Training while Pregnant

MiliMe

I have been doing the Insanity workout for the past 6 weeks or so. I've found out that I'm pregnant. Having miscarried last time I am concerned about continuing with Insanity, been told my doctor to take it easy.
I have been feeling great from doing it so I don't want to stop training altogether (I've never really been one for walking).
So any recommendations for training programmes suitable for the newly pregnant???

Conservatory

People will tell you to train right up because you can’t miss the gains etc.
You will need to extra energy the longer you go. I’d be advising a brisk walk nothing too taxing and a healthy diet.
If weight gain is what’s bothering you just eat regularly and as healthy as you can. The two or three hundred calories insanity burns can be eaten by the baby.

You have the rest of your life to practice for the olympics, enjoy being pregnant for a while.

Frankie19

Insanity will raise your heartbeat too high and as it's a form of interval training your heart rate will be going up and down in short bursts which is not recommended while pregnant.

When I was pregnant I attended an ante natal class in the rotunda where the physio mentioned walking, swimming , yoga as the best forms of exercise. She advised against weight lifting, press ups and any body weight exercises such as burpees due to the pressure they can put on pelvic mucles.

Protein shakes were also advised as a no no as no research has been done on the potential affects they could have during pregnancy so advised to stay away from them.

I was intent on continuing to exercise throughout my pregnancy but once the tiredness and morning sickness kicked in I was only fit for the bed or couch! Once I hit 18 weeks I started pregnancy yoga and did that untill my blood pressure got too high at 35 weeks and was put on bed rest.

Alf Veedersane

Conservatory wrote: »

People will tell you to train right up because you can’t miss the gains etc.

I would suggest that anyone that told a pregnant woman that is a moron.

That said, there is no reason not to train. There is a benefit to a moderate level of training that goes beyond a walk. Balanced, as with diet.

So Insanity won't fit the bill. I'd be inclined to go to a good PT for some guidance. If you say the general area you are, you might get some recommendations, if it's something you were interested in

flazio

First of all congratulations on your pregnancy and best of luck with it.
Secondly I recommend taking a glance through some of the posts @kathrynthomasofficial posted on instagram about her fitness routine through pregnancy, key points were listen to your body and don't over do it.

Birdie086

I kept on weightlifting right up untill 7 and a half months, but I had been at it over a year and a half before i was pregnant.

I wore a heart rate monitor during each session and kept a close eye on heart rate. I used to do metcon as well but kept this to a minimum, because heart rate would go too high. I would imagine insanity would be the same.

funnily enough I had to give up walking for any longer than 10 minutes from about four months pregnant. I was carrying low and felt a lot pressure when walking.

exercise while pregnant is a very individual thing and I would second others advice here. pack in the insanity and maybe try swimming. something you might still enjoy without putting your heart rate too high too quickly.

Generally you are supposed to maintain what you have been doing (not insanity) but I'd ask a pro on this, a gp or someone who specialises in ante natal training

freemenfitness

What bluewolf has said is spot on doing some form of training at the level you are at is ideal. A friend and fellow trainer I know is 6 months pregnant and still regularly training but at a lighter level. Ask your GP and if not have a look online for someone who specialises in ante natal PT work. They can even give you a program to do that will help you stay active.

Also congratulations and best of luck with the pregnancy.

silverharp

If you liked swimming that would be worth jump starting, my wife kept that up until near the due dates and it was a great all round way of keeping fit. You can build back up the Insanity style fitness reasonably quickly on the other side.

eeeee

One of my friends won a world masters gold medal 6 weeks after a caserean birth. She trained the whole way through her pregnancy, and was immensely frustrated at being told to take it easy etc. There are other options out there for more active women that don't consider pregnancy an illness/wrap yourself in cotton wool/gentle walk/swim situation. My friend wrote a book about her experiences, and as a scientist conducted her own research into what can and can't be done during pregnancy. She contacted several scientists and former elite female athletes (including Sonia O Sullivan) during the course of her research. One interesting thing about it is that training whilst pregnant has the same affect on your body as training at altitude, due to the extra blood in your body. So you can get more gains from less intense training. The book is called Pregnancy to Podium: http://pregnancytopodium.com
She had her second child last year and we won a sliver medal at the nationals last year in our event so it's no impediment to success!

Ultimately, every single person is different, and every pregnancy is different. What suits one will not suit another. Do your research, there's more out there than yoga and gentle walks, but if that's all you're able for there's nothing wrong with that. Really listen to your body and do what feels right. You might feel shyte and not want to train at all or do loads, you know your own body best, when to push and when to rest.

Stellasmurf

Can anyone recommend a PT who would be able to advise a gym programme while pregnant? Preferably Dublin city centre or Dundrum areas.

MiliMe

Thanks for the advice. I tried a bit of hillwalking yesterday, went well tho an old knee injury flared up on the way back down...

Transform

MiliMe wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I tried a bit of hillwalking yesterday, went well tho an old knee injury flared up on the way back down...

Article i did re training and pregnancy, it also contains a link to a video of exercises we do with clients during pregnancy.

https://www.dominicmunnelly.ie/articles-1/2017/3/8/training-while-expecting?rq=pregnancy

Re the knee injury - make sure youre working on glute lots like this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBKiUdGqyak&t=3s

i personally would not work with a client that has previously had a miscarriage is currently pregnant and not out of the first trimester.

After that first 12 weeks things get a little less nervous.

currently we're working with two clients that are pregnant and two post pregnant, both of the latter trained right up until 2 weeks before they gave birth and one of them is 47yrs young. (should say they were both ABLE to train as i fully understand that all pregnancies are different).