Kettlebells and Pregnancy

Hi everyone! I am very excited to introduce you to my friend Beth Burns.

Beth is a certified trainer and kettlebell instructor. Her passion is teaching others how to find balance and joy in a healthy lifestyle. She teaches kettlebell classes and blogs about all things health and fitness over at www.bethburnsfitness.com.

Thankfully, we have discovered that exercising during pregnancy is not only beneficial for the mother, but the benefits for both mom and baby far outweigh the risks as well. Last week, Erin discussed the awesome benefits that regularly exercising during pregnancy can do for your baby. (If you haven’t read that, definitely check it out here!)

This will be one of the most physically and emotionally demanding events in one’s life. Preparing your body for it with strength and endurance is one of the best things you can do!

Even short workouts will be beneficial. In fact, I’d suggest shorter more intense workouts to longer ones, as they tend sap more energy. This is one of the reasons I’m partial to kettlebells. They provide a fun and effective way to get both strength and conditioning in a short amount of time.

Before we get into the sample workouts, here are a couple of things to take into account:

It is advised not to start a new exercise program during pregnancy, unless you have been cleared to do so by your doctor. If you were already exercising before pregnancy, feel free to continue with your training.

About the middle of your 2nd trimester (as your belly starts to get larger), you’ll want to avoid:
- Exercises that have you lying flat on your back (i.e. crunches, bench presses, or get ups)
- Holding your breath while exerting force (this is actually always advised, pregnant or not, but especially now. 😉 )
- Any exercise that causes you to exert downward pressure into the pelvis such as shoulder presses or heavy squats
- Plyometric exercises (i.e. any jumping)

Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the workout!!

Most importantly: Listen to your body!! If something doesn’t feel right, this is not the time to power through. If you’re feeling light headed, dizzy, or over-heated, slow down or stop until you feel better. Your body will tell you if it doesn’t like something.

If you’ve never done kettlebells before, I highly recommend finding a certified kettlebell instructor who can teach you the basic movements and proper form pre-pregnancy.

Sample Workouts:

I’m providing you with 2 sample workouts. These are both in circuit form which means you’ll go down the list completing each exercise before returning to the top to repeat it. You can perform these a number of ways.

Set a timer and do each exercise for 30 seconds and then rest 30 seconds. Repeat for 2-4 rounds depending on your current fitness level.
Choose a set/rep range such as: 3-4 sets of 8 reps or 2-3 sets of 12 reps. Resting as needed.

*Warm up with 5-10 minutes of joint mobility and light movement to get you warm.

*Lower body exercises can be done with weights or just body weight.

Workout A:

A1. Squats

A2. Rows

A3. Hip Bridges (with back on a bench)

A4. Push Ups (on feet or knees, probably knees once in the 3rd trimester)

A5. Side Planks (on feet or knees)

A6. Hand-to-hand Swings

Workout B:

B1. Sumo Deadlift

B2. Rows