Keeping the abs you worked so hard for during your pregnancy may seem like a lost cause. You think to yourself that there is no possible way to keep a flat belly, and exercising will just be in vain.
Wrong! While you will not keep a flat belly at all, your abs right now are very important and will serve a vital role during your pregnancy. Think about it, your abs are the core of your body. If you do not keep the core of your body strong, other things may go wrong along the way.
During your pregnancy, women will typically increase the curve of their lower back to compensate for the extra weight of their growing child. Since your joins normally loosen while pregnant (this is caused by hormones), you could be causing a lot of stress to your back that may lead to injury around your spine.
I mentioned that it is very important that you have strong abs. Strong abs will basically counteract the increased lower back cure. The stronger your muscles, the better posture you will be able to maintain!
Exercises For Your Abs During Pregnancy
In order to keep your abs during pregnancy in tip top shape, we are going to go over some exercises that you can do before or during your pregnancy. We will even go over an exercise that can be done once you give birth.
The first exercise will target muscles that help support your spine since these will be crucial as your belly gets bigger. We call this exercise the knee lift. Next, we will work on the side crunch that is great for women that are already pregnant because you do NOT need to lay on your back! Finally, we will go over an exercise called bridging that can help you tone up your abs once you have given birth.
Keep in mind that these ab exercises are safe but do not try to over do it. Work on technique and form, and not try to do more reps than you are comfortable with.
Knee Lift
This exercise is done sitting down. Grab a hard chair, place it on a steady surface, and sit near the edge. Place your feet on the floor directly below your knees and place your hands at your side, flat on the chair. Now, slowly contract your abdominal muscles and bring your kneed towards your chest.
Make sure to squeeze your abs at the top of the rep, then slowly lower your leg back towards the floor. Keep each rep slow and controlled making sure to squeeze at the top of each and every rep. I would suggest doing a set with one leg, then moving on to the next.
For this exercise, do them in your first and second trimester. Try to work your way up to doing 3 sets of 12 reps. If you can only get 8-10 reps, that is perfectly okay! Just go at your own pace and see how many you can do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ9B1WBsGW8
Side Crunch
For the side crunch, grab a mat or lay down on a soft floor. Bend your legs about 30-40 degrees and place your feet flat on the ground. While you are looking up and you have your feet flat, rotate your hips so that your knees are now only a few inches off the ground but your shoulders are still flat on the mat. This is the starting position for the side crunch.
To begin the side crunch, place your hands by your head. Slowly bring your chest towards your knees. Squeeze your abs as you move your chest. Remember to focus just on the abs. This exercise works on your oblique’s which are the part of the abs that run parallel to your body.
This exercise is safe to do during all three trimesters. Start slow as these are a bit hard for a beginner. Try to do a set or two per side and try to get up to 12 reps per set. Remember, practice makes perfect so go at your own pace and do what feels right to your body.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQSwDm_VB5s
Bridging
These are the perfect exercise to start toning up and getting back into shape once you have given birth. Note: This should only be done when you are no longer pregnant.
Bridging will focus on your abs, your lower back, and your glutes so it targets multiple areas.
To perform a bridge with a curl, lay back down on the floor and place your feet (heels) on a chair of an exercise ball if you want to make this exercise harder. Bend your knees slightly so that your hips are about half a foot behind your knees. Place your arms at the side, back to the floor, and contract your abs and lower back to rotate your torso off the ground. Remember to keep your shoulders to the floor.
Try and get to a position where your knees, legs, and hips are in a straight line. Squeeze your muscles at the top, then lower your pelvis back down to the ground. That is one rep.
Work your way up to doing 2 sets of 10-12 reps. If you want to make this exercise harder, use a ball or use no ball at all. You can even ad more reps if you want which will help strengthen your abs.
Remember, even though your abs will not be visible, keeping your abs during pregnancy is very important because it will give your core the stability it needs to deal with the extra pressure on your spine. Stay strong and good luck!
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