Pre + Post Natal Variations: CORE

Whether you’re at the beginning, middle or end of your pregnancy journey, we wanted to make sure you felt comfortable participating in our Pilates inspired Core class. These variations below are ideal for pre or post natal. We always recommend consulting your doctor before practicing and listening to your body. It’s also helpful to let us teachers know ahead of class where you’re at in your pregnancy journey if you feel comfortable so we can ensure you feel supported with variations. This guide is intended to give a sneak peek into learning some options to have when certain movements are explored in class. 

The movement: Curls, Crunches + Twists 

These can start to get uncomfortable into second and third trimester, so instead of lifting the neck and shoulders off the ground, we can keep upper body grounded while still activating all of the abdominals. 

Variation: head grounded alternating march, toe taps, deadbug, alternate lateral knee opener.

 

The movement: Back body work on stomach

Again, throughout pregnancy you’ll reach a point where being prone feels uncomfortable, so we can take our back body movements from a kneeling or standing position to give the belly space. 

Variation:  Kneeling or standing, hinging over hips 

The movement: Mountain Climbers

When a plank no longer feels good and/or you want to keep the heart rate from getting too elevated, we can opt instead for tabletop with knees ground for support. 

Variation: Alternating shoulder taps or bird dog from all fours

The movement: Side Plank

While a full side plank may be too much when you start to show, taking it from the knees is a beautiful modification to engage the obliques and shoulders in a supportive way.

Variation: Side plank from the knees, on forearm or hand depending on comfort 

The movement: Pigeon Stretch

We can simply flip our pigeon onto the back for a figure 4 stretch to open up the hips; feel free to keep the knee open and non stretching foot planted if pulling knee to chest feels like too much or your belly is getting in the way. 

Variation: Figure 4 Stretch 

The movement: Anything on hands + wrists 

Variation: Forearms or roll top of mat 1-2 times to pad wrists 

The movement: Anything done on the back, or supine

When laying on the back starts to feel uncomfortable, you can position yourself seated or halfway up with a lot of our core exercises, such as toe taps or leg marches.

Variation: Take sequence from a seated reclined position on forearms 

Finally, if balance has shifted, consider placing yourself close to the mirror or wall to feel more stable and held :) 

We hope you find this guide useful! Please pass on to your pre/post natal friends and keep an eye out for variations for our cardio class, meta. 

Xo Trilby + Meg