Top 6 workout that Get Ready Your Body for Pregnancy

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“Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything.” What is the best way to stay fit during pregnancy and beyond? Get into the best shape of your life before you become pregnant!

Below are my top six workout recommendations to prepare your body for a strong, healthy pregnancy and smoother postpartum recovery.

Top 6 Workouts That Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy

1. Plié Squats

Why:

Squats are arguably the single most valuable exercise you can master. Learning proper squat form helps prevent future back, hip, and knee pain—issues that often appear or worsen during pregnancy.

In a plié squat, the hips rotate outward and the inner thighs engage more than in a traditional squat. This position becomes especially useful in pregnancy, when a growing bump makes it more comfortable to turn the hips outward. Building strength and mobility in this stance now will pay dividends later. Squats also develop power throughout the lower body, which becomes essential as you carry extra weight during pregnancy.

How:

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and turn your hips, knees, and feet outward. As you squat, keep your shoulders and hips stacked. Avoid collapsing at the bottom of the movement. Perform 25 plié squats three times a week. On the final five repetitions, hold the lowest position briefly to deepen the stretch in the hips and inner thighs.

2. Plank

Why:

A strong core is one of the best preparations for pregnancy. Pregnancy places significant demands on this area, and it is often the most challenging region to restore afterward. Building core strength beforehand makes postpartum recovery easier. Later in pregnancy, traditional crunches and twists become less comfortable and effective, and lying flat on your back should be avoided. A solid core also helps reduce the risk of diastasis recti.

The plank is an excellent deep-core exercise that targets the entire midsection, including the obliques, as well as the arms and shoulders. If you master it before pregnancy, you can often continue modified versions throughout pregnancy. Prior to conceiving, I could hold a plank for more than four minutes; even in the final weeks of pregnancy, I maintained a one-minute hold.

How:

Begin on all fours with hands aligned under shoulders and knees under hips. Keep a slight bend in the elbows so the muscles stay engaged. Walk the knees back slightly to create a straight line from head to heels. Squeeze the glutes, draw the abdominals in, and press the shoulder blades together while maintaining a flat back. Once comfortable, lift the knees off the floor. Hold a plank daily, starting with 10 seconds and adding 5 seconds each week.

3. Rows

Why:

During pregnancy, breasts and the abdomen become heavier, often rounding the shoulders forward and tightening the chest. Strengthening the upper back beforehand helps counteract this added load and reduces the likelihood of back pain.

How:

Step into a lunge with the right leg back and heel down. Keep hips and shoulders square to the floor. Hold a dumbbell in the right hand and row it toward the hip, bending the elbow and squeezing the shoulder blade toward the spine. Extend the arm forward again. For an added challenge, lift the back leg off the floor. Perform 3 sets of 10–12 repetitions on each side, two to three times per week, gradually increasing the weight as strength improves.

4. Push-Ups

Why:

Push-ups complement rows and become progressively more challenging as pregnancy advances. They strengthen the chest, shoulders, and core—muscles that support posture and help with the physical demands of caring for a newborn. Being able to perform push-ups with body weight builds functional strength for lifting and carrying a baby. Aim to master at least 10 full push-ups before pregnancy.

How:

Start from a plank position on knees or toes, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower the entire body as one unit until the elbows reach a 90-degree angle, then press back up. Work toward 3 sets of 10 push-ups on the toes, two to three times per week.

5. Triceps Dips

Why:

Women tend to store more fat in the triceps when estrogen levels are elevated, as they are during pregnancy. Strengthening these muscles beforehand helps maintain tone afterward. Triceps strength also makes everyday movements, such as rising from a chair, easier during and after pregnancy.

How:

Place your hands on a sturdy box, chair, or table with fingertips pointing forward. Lower your body by bending the elbows to approximately 90 degrees, then press back up. Keep hips close to the support surface. For more challenge, lift one foot at a time. Perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions, two to three times per week.

6. Kegels

Why:

Kegel exercises are widely recommended during pregnancy, yet many women perform them too superficially. A strong pelvic floor supports the organs, aids delivery, and speeds postpartum recovery. Like taking folic acid, daily Kegels should be a standard habit for women of childbearing age.

How:

Contract the muscles that would stop the flow of urine, but go deeper: imagine drawing the pelvic floor upward without squeezing the glutes or abdominals. Hold the contraction for 10 seconds. Perform at least 10 deep Kegels daily.

Benefits of Exercise in Pregnancy

During pregnancy, regular exercise can help:

1. Gradually increase heart rate and improve circulation
2. Lower the risk of excessive weight gain and related complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertension
3. Prevent constipation, varicose veins, backache, and other common pregnancy discomforts
4. Keep the body flexible and strong
5. Support healthy weight gain
6. Prepare muscles for labor and delivery
7. Reduce the risk of deep-vein thrombosis
8. Improve sleep and emotional well-being

Research also suggests potential benefits for the baby, including:

• Lower resting fetal heart rate
• Healthier birth weight
• Reduced body fat
• Better stress tolerance
• Improved nervous-system development

Up to You

Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary—it’s an act of infinite optimism.
Gilda Radner

Regular physical activity can improve the health of both mother and baby and may make pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery easier.

Once early pregnancy symptoms subside and the second trimester begins, many expectant mothers start exploring options for personal growth and self-care.

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