Train strong.
Every trimester.
Your body is changing week to week — your training should too. Not stopping, just adapting: here's exactly what to swap, when, and why.
Second Trimester
Swap Guide
Your energy is often back — but impact, kipping, and heavy core work need to come off the table. Here's what replaces them.
Modify or eliminate high-impact work
Modify or eliminate kipping & rig work
Change your core exercises
Adapt your stance to your growing belly
Second trimester ground rules
- Breathe throughout every movement — avoid breath-holding and bearing down
- Reduce the percentage of weight used across exercises
- Aim to hold a conversation the whole workout
Third Trimester
Swap Guide
Every day is different now. Overhead work, deep ranges of motion, and volume all need to flex with how you feel that day.
Each day brings new challenges — go by what feels comfortable today, even if a movement "used to feel good."
Try to avoid getting up and down off the ground too often.
More rest during workouts, and more rest between them. Five days a week may need to become three.
Add more hip openers and internal/external hip movement to help prepare for labor.
Reduce sets, reps, and load across the board.
Exhale during the entire movement to promote pelvic floor relaxation.
Modify or eliminate overhead movements
Shorten your range of motion
Third trimester ground rule
- Exhale during the entire movement — every rep — to promote relaxation of the pelvic floor
The Golden Rules
Whatever trimester you're in, whatever the workout says — these hold true every single session.
Never hold your breath or bear down through a lift.
Keep enough gas in the tank to hold a conversation.
A movement that felt good last week may not today — and that's fine.
Breathe out through effort to protect your pelvic floor.