The Welcome Back Workout
I so wanted to be the gal who could WWP (work out while pregnant), but alas I’m one of those rare breeds of mama whose morning sickness didn’t stop once the first trimester was over. I’m now comfortably in my second trimester and still feeling the nauseating breath of the metal-mouth monster down my back, but there’s an upside to all that! Around week 16, I got fed up with waiting for the sickness to pass. If you’re still sick at four months, you may just have morning sickness throughout the whole darn thing, so I knew it was time to work with what I had been given. That’s when I made a plan to get back in the gym. I knew I couldn’t have any episodes. I knew I had to start eating more so that I’d have the energy to move, and once those two conditions were in place, I made my move!
I, along with my trainer/husband, was all too aware that I hadn’t set foot in a workout space since week five of my pregnancy, so we knew it would be an interesting first day back. On top of being pregnant and having modifications to contend with, I was also two months free of working out so my workout was tweaked and tweaked some more.
Lucky for you, this makes a perfect welcome back workout! Whether you’re pregnant or are just returning from a long gym break, these workouts are perfectly challenging without damaging the goods. I was still sore the next day, but nothing alarming that would cause worry. There’s always a day of firsts. Heck, before I was pregnant I had the first-day backs. They’re intimidating and I used to beat myself up over them, but now I give myself and my body a break. And I remember that my big physical feat of strength lately has been growing a baby. So much easier to leave my pride at the gym door when remembering that!
Welcome Back Workout
Warm up: Walk on treadmill for 10 minutes at an incline of 3.
Three Rounds:
- 12 squats with bicep curls (I used a medicine ball to squat onto to make sure I went deep, as well as an elastic band wrapped right above my knees to make sure they weren’t caving in. Great form is worth more than 100 bad squats!)
- 12 push-ups
- 12 back rows
- 12 shoulder presses
- Plank held for 30 seconds
Cool down: Stretch!
Don’t forget to stretch at the end of this workout! If you’ve been out for awhile you’ll thank me for the preemptive TLC! It makes all the difference considering I was still moderately sore for two days following this workout, which I took as a success. I worked my muscles, and I worked them well! Doing this workout twice a week for the first week and three times a week the next should prepare your body to get back in the game, pregnant or not.
Isn’t having a game plan for a new beginning great?! —Tish