Today I want to discuss the sometimes confusing world of abdominal work during pregnancy. We’re often told that you shouldn’t do core work when pregnant, but of course keeping a strong, functional core is paramount, especially at this time. If you’ve Googled “abs” and “pregnancy”, chances are your search returned some rather conflicting advice. There appear to be two schools of thought when it comes to popular opinion on how to stay fit during pregnancy:
1) The you-definitely-do-need-to-work-your-abs crew (which I agree with), so go ahead and plank to your heart’s content (which I absolutely do NOT agree with).
2) The don’t-go-anywhere-near-a-sit-up contingent (which is all well and good, but lacking in actual advice on what you *should* do to keep your core strong during pregnancy).
It’s all very well being told not to do what we consider traditional abdominal exercises i.e. planks, sit-ups, crunches etc, but I’d like to address why they should be avoided and what you should be doing instead.
It goes without saying that a woman’s entire core (the abdominal wall, diaphragm, lower back, pelvic floor and glutes) undergoes huge changes during pregnancy: The abdominal wall is put on permanant stretch as the belly expands, the pelvic floor has an ever-increasing load to support, the diaphragm is pushed up out of place and the poor old back and bum muscles are doing overtime trying to counterbalance the massive shift in centre of gravity. Blimey! It’s no wonder that aches and pains are commonplace.
For this reason, it is imperative that pregnant women DO WORK THEIR CORE, because a strong core will not only help to alleviate pain, but will assist you in labour and birth. Excessive crunching movements, however, place a lot of extra pressure on an already overburdened system. Planks and sit-ups – when performed in the usual way – increase intra-abdominal pressure which can lead to tension in the diaphragm, a weakened pelvic floor (owing to the downward force) and doming of the abdominal muscles, which potentially results in a diastatsis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles).
In order to work the core safely and effectively, pregnant women need to activate the entire core without increasing intra-abdominal pressure. There are many exercises which produce a subconscious activation of the core musculature, and such exercises form the basis of my weekly pregnancy fitness and birth preparation classes in Milton. Below are a few exercises which you can try at home.
Integrated pelvic floor (kegel) exercises
There is an in-depth video on my YouTube channel on how to do this, but the key is to add both breath and visualisation to your standard kegels. Rather than just trying to do pelvic floor exercises willy-nilly, sit tall, close your eyes and start to take some slow, deep, purposeful breaths. As you exhale, you should feel your lower abdomen start to tense slightly right at the end of the breath. At this point your abdominal cavity has minimal pressure as the abs are contracting, the pelvic floor is already tightening and the diaphragm is relaxed. You should do your kegel as you exhale as this increases its effectiveness, by working with your body’s natural rhythm. It can also be helpful to visualise bringing your sit bones together and lifting (rather than simply squeezing) the pelvic floor.
Standing press-up
No matter how strong you are, there comes a point in every pregnancy where doing a full press-up becomes too much of a compromise on the abdominal wall, due to the gravitational pull and the tension required to perform this exercise correctly. Bear in mind that a press-up is essentially a moving plank. By completely inclining the press-up to a standing version (against a wall or kitchen counter), the risk of the tummy bulging or doming is significantly reduced. The key points are to squeeze the glutes throughout this exercise and exhale as you push up and straighten the arms. Avoid hinging at the hips i.e. Your body should remain in a straight line from start to finish.
You can increase the intensity by adding in a resistance band, looped round the back under the armpits and pinned down with your hands, as in the photo below. (NB: My hands are on the handlebars of my spin bike).
Standing press-up with resistance band
Straight arm kneeling push down
The feeling of your abs working during this exercise is incredible, and yet the only things moving are your arms. Crazy, huh? Well, not really. It’s just proof that your core is part of a global unit, with many muscles working in synergy. As with the above exercise, the key here is to avoid hinging at the hips and to keep the torso completely still, with the glutes tight. Inhale to prepare, and then exhale as your arms pull the band down towards your hips. Slowly release the tension and return the arms to the starting position as you inhale again.
You can loop your band around a banister or have somebody hold it for you.
Kneeling band pull down
As for putting these together into a workout, it entirely depends on where you are in your pregnancy, how much exercise you have been doing up until now and, of course, how much time you have! There is no reason you couldn’t do the above three exercises daily, doing 10-12 reps of each movement, for 3-4 rounds. Ideally you would incorporate these into a bigger circuit a couple of times a week (including other exercises that work the legs and bum too), and then add in some gentle cardio (walking or swimming) and perhaps a spot of yoga to complement your strength work.
Try it and see how these exercises feel. I’d love to know how you get on.