 3rd-trimester exercises that shouldn't aggravate even the most sensitive of preggy bodies. 

OR

Let us programme for you! You did know we have a physio-led Pregnancy Training Programme don't you?

4. Do a Benefits vs Risks Analysis for High Impact 

If you're experiencing any signs of pelvic floor dysfunction including: heaviness, pain, or leaking please stop high impact exercises. It's just not worth it - much of the damage we can do to our bodies during later pregnancy isn't even painful. We only have one pelvic floor fascia. Remember, weigh up your benefits vs your risks and make an informed decision.  We have more on this in our Pregnant Athlete Course 3.0.

5. Walk

Standard pregnancy advice, but there are ways to make it more fun. Walking on inclines, choose intervals of faster and slower walks, and challenge your centre of gravity by doing careful clockwork steps, sideways and backward walks. If your baby hasn't engaged, you can still have a go at bear-crawling in all directions too. Towards the end of my pregnancy, even walking was a challenge, so I just chose a slow tempo on a treadmill so there weren't any unexpected challenges. 

6. Four Point Positions

Bird Dog, Shoulder Taps, Donkey Kicks to side and back, Trunk Rotations (thread needles and arm openers). Time these with pelvic floor squeezes to get a decent pre-natal workout going. Also, the bonus is in this position, and you can help bub get organised into their optimal birthing position at the same time. 

7. Strength Machines

If you want that feeling of resistance but struggle with the free weights, then embrace those cable and seated strength machines. I know they don't carry the same kudos as dumbbells and barbells, but there's a strong argument for using them in your late third trimester. You don't want to do much to challenge your stability or load the spine right now. Choose single-arm cable presses and pulls, overhead and horizontal. Seated leg presses can also be excellent for this phase of pregnancy. 

8. Swim

A preggy mama's weightless best friend. Need I say more?

9. Learn to Relax

Exercise in the 3rd trimester is excellent for many reasons: mental health, community, sanity and a feeling of well-being. It can also ease aches and pains and make you feel more normal. But remember, smashing it in the gym might get applause from some on social media, but it's no time to be flogging yourself out of a) fear of losing fitness and b) being encouraged by cheerleaders.

As an athlete, you're likely to have increased muscle mass, and it's reasonable that the muscles around your belly and pelvic floor will be tighter and stronger than most. As important as it is to prime these muscles for your recovery, it's also essential to learn to relax these muscles to do the 'giving way' needed for that natural stretching to take place across your belly. Relaxed muscles will take up the slack so your connective tissue in the middle doesn't have to: this can help with abdominal separation. 

A relaxed pelvic floor will also be friendly and ready for birth. So now your training might look a bit like training and a lot like relaxing - as you train for the next stage!

If you're concerned about fitness or fat... lose the guilt. You WILL get fit again, don't fret, please. Please don't push it, and don't test it. Does the benefit outweigh the risk? You have one body, mama, and now is the time to nurture it - you'll very shortly be going through something physically epic. Love yourself enough to slow it down. 

What exercises do you love in your third trimester? Hit me up and send me a reply... I'd love to know what's been working for you in your final stretch. 

I'm with you,

Kat x