Pregnancy Workout Options - SQUAT

Here are some of the exercises I like to use with my pre / present / post pregnancy clients. Each week I will put up a new short clip of different exercises. This is not a prescription of course, each individual is their own case.

Some things to consider when exercising during pregnancy are:
- your exercise & fitness levels pre-pregnancy
- your current state of well-being during the pregnancy
- what stage of the pregnancy you are at
- whether or not you have any pre-existing or pregnancy related health issues
- how you feel on the day of exercise
All of the above factors affect the type of exercise you would do on that day.

The first exercise is the SQUAT. Squatting is the best exercise you could do before, during and after pregnancy. When focussing on your breathing technique it is a great exercise to encourage better functioning of your core muscles and of course to work on strengthening your legs and butt.

Below is a short clip of 3 versions of squats, each at a different level of intensity. When doing squats under load you need to make sure you maintain good Intra-Abdominal Pressure, this can be done by taking a sharp diaphragmatic breath in through your nose and holding it whilst you descend into the squat, as you are about to push out of the squat you want to let out a short Tsssss sound (with your tongue on the roof of your mouth and your teeth together gently, not clenched) and slowly continue to exhale as you come back up to standing. Repeat with another inhale before you squat down.