I just found your website after reading incredible reviews about Cathe videos. Please forgive me for not being knowledgeable about Cathe exercises, I plan on learning!!! Your site has been extremely informative. I am 24 weeks pregnant and had no idea that I should stop doing abdominals as well as modifying anything else. Can you please tell me what an incline situp is. I've been doing 6 minutes of tough abdominal work, without modifying anything, daily. I'm assuming you do sit ups on the incline with your head down and feet hooked on a bar, is this correct? Also I take Tai Kwon Do and we do 200 situps and 100 push ups per class. Nothing seems to be bothering me in these classes. I read that I need to use caution with kicks and punches because of the relaxin? I feel fine now, but should I be concerned in the months to come? This is my fifth pregnancy and with the other four I gained 60 pounds each time. This one has been a totally new world. I'm eating vegetarian and weightlifting alternately with aerobics six days a week and I feel AWESOME. I haven't felt so good in 12 years. We deliver at home so I am not seeing a doctor which I feel fine about, but your advice has been extremely helpful!!Thanks so much Cathe.
abdominals
- Thread starter briee
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Cathe Friedrich
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Hi Briee! Congratulations on your FIFTH pregnancy.
Doing ab work on an incline is actually the opposite of what you mention (you mention decline sit ups which are actually very advanced). Your head should be on the high end and feet on the low end giving the movement a little advantage therefore making it easier. I would strongly listen to your body for the remaining portion of your pregnancy and modify anything that starts to feel like too much. For instance, straight leg push ups (if you were doing them that way) may be more comfortable to do on your knees as the baby gets bigger (and eventually maybe even wall push ups will be a better choice). This will be much less stressful to your back and core area. Just listen to your body and follow the advice and modifications that we have been mentioning here on the forum and you should do fine. Good Luck!
Doing ab work on an incline is actually the opposite of what you mention (you mention decline sit ups which are actually very advanced). Your head should be on the high end and feet on the low end giving the movement a little advantage therefore making it easier. I would strongly listen to your body for the remaining portion of your pregnancy and modify anything that starts to feel like too much. For instance, straight leg push ups (if you were doing them that way) may be more comfortable to do on your knees as the baby gets bigger (and eventually maybe even wall push ups will be a better choice). This will be much less stressful to your back and core area. Just listen to your body and follow the advice and modifications that we have been mentioning here on the forum and you should do fine. Good Luck!
Cathe,
Thanks so much for replying. Just a quick question, how much of an incline is necessary for situps to be safe. I'm honestly feeling great doing regular situps right now and would love to continue doing them. How is it that the baby would not get oxygen? I did read about the vein running down the back that the uterus presses on, but the baby receives oxygen through the cord/placenta and wouldn't I feel that effects of oxygen deprevation if the baby were also being deprived. Wouldn't all exercise be equally depriving? I understand that when you get out of breath you can cut back to be sure baby is getting oxygen, but what about when I am not out of breath, (i.e. situps are easy for me and I could do them a long time without getting out of breath, not so for push ups!!)is the baby still being deprived?
I'm just loving to exercise now and hope I can keep going, but I do want to be safe. Right now nothing seems to be bothering me and you did mention to listen to your body, does this mean that I can keep doing what I'm doing safely. I'd welcome any responses to these questions. I appreciate your information GREATLY!!!!! Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.
Thanks so much for replying. Just a quick question, how much of an incline is necessary for situps to be safe. I'm honestly feeling great doing regular situps right now and would love to continue doing them. How is it that the baby would not get oxygen? I did read about the vein running down the back that the uterus presses on, but the baby receives oxygen through the cord/placenta and wouldn't I feel that effects of oxygen deprevation if the baby were also being deprived. Wouldn't all exercise be equally depriving? I understand that when you get out of breath you can cut back to be sure baby is getting oxygen, but what about when I am not out of breath, (i.e. situps are easy for me and I could do them a long time without getting out of breath, not so for push ups!!)is the baby still being deprived?
I'm just loving to exercise now and hope I can keep going, but I do want to be safe. Right now nothing seems to be bothering me and you did mention to listen to your body, does this mean that I can keep doing what I'm doing safely. I'd welcome any responses to these questions. I appreciate your information GREATLY!!!!! Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.