Can you do pilates when pregnant
Pregnancy Guidelines - Studio Pilates
Exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. It helps prevent disease, is important for healthy bones and can help reduce stress, manage fatigue and lead to a better overall quality of life. All of which are very important when there is a newborn to care for.
Pregnancy and childbirth have a major impact on a woman’s body, both internally and externally. During pregnancy, every system is affected, including respiratory, cardiac/circulatory, hormonal, biomechanical and musculoskeletal. This can lead to shortness of breath, tiredness, swelling, varicose veins, postural changes and issues such as lower back pain, pelvic joint pain, carpal tunnel symptoms, rectus diastasis (separation of the abdominal muscles) and urinary incontinence.
In this article, we will revise the pregnancy guidelines and the implications for Pilates.
First Trimester (1-12 weeks)
The mother-to-be may be experiencing morning sickness or be feeling tired. This initial stage of pregnancy is where there is the most risk of miscarriage. Pilates is a safe exercise to perform, but the intensity needs to be lighter to avoid the body temperature and heart rate elevating too high, as this can increase the risk of miscarriage. Even in the first trimester, the amount of “sit up” abdominal exercises need to be reduced. Instead, focus more on T-zone activation and the pelvic floor muscles. Exercises like Bent Knee Fallouts and Lift Foot are great for this pelvic floor activation.
Second Trimester (13-26 weeks)
Throughout the second trimester, there are a series of positions and exercises which need to be avoided.
1. Avoid all abdominal work (except Double Leg Lift)
During pregnancy, we want to avoid strengthening the Rectus Abdominus. As the belly gets bigger, we don’t want the rectus to be tighter as it will stretch and can cause a rectus diastasis. For more on rectus diastasis, click here.
2. Avoid inner thigh work
We want to avoid inner thigh work because your adductors attach to your pubic symphysis (your pubic bone). When someone is in the advanced stages of pregnancy, their ligaments and joints become more lax. Many pregnant women experience some groin pain as the pubic bone starts to separate. Working the inner thighs when the pubic symphysis is already unstable can cause the pubic bone to separate even more.
3. Avoid prone positions (lying on the stomach)
At this stage of pregnancy, lying on the stomach becomes very uncomfortable as the baby is showing.
4. Avoid supine positions (lying on the back)
Supine positions are avoided at this stage as many women feel nauseous or dizzy lying in this position. This is because the baby can sit right on top of the main blood vessels as they exit the spine and cause less blood to pump through. This can not only make the mother feel dizzy, but can also be dangerous as less oxygen is passed to the baby.
Third Trimester (27 weeks to birth)
During the third trimester, the mother’s posture changes dramatically due to the baby’s increased growth. A lordosis-kyphosis posture becomes more evident. For Pilates, the second trimester guidelines continue; however now avoiding ALL abdominal exercises including avoiding Double Leg Lift, as well as inner thigh work, supine and prone positions.
Other recommendations for exercising when pregnant include:
- Maintain a moderate intensity due to the cardiac changes the body is already in an exercised state, therefore don’t want to increase heart rate too much
- Keep cool avoid hot, humid conditions, wear loose clothing, stand near fan or air-conditioner if in gym. As the baby is not able to regulate temperature.
- Stay hydrated drink lots of water even if swimming.
- Warm-up and cool-down well – due to circulatory changes the mother will need to warm-up and cool-down to avoid blood pooling and leg cramps.
- Avoid breastroke, unilateral exercises, wide lunge/stance positions as this can put extra stress on pelvis.
- Activate pelvic floor muscles during all exercises to keep as strong as possible, during the later stages may be harder to feel.
- Stop if feeling dizzy, nauseous, if vaginal bleeding or leakage of amniotic fluid.
21 June 2017 Studio Pilates International
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Pilates During Pregnancy: Is It Safe?
Pilates is a whole-body exercise system that’s great for the ever-changing pregnant body.
With a deep emphasis on your breath, Pilates balances strength, mobility, and flexibility to support your body’s structure.
With its large repertoire of exercises, there are plenty of options and modifications for every stage of pregnancy — regardless of whether you’re new to the method.
Every pregnancy is a unique experience, so a typical Pilates practice is not suitable for most pregnant people.
You’ll want an instructor specialized in (or a program designed for) pre- and postnatal Pilates training.
Prenatal Pilates prepares you for labor and delivery, sets you up for recovery, promotes pelvic floor health, and helps prevent or manage diastasis recti (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Read on to learn more about the benefits of Pilates practice during pregnancy, as well as tips for incorporating it into your routine.
Studies have shown that physical exercise carries minimal risk during a healthy pregnancy (1).
