Question for my friend whos Pregnant

[Web_Mixer]

My friend just told me today that she is pregnant, which im happy for her. She came to me to help her out, she was lifting heavy weights with me but since she is now pregnant i know it is dangerous and can hurt her and the baby. So if any of you kind ladies could help me out and tell me what she can do safely or a link or even a work-out routine it would help me a lot. Thanks

[plcsp]

Man I wouldn't workout or anything that will put strain on the body if she's pregnant. Maybe she could do stuff in the pool?

[Web_Mixer]

See thats what i was thinking it would put to much strain on her pool is one thing i told her to do. But someone told me that they can do weight lifting just certain things and lite to keep tone i guess.

[abcreations]

Your thinking like guys.
Heck one lady just posted on the board that she lifted her whole pregnancy. The only way to be sure about anything is to ask her OB/GYN.

[Michelle07]

There is a lady who is heavely pregnant at my gym that is still lifting just as much as she was before she was pregnant. Its actually quite good for females to do this. I have heard that the fitter someone is the easier the labour (clearly i have not had children so i dont ACTUALLY know if this is the case - and not that labour would ever be 'easy' - but i think it is beneficial)

Here is a link I found with some more info:
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/preg_weight_training.htm

[Web_Mixer]

Sorry i know women can lift during it i heard this, i was just wondering if she can follow the same thing. She is only 3 weeks, personally it would be cool to see her fit all the way til the end. I just dont want her to get hurt since she has a small fame. But i will her tell her to ask her Doctor when she first goes for a check up.

[Ninja J]

Yes, as long as she's healthy and otherwise has a "normal" pregnancy she can continue with that she's doing. OF course she'll need to check with her doctor. But since she was lifting prior to being pregnant it shouldn't be a problem. However, the further along she gets she will have to alter her routine to a point. But other than that, she's fine. She's pregnant, not broken.

[Eileen]

The general rule is that any sport you are good at can be continued throughout the pregnancy, but don't take up a new one. As the bump gets bigger and the centre of gravity changes, some activities have to be modified, but really, as long as you feel you can do something safely, your probably can.

[TriGirl]

I was one of those preggers who were in the gym throughout the whole pregnancy. I was in the day before I delivered.

I made the switch from free weights to the machines. Balance was a problem with me, so it was nice to be able to sit and lift without worry. I was able to maintain muscular strength throughout my whole pregnancy.

[BuffedWildCat]

Most definitely she can lift thruout her entire pregnancy! I was lifting before, during, and even up to the point when I went into labor! My water broke when I was at the gym! I squatted down to write in my journal and my water broke, my contractions started immediately! Luckily my Ob/Gyn doc was a block down the road. I had to modify some exercises and cut some out, how did I know to do this? Simple, I just listened to my body! If I felt too much pulling across my mid-section then I modified or cut out that particular exercise. For example, I had to quit doing pullups and hanging leg raises cause the weight of the baby got to pulling too much across my mid-section. I also cut out flat bench exercises after I was 3 months along because there is a risk of cutting off circulation to the baby. Altho what's interesting is that my ob/gyn doc would have me lying on my back during checkups the whole time plus I'd keep finding myself asleep at night on my back so I think even that risk isn't as great as they say. But I still kept the flat bench exercises out of my routine just in case, since you are exerting yourself in that position which may not be a good idea. I think though as long as you're not getting light-headed or anything like that, lying on your back isn't totally out of the question (obviously). I still did abdominal work also. That's another popular myth out there, is that you can't work your abs while pregnant, BOGUS!! You just can't do certain ab exercises, you have to modify some and cut out others like the hanging leg raises, that's all. And like was said before, you don't want to START any NEW type of exercise while you're pregnant. And oh, yeah, of course I had to quit speed skating after I was 3 months along just because of the higher risk of injury/falling. Really all it is, is using common sense and listening to your body.

Any other questions feel free to ask, I've been thru it and I've taken a course on pre and post natal exercise as part of my ongoing CEC's to keep my certification with ACE.