Why you should train Abs During Pregnancy
Wondering if you should still train your abs during pregnancy? Absolutely!
Training your abdominal muscles not only supports your growing baby but also plays a crucial role in maintaining pelvic stability and promoting a smoother pregnancy and labor experience.
Why Train Your Abs During Pregnancy?
Support Your Uterus: The transverse abdominis (TA), the deepest abdominal muscle, acts like a natural corset. It supports the uterus, helping to prevent uterus and round ligament pain as your baby grows.
Influence Fetal Position: Strong abdominal muscles can influence the position of your baby in the womb. This can help encourage an optimal fetal position for birth, avoiding the “pendulum belly” and potentially reducing the likelihood of complications during labor.
Maintain Pelvic Stability: Pregnancy hormones like relaxin loosen ligaments and joints, making pelvic stability crucial. Strengthening your core muscles helps maintain pelvic stability and supports your body as it adapts to the changes of pregnancy.
Special Considerations:
Avoid Coning or Bulging: During pregnancy, avoid exercises that cause coning or bulging along the midline of your belly (linea alba). These can increase the risk of diastasis recti, where the abdominal muscles separate. Focus on exercises that engage the deep core muscles without causing strain on the abdominal wall.
Pregnancy-Specific Core Exercises to Try:
Bear Hover with Adductor Squeeze: Start on all fours, lift your knees slightly off the ground, and squeeze a ball or pillow between your knees.
Half Kneeling Wood Chopper: Kneel on one knee with a resistance band or cable attached overhead. Pull the band diagonally across your body, engaging your core.
Unilateral March with Weight: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a weight in one hand. Lift the opposite knee towards your chest while maintaining balance and core stability.
Lunge with Weight: Perform a lunge while holding a weight in one hand, focusing on maintaining stability through your core and avoiding excessive arching of the back.
Banded Lunge with Trunk Rotation: Step back into a lunge position with a resistance band attached to the side at shoulder height. As you step up from the back lunge, twist your torso towards the leg stepping up.
Banded Lunge with Internal Hip Rotation: With a band attached in front of you, step back into a lunge with an internal rotation (twisting towards your front leg). Then pull the band into a row ass you step up to standing position.
Understanding Baby's Positioning:
Throughout pregnancy, babies naturally change positions in the womb. Factors like muscle tension, laxity in tissues, placenta location, and uterus shape influence fetal positioning. Strengthening your core muscles can contribute to a supportive environment that encourages optimal fetal positioning.