Pilates, with its low impact emphasis on stabilizing the joints, can eliminate or manage many of the typical pregnancy-related aches and pains (5, 6).
That said, you always should consult a prenatal healthcare professional before embarking on or continuing any exercise program when pregnant.
Some conditions may qualify a pregnancy as high risk, such as certain heart and lung conditions, placenta previa, or conditions that could cause preterm labor.
In these cases, most, if not all, exercise is contraindicated.
A lot is happening physiologically when you grow a human.
The pregnant body experiences an increased blood volume, heart rate, and cardiac output, causing you to feel short of breath.
Pilates breathing not only calms the nervous system, thereby lowering blood pressure, but also helps build the stamina required for the mental and emotional strength of labor and delivery (1, 2, 7).
Pilates has been shown to aid postpartum recovery and lower rates of cesarean deliveries (also known as C-sections or cesarean sections), birth interventions, episiotomies, and preeclampsia (1, 2, 3).
With an emphasis on the abdominals, back, and pelvic floor, prenatal Pilates increases body awareness and prepares you for pushing. It decreases back pain and has been shown to aid with sleep (1, 2, 3, 6).
Furthermore, the involved diaphragmatic breathing and coordination of breath with movement patterns are likewise beneficial.
But Pilates and exercise are not only good for mama, baby also reaps the benefits!
When a pregnant person continues to exercise safely during pregnancy, their baby is less susceptible to certain illnesses and benefits from a jump start in brain growth and development (8, 9).
Studies have shown there are numerous benefits for Pilates during pregnancy, both for those who may have been sedentary before, as well as the avid exerciser (1).
Due to the amount of blood flow and respiratory changes experienced during pregnancy, it’s important to stay hydrated and refrain from overheating.
Your body prepares itself to accommodate a growing baby and eventual birth by producing hormones that relax connective tissues around the joints.
This increased mobility and flexibility, along with a changing center of gravity as the baby grows, can exacerbate misalignments and previous injuries.
Fortunately, Pilates helps address, manage, and alleviate these concerns, all while giving you a challenging workout.
Still, every stage of pregnancy has its own guidelines, and there are some exercises better left for after pregnancy.
First trimester
The first trimester is the beginning of a journey during which your body starts internally working hard in preparation for baby. As your uterus begins expanding and hormonal changes begin, fatigue, nausea, or both usually set in.
Most Pilates exercises can still be performed during this stage; however, it’s important to listen to your body to refrain from overexertion. This isn’t the time to advance your practice.
Think simple. Breathwork can calm the mind, reducing anxiety while oxygenating and energizing your body.
The Pilates repertoire for strengthening the backside of the body (think glutes and hamstrings) counteracts any anterior pelvic tilts that may be starting. Pay attention to your range of motion and aim not to move through your joints’ end range with your newfound flexibility.
Second trimester
This is typically the feel good stage of pregnancy during which any fatigue and nausea have subsided and a growing bump is more visible.
Your center of gravity shifts, challenging your balance, endurance, and coordination.
Lying on your back should be kept to a minimum. The uterus can compress the vena cava (a major vein), restricting blood flow to your baby.
To modify exercises, supportive props can be added to elevate the upper body, the reformer can be elevated on an incline (also increasing the difficulty of legwork), and there are plenty of side-lying exercises to strengthen and stabilize your body.
Full planks and forward-flexing abdominal exercises increase intra-abdominal pressure, contributing to diastasis recti (separation of the abdominals) and additional downward pressure on the pelvic floor muscles.
It’s best to avoid these exercises for now — don’t worry, there are plenty of other ways to strengthen your core.
Prenatal Pilates focuses on activating the transverse abdominals that wrap around your torso like a corset, giving the feeling of “hugging the baby” while lifting the pelvic floor muscles simultaneously.
Still, it’s equally important to relax both the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. Muscles that are too tight or overactive can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction.
For obvious reasons, at this stage, any prone (lying facedown on your stomach) exercises will need to be avoided. Modifications to replicate prone exercises can be done instead.
If you’re not already working with an instructor who’s trained in prenatal Pilates, you’ll want to start now. Some of the modifications mentioned above require expert knowledge, and their expertise will guide you to pick suitable replacements for contraindicated exercises.
Third trimester
As you progress in the third trimester, the energy from the second trimester begins to dwindle while your bump grows larger.
The guidelines from the second trimester are still relevant, with the focus turning toward both contraction work and reverse Kegels to relax and release the pelvic floor muscles, as well as a full range of motion throughout movements.
This is the phase in which to concentrate on birth preparation.
An ever-increasing bump can exaggerate spinal curves, round your shoulders forward, and pull your lower back toward lordosis. Pilates exercises that continue to open up the front of the body and strengthen the back are still vital.
