pregnant work outs

[casbarocker]

Hey all,

I thought this would be the best place to post this. My fiancé and I found out that she is pregnant this week; she is about 4 - 5 weeks. We are both scared and excited about this, she now goes to the gym about 3 to 4 days a week, she is 21 years old, fairly good athletic build. She wants to continue to work out in the gym but has been told that she can’t work out regular as to not cause stress and possibly lose the baby.

So of course my question is, what should she be doing in the gym during the stages of her pregnancy. Any help would be gratefully appreciated, and many k coming back to you .

 

[scorpiogirl]

Hmmmm, that's strange. Most of the time they tell you that if you are use to doing something, you can - and should - continue.

Is this just for the first trimester - or for the whole pregnancy? Is she high risk?

 

[Daisy_Girl]

First - CONGRATS!


What do her normal workouts consist of?

If she is healthy, there is no reason why she needs to change ANYTHING.

Most of the "rules" about PG workouts are outdated and have no basis in science. They are over-careful "guesses" on what is okay for a general population. BUT, the "pregnancy police" (i.e., everyone thinks they are an expert and they KNOW what the rules are - ignore these people, smile and nod and say thank you for your concern) will tell you EVERYTHING you are doing "wrong", lol.

Case in point:

1) There is no reason she needs to keep her heart rate below 140. Heart rate can vary so widely between individuals (due to age, weight, condition, etc.). A better indication of what her intensity should be is the talk test. SHe needs to make sure she can talk the entire time - she should NOT be huffing and puffing. Getting out of breath is okay, but if mom is gasping for air then so is baby.

2) She can continue lifting weights. Lifting weights will not cause her uterus to fall out, choke the baby or other silly things. She will likely need to lower the weight - but that is due to getting tired quicker among other things.


She DOES need to watch her exertion level and body temp. She should wear lose fitting clothes, that breathe. Minimize tight spandex, which tends to hold in heat and feel restricting.

She DOES need to drink more than normal, especially when working out.

She CAN continue doing whatever she was doing before, with some modifications. Most modifications are obvious - and her body will tell her what should not be done because it will be uncomfortable.


She needs to talk to her doctor, but most of all LISTEN TO HER BODY. Her body will guide her through this. I expected I would workout my entire PG, but that is not the case. Often, I am so tired at the end of the day I can barely drive home - let alone go to the gym. And I am lucky - I had NO morning sickness nor any complications. I am just mentally and physically EXHAUSTED. I do what I can, when I can and deal with it. Now is NOT the time to get worked up about missing a workout or gaining weight.

I can try to help as much as I can .... let me know if you have Qs.

 

[casbarocker]

her normal workouts are usually cardio for like 20 to 30 min
then she will usually work a body part a day for like an hour at a time.

Her dr. told her that her first trimester she has to be careful, not do alot of running or alot of strenous activities, they did say that she could use the bike and possibly the eliptical. I guess there is a risk that she could possibly loose the baby in the first trimester, not a high risk, but they said she shold take it a lil more easy.

I know she is going to start doing the yoga courses at our gym, but she is more worried about her actual weights work out. I told her she should probably foccus more on lighter weight, higher reps if she can, and not push herself as much. But are there things she shouldnt be still doing? (ie. dead lifts, squats, ets.....)

P.S. Thank you very much Daisy_Girl and ScorpioGirl

 

[scorpiogirl]

Pretty much whatever she HAS already been doing, she should be able to continue to do - just at a lighter weight/lower intensity. Daisy is right, she just needs to listen to her body. Most of the time the doc will tell you the first trimester is the most fragile. It is, but I don't think omiting her normal day to day activities is necessary.