How My Training Has Changed During Pregnancy (And What Hasn't)

In all honesty, my training during pregnancy doesn't look that different from my training before pregnancy. Of course, there have been modifications. I'm paying attention to intensity a little differently, some of my exercises have evolved as my body has changed, and I'm careful not to overextend myself. But the principles behind how I train haven't really changed. If anything, pregnancy has reinforced how important they've always been.

Good training isn't just about what we can lift today or how we look in the mirror. It's about building a strong, resilient, capable body that can support us through whatever season comes next. Pregnancy has given me an entirely new appreciation for that.

Building a Strong Posterior Chain

Long before pregnancy, I spent a lot of time building a strong posterior chain. Rows, pull-ups, deadlifts, hip thrusts, and other movements that strengthened my glutes and back were staples in my training.

Now, as my body changes and my center of gravity continues shifting forward, I've gained an entirely new appreciation for that foundation. Rather than suddenly adding these exercises because I'm pregnant, I'm continuing to train the same muscles I've prioritized for years.

So far, I've been able to continue training and moving without the aches and pains I expected might accompany pregnancy. There are obviously many factors that influence how our bodies feel during pregnancy, but having years of strength behind me has made me appreciate just how valuable preparation can be.

Training My Body to Move in Every Direction

I'm also a big believer that our bodies should move well in every direction, not just forward and backward. Traditional strength exercises absolutely have their place, but life doesn't happen exclusively in one plane of motion.

Single-leg squats and hinges, lateral lunges, carries, and rotational exercises challenge our bodies in different ways and require us to create stability while we move. To me, that's the true purpose of strength training. It's not simply about getting better at exercises in the gym. It's about building a resilient body and feeling capable however life asks your body to move.

We've been spending a lot of time working in our front yard lately, and while pulling weeds, I found myself naturally shifting side to side in a deep lateral lunge. I didn't have to think about the position. My body knew how to get there, I felt strong in it, and moving in and out of it felt effortless.

I love those moments when you recognize an exercise from the gym showing up in real life because that's what we're training for.

Preparing My Body to Move During Labor

I've found myself thinking about this same principle when I imagine labor. My hope is to be able to move freely, change positions as needed, and work with my body throughout the process if circumstances allow.

I obviously don't know exactly what my labor will look like. Birth is unpredictable, and I'm going into it knowing that plans may need to change. But I can prepare my body for options.

Squatting, hinging, getting onto the floor, moving laterally, rotating, changing positions, and feeling comfortable supporting my own body are skills I've practiced long before pregnancy. I can't control how labor unfolds, but I can continue building a body that feels strong and capable going into it.

Core Training Is About So Much More Than Abs

The same philosophy applies to the way I've approached core training. Long before I was pregnant, I cared far more about building a resilient core than chasing a six-pack. Learning to brace, breathe, resist movement, and create stability has always been a priority in my training, and pregnancy has only made those skills feel more valuable.

My core training now includes many of the same principles I've used for years: resisting excessive rotation, creating stability while my arms and legs move, controlling my trunk, and coordinating my breath with movement. I've also become more intentional about breathing, rib cage mobility, hip mobility, and pelvic floor coordination.

These exercises may not always look impressive, but the most valuable work doesn't always have to be. Those "small" exercises suddenly feel incredibly meaningful when you understand what you're actually preparing your body to do.

Pregnancy Didn't Make Me Start From Scratch

One of the most encouraging realizations I've had during pregnancy is that I didn't have to start from scratch. I wasn't trying to suddenly build strength or develop movement awareness after seeing a positive pregnancy test. Those things had already been developed over months and years of consistent training.

Of course, that doesn't mean someone who hasn't trained before pregnancy can't begin moving or building strength during pregnancy with appropriate guidance. But it has made me incredibly grateful for the work I did before I knew exactly what I was preparing for.

I think that's one of the biggest lessons pregnancy has given me so far: more often than not, we're preparing for seasons we can't yet see.

Maybe one day that's pregnancy. Maybe it's recovering from an injury. Maybe it's keeping up with toddlers, showing your teenagers how to train, traveling without physical limitations, or hiking with your future grandchildren. We don't always know exactly what we're preparing for, but that doesn't make the preparation any less valuable.

Don't Wait Until You Need Your Strength

That's why I encourage women not to wait for pregnancy before they begin caring about these things. Don't wait until someone tells you that you suddenly need to work on your breathing, hip mobility, core stability, or strength. These aren't necessarily special "pregnancy exercises." They're simply good training principles.

Build muscle, learn how to move your body well, get strong in different positions, train on one leg, carry heavy things, build a resilient core, maintain your mobility, and learn how to breathe and brace. Give your body enough food and recovery to support the work you're asking it to do.

Pregnancy may change how those things look, but it doesn't suddenly make them valuable. They were valuable all along.

Train for the Life You Want to Live

Pregnancy has changed my body, my capacity, and some of the details of my workouts, but it hasn't changed why I train. I'm not training simply to lift more weight or look a certain way. I'm training because I want a body that supports the life I'm asking it to live.

Right now, that means carrying and growing our daughter. Soon, it may mean labor, recovery, carrying a baby around our home, and eventually chasing a toddler. Years from now, I hope it means keeping up with our kids, continuing to lift weights, exploring new places, and doing the things I love without my body unnecessarily holding me back.

I don't know exactly what every future season will ask of me, and none of us do. But I want to keep preparing anyway, because the strength we're building today may serve us in ways we can't even see yet.