At this point in your pregnancy journey, you may feel you gain the most benefit from gentle mobility and stretching.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to get stronger or meet other fitness goals during this time. Your body is already preparing for the biggest athletic event of its life.
Your body is doing a lot of work during pregnancy — this isn’t the time to push or advance your practice. It’s an opportunity to tune into your body, listen, and let it direct you.
Stop exercising and contact your healthcare professional if you experience any of the following:
- vaginal bleeding
- dizziness
- headache
- unusual shortness of breath
- abdominal pain
- regular painful contractions
- chest pain
- amniotic fluid leakage
- calf pain or swelling
Heeding these guidelines will help you reap the most benefit from your prenatal Pilates routine.
- Always work with an instructor that has extensive prenatal training.
- Wear light, comfy clothing.
- Remember to consult a healthcare professional or a pelvic floor physical therapist before beginning.
- Avoid holding your breath.
- Hot Pilates or exercising in hot and humid conditions is inappropriate.
- Always have snacks on hand and stay hydrated.
- Using specialized equipment like the Reformer or Cadillac/Tower (especially in the later months) offers resistance training and a more comfortable positioning due to their elevation off of the floor.
- When using the Pilates Reformer, consider heavier springs for added support during exercises when the carriage is supporting you, and lighter springs for exercises in which you’re pushing the weight.
- Take your time when coming up from the floor.
- Relaxing your pelvic floor muscles and abdominals is as important as contracting them.
- If possible, allow time after your session so you don’t have to rush.
Recovery is just as important as the workout. - Your joints have more laxity, so be conscious of not overstretching.
- Have fun and aim to stay in tune with your body.
Pilates has been shown to lower rates of cesarean birth, birth interventions, and episiotomies, and it helps manage or eliminate the typical aches and pains associated with pregnancy.
Pilates can support every stage of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Whether you’re a newbie or avid exerciser, a qualified instructor can gear the workout to meet your needs and still challenge you safely.
PILATES AND PREGNANCY | The first healthy movement studio in Krasnoyarsk
Future moms, this article is for you!
You often hear that during pregnancy you can and should do fitness and exercise your body. But what is better to choose and whether it will cause harm - these are the fears that repel ... and as a result, classes never start.
This article is intended to tell in detail about the most suitable training method for pregnant women - the Pilates method, to tell in detail what you have to work on during classes and why, what advantages you will get from classes during pregnancy, during childbirth and recovering after.
Starting a new program is never easy. Especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, as you still do not fully feel the changes taking place in your body. Therefore, we recommend starting Pilates classes from the 2nd trimester, when you do not feel sick or tired, and are already well aware that now there are two of you. With the approval of the doctor you are seeing, our specialists will create a program adapted specifically for pregnant women, taking into account the duration of pregnancy, current physical condition and mood, as well as taking into account the recommendations of the doctor, if any.
The Pilates program is a safe yet uplifting workout with many benefits for both pregnant women and new mothers.
Pilates develops good muscular endurance, which you will need in large quantities during childbirth. Flexibility and good balance will be required as your pregnancy progresses.
Special breathing techniques and correct breathing during exercise will not only provide oxygen and nutrients to the unborn child, but will also help to smooth pregnancy and childbirth.
Control over your body and movements, performing special sets of exercises allow you to maintain good posture during pregnancy and recover faster after.
During pregnancy, women experience many physical, hormonal and emotional changes. Therefore, the exercises will vary depending on the stage of pregnancy. The training program will certainly adapt to your current condition. So let's take a closer look at how Pilates helps women before, during and after pregnancy.
Preparing for pregnancy:
The sooner you start Pilates, the better. It takes time for your body to learn new movements.
By strengthening the deep muscles of your abdomen and back, you will prepare your body to carry the extra weight of your baby and also prevent problems later in pregnancy.
Pilates strengthens the most important muscles you will use during pregnancy and childbirth - abdominals, back muscles, pelvic floor muscles. Pilates focuses on strengthening the core muscles, especially the transverse abdominis, the muscle that is used to push the baby out. Pilates allows you to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles - muscles that play an undeniably large role in the sexual life, as well as vital for preventing incontinence in the later stages of pregnancy.
FIRST 3 MONTHS:
Please take advice from your doctor before starting any exercise program. If you are new to Pilates, experts recommend that you wait the first 13-14 weeks before starting exercise.
Also remember that rest is very important in the first trimester of pregnancy. Even if you are a Pilates veteran, you will need to limit your workouts if you suffer from morning sickness.
Remember also that sometimes you may feel dizzy, clumsy or unbalanced in your body. Please do not exercise if you feel unwell or uncomfortable.
