‘You shouldn’t let your heart rate go over 140bpm’

‘You can’t do any work on your core’

‘You shouldn’t lift any weights over your head’

As a pre/post natal personal trainer, I would say that it’s less important to listen to these bits of outdated advice and more important to listen to your body and do what feels good. There are some clear things that you should aim to avoid while pregnant, including not lying on your back after 16 weeks for too long, rotating excessively through the core and anything that looks like a crunch, but there’s also plenty that you can do.

I’m now 17 weeks pregnant and I’ve got to say that I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve been able to continue working out three times a week bar a few weeks where I’ve been away or too busy with work. During my first pregnancy I was simply too tired and sore to workout and I’d just moved to a completely new area and didn’t find anywhere that I felt like I belonged or felt happy working out.

Fast forward to now and I’ve been working out at CrossFit St Albans for just over a year. It made sense for me to just continue working out like I have been when I got pregnant again, just with a few modifications.

Anyway, there’ll be more about doing CrossFit while pregnant in future posts. This post is about using some of the Mirafit equipment to do a variety of home workouts. I’m lucky enough to have a little gym space at home so I picked some equipment to review that I can do a lot with, the wooden plyo box, a set of 7.5kg dumbbells and a speed rope. All of the equipment is solid, well made and the box was relatively easy to put together. While I have a dedicated space, with a bit of rearranging you could use this equipment in your lounge, in your garden or anywhere where you’ve got a bit of space. You could even use the plyo box as a coffee table if you really wanted!

 

Workout 1 (suitable for trimesters 1 & 2):

8 x elevated press ups (hands on box, keep a straight line from your heels to your shoulders)

8 x goblet squats

8 x knee plank walks (place the skipping rope in front of you, start on all 4’s, walk your hands forwards keeping your hips stable, step your right hand forwards over the skipping rope, then step your left hand forwards to join it, step each hand back to the start position and repeat 8 times)

x 8 rounds

 

Workout 2 (suitable for trimesters 1 & 2):

20 minutes on the clock

12 x box step ups

8 x seated shoulder press (sit on the ground with your back against the box and your feet flat on the floor wherever feels comfortable, press the dumbbells up overhead and lower back down with control)

8 x box burpees

 

 

Workout 3 (suitable for trimester 1, 2 & 3):

6 x elevated press ups (hands on box)

6 x dumbbell deadlifts

6 x bird dogs

x 6 rounds

 

Things to bear in mind throughout any prenatal workouts:

- breathe out on the effort (eg. standing up from a squat) to avoid holding your breath and creating too much pressure within your mid-section

- listen to your body, if it doesn’t feel good then stop

- stick at a level of intensity where you could still maintain a conversation

 

All equipment was gifted by Mirafit but opinions are my own. Before exercising whilst pregnant please check with your antenatal caregiver that you are fit to exercise during pregnancy. If you experience any dizziness, bleeding or pain while exercising please consult your GP or midwife.