Pumping abs during pregnancy

Good physical shape, of course, makes the birth process much easier. If a woman's body muscles are toned, then the birth will be easier. But few people think about the fact that they should take care of their own physical shape long before giving birth. It is necessary to let the abdominal muscles tighten, get stronger and return to normal. But even during pregnancy, you should not forget about your own physical health.

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Is it possible to do abdominal exercises during pregnancy?

Abdominal exercises during pregnancy are not a mandatory procedure, moreover, sometimes due to disorders in the woman's body or poor physical fitness, it is worth refraining from such training. The attending physician, after a thorough examination and analysis of the course of labor, as well as a professional trainer for pregnant women, will be able to give an exact answer to the question. If before pregnancy a woman regularly played sports, pumped the press and followed a certain sports regimen, then during the process of bearing a child she can pump the press, but in a lighter form. But, it should be remembered that pumping the lower press in a lying position is strictly prohibited! The practice of regular abdominal exercises for pregnant women involves exercises while sitting on a chair, gradually raising your legs up.

Physical activity during pregnancy is one of the factors for the success of having a healthy and strong baby. You just need to strictly follow the prescribed exercise routine and advice from fitness trainers for pregnant women, because only they can choose the right load without risk to the baby.

Abdominal exercises in early pregnancy

Early pregnancy is the most risky period for the baby's development. The most dangerous and prone to disorders and stress are the 2nd and 3rd weeks of pregnancy. Accordingly, any physical activity during this period should be stopped, since even with the least amount of activity the risk of termination of pregnancy increases. That is why abdominal exercises in the early stages of pregnancy are strictly contraindicated.

Particular attention should be paid to the body's reactions to any stress (long walks, climbing stairs, etc.). If the slightest shortness of breath or increased heart rate occurs, physical activity should be stopped immediately and the body should rest.

Any exercises with jumping, vibrations (oriental dancing), exercise bikes and abdominal exercises should be excluded for a very long period. The best option to replace the usual exercises will be yoga and gymnastics for pregnant women, developed specifically for women in position. And, of course, do not forget about walks in the fresh air, which are useful at any stage of pregnancy.

Abdominal exercises in late pregnancy

If you have firmly decided to maintain muscle tone during pregnancy and your doctor has not prohibited you from light physical activity, then you should remember that abdominal exercises and any fitness classes, even light ones, should not be done throughout the entire period of bearing a child. It is necessary to take breaks during critical periods of the baby's development in the womb. Such periods include 2-3 weeks of pregnancy, as the most risky for further development or termination; 12-13 weeks, 20-24 weeks of the baby's development, and also the 28th week. On such days, you should not only completely avoid physical activity, but also try not to expose the body to unnecessary emotional stress.

In general, abdominal exercises and any other light physical activity in late pregnancy are acceptable. The only condition is to stop the activity if symptoms such as headache, swelling, shortness of breath, circulatory problems or pain occur.

If you were a professional sportsman before pregnancy, then such activities as gymnastics, athletics, cycling on a straight road, mountaineering and yoga can be maintained during pregnancy, but it is worth reducing the load and choosing more comfortable shoes and clothes. When doing sports, you should monitor your pulse, if it exceeds the norm (for pregnant women it is 140 beats per minute), you should stop doing it immediately.

As we can see, abdominal exercises and other physical activities during late pregnancy are possible, but they should be approached with extreme caution.

If your abs hurt during pregnancy

It also happens that the press can hurt during pregnancy and in the absence of physical activity. Such pain can occur at any stage of pregnancy, regardless of the physiological data of the expectant mother. If the pain is bearable and insignificant, and the term is short, then there is no need to panic, perhaps your tummy is just going to grow and thus brings the muscles into tone. If at the same time you feel a dull pulling pain in the lower abdomen, as during critical days, this is already a reason to worry.

Such pain may be a symptom of uterine tone. This disorder is characterized by increased tension of the uterine muscles in pregnant women. Increased tone may cause premature birth or miscarriage if the pregnancy is still very early, so you should be extremely careful with such pain.