Work on posture becomes necessary already at this time. Strengthening your back muscles will help you prevent slouching caused by breast enlargement and excessive arching and straining of the lower back caused by the baby's weight gain during pregnancy.
Exercises on the stomach will stop as soon as the stomach begins to grow. This position will simply become uncomfortable and uncomfortable for you, so a personal trainer will select the most comfortable positions for you.
At all stages of pregnancy, do not exercise too hard, do not overexert yourself. The trainer will help you determine the right sensations and control the level of load. Remember, feedback is very important to us.
MIDDLE PREGNANCY :
During this period your belly begins to grow and you already feel changes inside you.
The state of health has improved, as fatigue and nausea have either gone completely or have significantly decreased.
During the last two trimesters (with increasing gestational age) we will reduce the amount of exercises in the supine position to zero. This position can cut off the oxygen supply to the baby for a long time. For a comfortable position, individual exercises will be performed in the supine position (no more than 3 minutes and only at the stage of the second trimester) or exercises with special support for your back. Therefore, we strongly discourage attending general group Pilates classes. Group classes for pregnant women also cannot be 100% effective, because. the set of exercises will change in accordance with the gestational age and taking into account your personal physical condition (we have already talked about this a little above).
Because of your growing belly, the command to “pull in the navel” will become irrelevant for you. The specialist will help you feel new true sensations to include the necessary muscles in the work.
Due to hormonal changes, your joints may become less stable during this stage of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is produced, under the influence of which the ligaments are stretched more than usual. Overloading may result in injury. Therefore, in training we will pay special attention to the correct stabilization of the joints and at the same time improve their mobility in a comfortable range. This will promote more comfortable positions during childbirth and better opening of the pelvis and hip joints.
Exercises that can put strain on the hips and groin will be excluded.
LATE PREGNANCY:
In late pregnancy, expectant mothers may experience cramps and swelling of the legs. Special Pilates exercises will help relieve excessive tension in the muscles of the legs and prevent the appearance of varicose veins.
Before training, we strongly recommend going to the toilet to empty your bladder.
During the classes, even more attention will be paid to breathing techniques, as well as exercises that relieve the load from the lower back caused by the heavy weight of the abdomen and the shift in the center of gravity.
Also remember that exercising before and during pregnancy will help you recover faster after childbirth. Classes are recommended to start approximately 2-3 months after childbirth with the permission of the doctor, if during childbirth there were no additional difficulties.
Pilates can help women get back in shape much faster. During pregnancy, the abdominal muscles stretch up to three times their normal size. Pilates helps to quickly return the pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles to their former tone and activity.
Many new mothers experience pain in the lower back and hips when lifting and carrying their children. Strengthening the core muscles and improving posture can help new mothers lift and carry babies, preventing improper loading, twisting in posture, and the possibility of joint and spinal damage.
Start classes as soon as you are ready, after giving birth (approximately 6-12 weeks). You can start training the pelvic floor muscles much earlier for their speedy recovery.
If you are breastfeeding, feed your baby before exercising so that your breasts feel more comfortable. During the feeding period, the set of exercises will also be adapted, given this circumstance. The workout will exclude exercises for excessive tension of the chest muscles and some exercises in the prone position for your comfort.
Let's summarize and briefly list the benefits of Pilates training for young and expectant mothers.
BENEFITS OF PILATES DURING PREGNANCY
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Pilates is a method of physical culture that is effective for health and beauty. The main difference between Pilates and other sports cultures is the use of special equipment that is effective for strengthening muscles and joints. Active followers of the Joseph Pilates methodology naturally have a question: is it possible for pregnant women to do Pilates and will it harm the bearing of a child? Consider this important aspect objectively and professionally.
Benefits of Pilates for Pregnancy
Pilates has proven its undeniable benefits for the treatment and prevention of various syndromes over many decades of practical use, from diseases of the musculoskeletal system to post-traumatic and postoperative conditions.
Pilates for pregnant women is of great importance, as exercise programs significantly improve the overall well-being of the expectant mother and have a beneficial effect on the future process of childbirth. The spectrum of benefits for pregnant women doing Pilates is as follows:
- the muscles of the small pelvis are strengthened and the dangerous hypertonicity of the uterus is reduced;
- parts of the spine become more flexible, the natural load on the back is reduced;
- blood circulation improves and lymph outflow increases, as a result of which edema decreases, skin and muscle cover becomes stronger;
- normalizes the work of the digestive tract.
Measured and smooth Pilates exercises allow a woman in position to stimulate the respiratory process, including diaphragmatic, and restore the psycho-emotional background.
Pilates for Pregnancy: 1st Trimester
The first trimester is the first trimester for the mother-to-be, and this period is the most important.
