Ab workouts during pregnancy

Jessayasa

Hi Ladies!

 I was wondering if anyone had some advice or ideas for me.  I am currently 26 weeks pregnant and have been fortunate enough to have the energy to workout 4-6 times a week.  I was wondering if anyone had a link or information on an abdominal workout?  I know there are so many restrictions when it comes to this.  I tried to google it, but all I got were the benefits of ab workouts. 

 Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

verybusymomto4

No you should not be doing ab workouts.

 

Found this:

Sit-ups and crunches are fine in your first trimester. But by your second trimester, you'll need to avoid lying on your back because as your uterus grows, its weight can compress the blood vessels leading to your heart, potentially depriving your developing baby of oxygen. Of course, by that time in your pregnancy, you'll most likely find that sit-ups are almost impossible to do anyway.

you should not do traditional crunches at any angle during your last trimester due to increasing your risk of diastasis recti ("seperation of the abs"). Better exercise to tighten your core during the last trimester - planks! All types of planks! These should also be the first type of core exercises you should do post-partum until things are back to "normal"; then you can do to traditional ab crunches. 

*LrCg*

This is my 3rd pregnancy and with all my pregnancies I continued my regular pre-pregnant work outs which included abs- crunches, etc.  There is no reason not to.  Your body will tell you when its time to stop- you'll get uncomfortable and/or you start seeing stars, etc.  When that happens I start modifiying.  For me, this usually starts @ 30 weeks and then instead of crunches I do core workouts.  I've always been able to keep the rest of my work outs the same without issues (outside of the occasional extra break).

tasiaceleste

Doing crunches will cause diasasis recti (separation of the abdominals).  It's not serious, but it will impact your abdominal strength and support, as well as change the look of your stomach.  It can be repaired with corrective exercise post-pregnancy. 

 

Good core exercises include:

Bird-dog (core stabilization)

Pelvic Tilts

Side-lying elbow and knee raises

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Transverse Abdominis Raises (from hands and knees)

verybusymomto4

I honesty dont know how anyone can do crunches when pregnant. It is to uncomfortable and knowing a little one is inside you, i just cant do it   But I do tend to over think

vlagrl29

verybusymomto4:

I honesty dont know how anyone can do crunches when pregnant. It is to uncomfortable and knowing a little one is inside you, i just cant do it   But I do tend to over think

 

This.  it's not like it will help the look of your belly afterwards.  every time I tried to workout when i was pregnant I ended up puking. 

kmburgoon

I'm a Pilates instructor and 27 weeks pregnant with my first. Crunches are definitely out after the first trimester, and because of this, I have to modify some exercises when I teach. I would recommend trying a Pilates class because you'll get a great core workout even with modifications. 

gimmietimmies

I say no to ab workouts after first tri, max 20 weeks. You can't always "repair" diastasis recti through exercise. I need surgery to repair mine. I tore at 27 weeks with ds and it hasn't been right since.

BriDaily

As a dance minor who survived pregnancy #1 and is now on #2, I recommend finding a pre-natal yoga or pilates class. These modify some movements, but you will still get a great work out in and keep your abs strengthened. Also, doing ballet can help tone your abs and give you long, lean muscles. Ballet is really easy to do during pregnancy, just avoid crazy jumps and leaps!

brewcitybride

My doctor always told me NOT to do ab exercises, and I have always read/heard from others that they have been told the same.

JG362009

I did ab works my entire pregnancies both times and I was really glad I did.  I never had any problems and was able to get back in shape quickly.  After the 2nd trimester I would use a ball so I wasn't laying on my back.  I also did planks and would do modified more sitting ab workouts as I was more pregnant.  

ellajune2012

YES on the planks! Works out your entire core.

I do Bar Method and there are always several women in various trimesters in the classes I take - you have to do some modifications in your 2nd and 3rd timesters: no twists, and like others have said no lying on your back. But the women I've seen in my classes will all do ab workouts - just not traditional crunches. If you can get to even just one class (or a yoga class - I used to teach and MOST - not all - teachers will know how to modify for pregnancy) you can just let the instructor know you are pregnant and they'll give you  modifications so you can still get a great workout in without harming the baby. Or you can try a prenatal video - they're available for yoga, pilates or Bar Method - all of which work the core so it's depending on what you prefer. I love Bar Method personally because it's not high impact so you don't feel like you're going to overheat but it's a really tough workout.

Bonus: you'll have more strength in your core when you need it most (for delivery!)

One thing to also be careful of in any of those workouts is not overstretching - during pregnancy your ligaments are softening and you can very easily overdo it on the stretching, so just be careful.