The disease can be caused by a stressful situation, lack of adequate rest and sleep disturbances, heavy physical stress on the body of the expectant mother, bad habits (smoking, frequent alcohol consumption).

Hypertonicity of the uterus is a fairly common diagnosis in gynecological practice and is quite safe in itself. But if bloody discharge, severe pain and fever are added to it, then you should sound the alarm and immediately contact your doctor.

Therefore, all expectant mothers are advised to reduce physical activity, rest more and get rid of bad habits in order to avoid the occurrence of pain in the upper and lower abdominal muscles and prevent uterine tone.

Abdominal Exercises During Pregnancy

Exercises for pregnant women were created to prepare expectant mothers as much as possible for bearing a baby and the birth process. Following simple recommendations and performing a set of exercises will help you keep your abs in good shape and stay in shape even during a period such as pregnancy.

Exercises to perform in the early stages of pregnancy (up to 16 weeks):

The main goal of exercises during early pregnancy is to prepare the abdominal muscles for carrying a baby.

• Exercise 1: Walk slowly in place or in a circle. The main thing is to keep a moderate pace and breathe correctly during the exercise.
• Exercise 2: Walk and lift your knee high in front of you. Perform the movement for 30-45 seconds.
• Exercise 3: Walk and swing your shin back. Do this exercise for no longer than 20 seconds.
• Exercise 4: Starting position: one hand raised up, the other held on the waist, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend in different directions 4-8 times.
• Exercise 5: Forward bends. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and put your hands behind your head. Bend forward, stretching your arms straight as you bend.
• Exercise 6: Lie on your back. You can only do these exercises if your pregnancy is proceeding normally. Spread your legs, bend your knees, put your hands behind your head, but do not clasp them. Slowly lift your upper body above the floor.
• Exercise 7: Any breathing exercise. For example, deep inhalations and exhalations while lying on your back.
• Exercise 8: Lie on your back. Bend your right leg at the knee and place it on the floor, put your left leg on top of your right leg. Hands behind your head. Reach your right elbow toward your left knee, then do the same with your left elbow. Moderate tempo. Do the exercise 5-8 times.
• Exercise 9: Lying on your back, stretch your arms along your body. Bend your knees. Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly straighten your legs (one at a time), sliding them along the floor, then bend them in the same way and return to the original position.
• Exercise 10: Pelvic tilts while standing against a wall. Stand with your back to the wall, place your feet shoulder-width apart, move your heels 30-40 cm away from the wall and bend your knees slightly. Then, tensing your abdominal muscles, perform pelvic tilts while moving along the wall. Do the exercise 8-10 times.

After the 16th week of pregnancy, lying on your back becomes difficult and dangerous, so such exercises should be excluded. Instead, add exercises in a sitting position. Slowly raise your bent knees and straight legs to your body. As the term increases, you should increase the number of breathing exercises and reduce the number of exercises performed.

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How does the press affect pregnancy?

A well-formed press undoubtedly facilitates the process of childbirth. If a woman has been constantly involved in sports before childbirth, then she can fully control the contraction of the abdominal muscles, and with proper breathing, she will be able to easily give birth to a healthy and strong baby. But the role of good physical training does not end there.

After childbirth, a woman's skin may be prone to stretch marks. Pumped up abs will help to avoid such a negative outcome and keep the skin as beautiful as before carrying a child. In addition, trained muscles will help to quickly regain shape after the birth of the child.

Therefore, maintaining good physical shape and doing abdominal exercises will never be superfluous. In this matter, the main thing is not to overdo it, because abs like “cubes” in women can only complicate the process of bearing and giving birth, since it is not known how pumped muscles will behave in such a situation. All this is very individual and depends on many physiological characteristics of the woman. The main thing is to follow the recommendations and continue to maintain physical shape and do abdominal exercises even during pregnancy.