Toning Up During Pregnacy

early30mom4031 · March 2016

I lost a lot of weight the year prior to this pregnancy. I was 12 pounds from goal when I had bfp. I plan to watch weight gain and keep 20-25 lb mark but was wondering if it's possible to tone arms, ass and legs during pregnancy. I have muscle tone but would like to be more defined. I was thinking that focusing on those areas would allow me to keep confident when scales are going up. Anyone have similar plans or experiences with toning up during pregnancy ? Baby's needs come first obviously but as of today no high risks and feel completely fine working out.

Blonde1817 · March 2016

FTM here so no previous experience, but I'm looking for a prenatal barre workout DVD to use throughout pregnancy. I've done pure barre before and it's very low impact but extremely effective for toning up. I'm also planning on doing prenatal yoga and keeping up with my regular yoga. I think it's possible to stay in shape or even become more toned during pregnancy. Just don't be disappointed if your body changes in unpredictable ways! There's always time after baby!

annabenanna · March 2016

Blonde1817 said:

FTM here so no previous experience, but I'm looking for a prenatal barre workout DVD to use throughout pregnancy. I've done pure barre before and it's very low impact but extremely effective for toning up. I'm also planning on doing prenatal yoga and keeping up with my regular yoga. I think it's possible to stay in shape or even become more toned during pregnancy. Just don't be disappointed if your body changes in unpredictable ways! There's always time after baby!

I love Barre @Blonde1817 ! I'm kind of slightly obsessed with it. Haha. I've modified some aspects of it (mostly the ab workouts) with the help of the teacher. I plan on doing barre all throughout the pregnancy... I feel like it keeps my thighs and butt in check.

I also plan on doing pilates to tone the arms....

sportiegrl1213 · March 2016

I still work out with my trainer (when I feel well enough) and we just do a "mommy-to-be" program. It's all the same things I was doing before I was pregnant but just modified. Not lifting as much weight and not letting my heart rate get above 140 and taking more breaks in between sets.

freckledlemonade · March 2016

@Blonde1817 do you need any equipment for at home barre workouts? I picture needing a ballet bar, but that doesn't sound practical for your average at home workout. I hear good things, there's a barre place here in town, but no childcare, so it's not too convenient for me.

Edit: to answer the original question, once I start feeling better I plan to get back in the gym and do weight lifting regularly. I used pregnancy as an excuse to not work out last pregnancy even after I started feeling better and I regretted it postpartum. I really had to work hard to get back to the activity I was doing before getting pregnant, and I didn't feel good about myself towards the end of my pregnancy. You may not get ripped arms, but I imagine working out will help you feel better about your body as your pregnancy progresses. (Supposedly helps with labor too). Good luck!

annabenanna · March 2016

@sidecarsareforbishes , I've been to quite a few barre studios here and they all relatively have the same equipment.

You'll need:

- a small ball: https://www.amazon.com/ProBody-Pilates-Blue-Mini-Exercise/dp/B010TJC4IM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458845547&sr=8-1&keywords=barre+ball

- a thigh band thing: Some have this: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Sport-Resistance-Double-Tubing/dp/B00CV4XH7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458845581&sr=8-1&keywords=barre+band; while others have this: https://www.amazon.com/Exercise-Loop-Bands-Set-Rehabilitation/dp/B00JOUN88I/ref=pd_sim_200_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41aLjh5iMRL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0CWGF1SAVVPBDWQQ3FM1

You won't need a ballet bar, just a chair.... or the kitchen counter!

I do some barre exercises in the kitchen while doing dishes. lol.

annabenanna · March 2016

P.S. have you ladies seen THIS girl? https://www.instagram.com/chontelduncan/?hl=en

A friend sent it to me, and now I'm crying into my potato chips.

MRSCORKER · March 2016

annabenanna said:

P.S. have you ladies seen THIS girl? https://www.instagram.com/chontelduncan/?hl=en

A friend send it to me, and now I'm crying into my potato chips.

freckledlemonade · March 2016

annabenanna said:

P.S. have you ladies seen THIS girl? https://www.instagram.com/chontelduncan/?hl=en

A friend send it to me, and now I'm crying into my potato chips.

Holy hell, her stomach is insane! It almost looks separate from her body. That's nuts. She's gonna look right back to normal as soon as she pops that baby out. Kudos.

OMG, just looked at her progressions pics. I'm looking right around 28-32 weeks at the moment (not including her arms, mine have never looked like that).

early30mom4031 · March 2016

So crazy. Every muscle on her body is perfectly toned and defined

annabenanna · March 2016

Her 24 week picture is what I look like on a good day PRE-pregnancy.

annabenanna · March 2016

Except my arms have never looked like that..... ever.

jade24422 · March 2016

Good on her, man. I have never had that kind of dedication. I wish I did!

