My Exercise during Second Trimester

The movement I did during my Second trimester. Let me first set the stage for my activity level and before pregnancy. I had just completed 75 hard. Which was 75 days of two 45 minute workouts a day. I was strength training 6 days a week and walking for my additional workouts. I've also consistently lifted for about 10 years. So I'm not new to lifting or extensive amounts of cardio. I don’t do anything extreme but I am very consistent. So consider that when exercising when pregnant. But even if you don't exercise and you get pregnant it is extremely beneficial to start. Strength training and cardio benefits your pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum. So even if you don't workout now, you're not off the hook.

So what I'm going to share is what I would recommend for an intermediate to advanced lifter. Someone who exercises at least four times a week and is looking to continue exercise during pregnancy. Even if you’re not an advanced lifter I would still suggest reading because modifications are always available. Also know that I have been a personal trainer for over 10 years and have a pre and post natal certification. So this is by no means random.

If you read my “exercise i did during my first trimester” blog You will find alot of the material is similar. Because I am consistent and not looking to do anything extreme. But to prepare myself as best i can and handle pregnancy as best as i can.

In this blog I will address the stretching/yoga I did, cardio, strength training and warmups. I felt really good during the second trimester. So I was able to walk every single day and do my strength training 4-5 times a week.I started to feel some lower back pain towards the end of second trimester but overall felt really good. I must attribute a lot of that to my nutrition and water intake. I drank at least 90 oz of water a day and ate very nutrient dense foods. I had no cravings and hit my macro numbers pretty much everyday. I did this because I knew it would help me feel better and not fall into the “oh I'm pregnant I can have what i want” trap. I know having the extra accountability was really important for a healthy pregnancy. I upped my calories to 1930 hitting 160 grams of protein everyday. I also stayed consistent in my supplements. You can check out the supplements I take here.

So to start. Stretching/yoga in my Second trimester. I’m going to list the stretches that I did. Each one I did for 9 breaths if no discomfort or nausea was triggered. These I pulled directly from my pre and post natal certification. I did not do these everyday. These where more of when i thought about it i did it.

Warm ups before my workouts during the first trimester. I incorporated some of these stretches like unicorn and rainbow, pigeon pose, gate pose, and butterfly pose. I would also incorporate :

Pelvic tilts. These are helpful to incorporate when targeting your pelvic floor. Sometimes they are recommended to do when standing. I personally found them most effective when lying down. I also incorporated some hallowing breaths.

So to warm up before a workout I would walk on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes and then perform these movements.

Strength training during my Second trimester. My strength training was 4-5 days a week. Every workout would consist of 4-6 exercises. Each exercise performing three or more sets with 10 to 12 reps per set . I was sure to incorporate all major muscle groups—legs, chest, back, arms, core). My workouts were similar to the advanced workout program in the MIFIT app. Except I changed the progressive overload for 2 months. This would challenge me in a different way. So I would time my rest and rest in between movements for no longer than 30 seconds. Some days I had to make adjustments but I kept them the same. There is a sample workout below . These workouts ensured I was hitting every muscle group every week. I don't want any imbalances or anything being neglected. This Benefits pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum recovery. I also want to reiterate what I said above. If you don't exercise and you're planning on becoming pregnant or are pregnant exercise is so important. It will strengthen the muscles you need to pick up your baby and hold your baby. It's going to be a lot harder to strengthen those muscles while you're trying to recover from pregnancy and delivery than if you started now.

Cardio during my first trimester. I stuck with walking my Second trimester. I walked every single day. Depending on how my movement was for that day would determine my walk length. When I had personal training clients I didn't need to walk as long but I would always look to hit 8-10 thousand steps.

Walking helps prepare you for labor and the many walks with the stroller, groceries, laundry, etc.

Climbing stairs. If you live in a house or apartment with stairs, climbing stairs will help you better prepare for many trips up and down with baby, laundry, etc. I found I was getting winded very easily (normal during pregnancy). So I wanted to make sure I was helping myself and working at the cardiovascular levels too. So stairs or the stair master can help but again I stuck with walking

This may seem like a lot to some or not enough to others. But for me personally it was the right mixture. I took advice from professionals and what I learned in my certification. I know that if I move my body I feel better. I can't recommend it enough. As for nutrition I stuck to hitting my macros with nutrient dense foods almost every single day. I think thats why I had no cravings. We want to be healthy during this time so we can be the best version of ourselves and show up as our best. This benefits everyone around you. I hope this helps you or encourages you during your Second trimester. Also to reiterate again. Looking Back already I'm really glad with what I was able to do and that I stuck with it. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can message me at any time.