How Intense Should My Exercise Be Now I Am Pregnant?

Let’s discuss strength and cardio here!

If you’ve fallen pregnant and are wondering whether you can start exercising or performing your normal routine - then let me tell you it is perfectly fine to do so, you just need to consider a few things beforehand when talking about intensity!

What has your training been like before? Would you class yourself as a beginner, intermediate or advanced with exercise? If you have not trained consistently prior to pregnancy, you will need to start with less intense activity.

In relation to strength training, the ACSM recommends rep ranges of 8-10 or 12-15 towards moderate fatigue. In other words, you should feel like you can perform 2 more reps in each set. This means you would select a weight that you can feel like you could do 2 more reps by the end of the set. A higher rep range is recommended as lower reps means significantly heavier load which require more intra-abdominal pressure and therefore put pressure on the pelvic floor.

High Intensity Interval Training can definitely have its place in pregnancy training, it will depend on fatigue levels and levels of experience with training. Normally true HIIT training requires high intensity at a perceived effort of 9.5 or 10 on a 10 point scale. When pregnant, I recommend 7 out of 10 effort or below on the scale. Working for a short period of time - e.g. 20-30 seconds, followed by a longer rest period - e.g 40-60 seconds. This can be repeated for 6 - 10 sets.

If you have trained at high intensities prior to pregnancy, your body will be better adapted to handle high rates of of physiological work, you will have a higher cardiac output (the amount of blood that the heart can pump out per minute) and a higher VO2 max (the amount of oxygen that can be taken up and used by your body’s tissue) during exercise.

Remember to take into consideration your training experience, the level you are at and the capacity and energy levels you have each day. Should you not feel up for your HIIT session one day swapping this out for a moderate intensity cardio session of lasting between 15-30 mins using a perceived effort of 4-6 out of a 10 point scale.

Energy levels can really differ day to day throughout pregnancy and it is important to listen to your body. It is also important to make sure you feel stable and comfortable through all exercise you perform when pregnant.

The benefits of strength training in pregnancy are huge and include; increased bone density, increased metabolism, improved posture, reduce rate of injury, reduced lower back pain, neck and shoulder pain, improved tendon, ligament and joint function.

Improving your aerobic fitness through doing cardiovascular exercise during pregnancy will increase the bodies ability to handle the physiological and psychological stresses that come with pregnancy. A good aerobic base is also linked to better quality sleep - which should be a priority in this phase of your life!

Remember pregnancy should be a time to maintain your fitness not necessarily improve them so you must learn to listen to your body.

Should you have any questions about the above or would like a specific tailored program throughout your pregnancy journey then get in touch!

You can hit the link below to find out more about my pre natal package!

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