2015dee · March 2016

I've been doing the 10 Minute Solutions Pilates and have really enjoyed it. I have been wondering about trying barre before getting pregnant, and I'd love to try a prenatal DVD. I was looking at Suzanne Bowen's slim & toned prenatal barre. Anyone tried that one? I want s challenge, but I'm also a barre beginner.

TurtleMomma · March 2016

As soon as this awful morning sickness passes I'm planning on going back to the gym. The exercise helped a lot last pregnancy.

nsquaredlife13 · March 2016

I'm the worst. I loathe working out. I used to be really into pilates and yoga, and then I got sick with pnuemonia and had to stop. A few months later I got pregnant, so I was never really able to start back up since I was high risk and my midwife preferred I kept to walking. I could do mild prenatal yoga but that was it, and I couldn't find classes that worked with my schedule. Soooo I just walk. Walk walk walk.

Also...

Blonde1817 · March 2016

@sidecarsareforbishes As PP said, you don't need a barre, just a chair/table/counter. You'll need light weights, like 2 or 3 lbs. And don't try to start out with heavier weights thinking that'll be too easy, trust me! You may need some kind of band. I have those stretchy pilates bands and I just tie it in a circle when a video calls for a circular band. Barre is great, but it feels super different from most other workouts. The goal is to do teeny tiny movements and really feel each muscle during the exercise. It's killer, but in the best way!

@2015dee I was looking at that too! It got pretty good reviews on amazon so I was intrigued. Let me know how it is if you buy it!

annabenanna · March 2016

@2015dee , haven't tried that workout yet, but now wanna get it!

kateleap · March 2016

I'm also a fan of barre and just modifying for ab work, but admittedly I am not the most diligent with my fitness regimen even when I don't have nausea and fatigue as my excuses! That said, I am all about the squats. Perky ass, plus it's supposedly one of the single best exercises to prepare you for labor. Not sure how easy they'll feel when my belly is all baby-tastic (because yeah, I will NOT look like that snapchat chick...

) but squats are my jam, and I love them, and I'm so glad that they are preggo-friendly.

ColemanBaby16 · March 2016

I'm still running and have a half marathon on mother's day (planned long before pregnancy) it's a race DH and I do every year. I have also continued to do my 21 fay fix workouts but modifying where needed. OB told me I was safe to continue my workouts but to listen to my body and make sure I was taking in plenty of water. I carry a water bottle on short runs, which I never did before. I say if OB is ok with it and you don't try to push to hard to fast you should 100% keep working on you!

OrangeEv · March 2016

@ColemanBaby16 Thanks for the reminder than I should probably drink more on my runs. I was soo thirsty during my 10k run on Sunday and really should have brought water.

MzOro82214 · March 2016

I'm definitely not trying to gain a lot either, I'm getting married next August and my alterations are scheduled for next May, so I probably have a good 5 months to get my body ready for that. I want to be very careful and as active as possible now so that after baby I can ramp it up. I definitely need to tone many places too! Best of luck to us all!!!

msBlackandGold · March 2016

I didn't get more toned, but I walked a lot with both pregnancies. Just walking outside. I don't remember why I did it with my first, but with my second, I was taking my oldest for walks in the stroller. I ended up losing weight that way.

jillianpardo · March 2016

annabenanna said:

P.S. have you ladies seen THIS girl? https://www.instagram.com/chontelduncan/?hl=en

A friend sent it to me, and now I'm crying into my potato chips.

Wtf...it's like her bump is one giant ab....it's chiseled.

jillianpardo · March 2016

I'm going to use free weights and calisthenics to work my arms,legs, and glutes.

alygator11687 · March 2016

@2015dee I used the Suzanne Bowen barre DVDs during my last pregnancy and would recommend it. I loved it! I think she has a second prenatal barre DVD that came out last year that is more challenging. I also liked barre physique's prenatal barre (I think that was it... I'll have to look at my collection lol). I worked out a lot last pregnancy. I did the barre workouts a couple days a week and also did spinning/running/walking.

Blonde1817 · March 2016

@alygator11687 I've been looking at these on amazon and trying to decide between the slim & toned or the barre amped. Which one did you use?

kewltif · March 2016

OMG I would never pose for a bump pic with this girl

kewltif · March 2016

My goal is to try to maintain a bit during pregnancy so that afterwards I can hit the gym hard again more quickly. I am not trying to increase my level of fitness or toning right now.

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