Trimesters
FIRST TRIMESTER (WEEKS 1-12)
During the first trimester, it’s time to dial down the intensity and focus more on intention. Be mindful of your energy levels and balance. You might feel nauseous or light-headed if you move too quickly so be especially careful moving from up to down and transitioning between exercises on the carriage. Start making small modifications to core exercises, including giving yourself more support and less resistance and focus on connecting to your breath and deep core.
Second Trimester (Weeks 13-26)
During the second trimester, you might find you have more energy, but you’ll also start to see
and feel more of the effects of your growing baby bump. Be conscious of how your changing
center of gravity affects your balance. Move to the front platform, add extra springs or hold
onto the bars or hand straps to give yourself a little extra support. All exercises may start to feel
heavier since your body is already working hard to support your growing baby.
This is the time to make bigger modifications, limit the intensity of center core exercises and be
aware of time spent lying on your back. Burpees and Super Crunches will have to go on hold for
now but we have exercises ready for you to swap in to build strength in all of your supporting
core muscles.
Third Trimester (Weeks 27-40+)
During the third trimester, it’s time to prepare your body for labor and delivery. Take note of
how you feel day to day, as especially in this final stretch of pregnancy every day will feel
different. You might be feeling more tired and get out of breath more easily. You might start to
feel heavier, especially as baby settles deeper into your pelvis. Your balance may become more
of an issue, which increases your risk of falling.
Listen to what your body is telling you. It can be really tempting to try to push through
workouts and exercises that you’ve done countless times before, but this is when modifications
and rest breaks are most important. Glute Focus classes and targeting back strength can help
reduce back pain, improve your posture and support your core and pelvic floor.
Fourth Trimester (Postpartum weeks 1-12)
During the first few weeks postpartum it is important to rest, recover and focus on breathing.
Once you have been cleared to resume exercise, remember that it is clearance for light exercise
and PLTS classes are high-intensity. Focus first on performing exercises with modifications to
make sure you rebuild strength from the inside out. Once those exercises start to feel easier
you can begin to progressively overload your core- that means start reducing your
modifications and gradually build the intensity back up. If you take the time to do it well, before
you know it you’ll feel like an even stronger version of yourself!