pregnancy workouts...

[sunnydelite]

please recommend a few good pregnancy workouts. i don't think i will be able to handle cathe level workouts. are there any that i will get a good workout but not overexert myself?

btw...i am new to this section of the board as i just found out i am expecting!!!

 

[wendymin72]

Hi!

Congrats on the wonderful news!:7

Unfortunately I can not offer you recommendations on good pregnancy w/o's. I purchased the Fit Mamma Pre Natal Work Out and PreNatal Pilates and was not happy with either of them. I will have to try them again down the line but right now I am doing fine just modifying my normal work outs.

Hopefully some one else can recommend a good one...I just wanted to congratulate you!

Best of Luck and Happy New Year!
~Wendy~
20 weeks pregnant with my son, Joseph.

We don't stop laughing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop laughing...Put more laughter into your life.

 

[shopaholic]

Hi, the only pregnancy video I liked when pregnant was fit for 2. It is no longer sold though so check half.com and ebay for it. stepping through pregnancy is also a good one. Two jammin workouts by cia (gay gasper ) has pregnancy modifications. My favorites while pregnant though were my firms. Congrats!

 

[doctorjany]

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!! I am 37 weeks pregnant. I also bougth the fit mama prenatal workout by Leisa Hart in addition to the pre & post natal Yoga by the New Method.
The fit mama is divided in 4 parts: the salsa dance (disapointed, I'm a latin and it was too repetitive and boring for me) the Yoga fat burn (when you are advanced in your pregnancy, once you warm up with something else, feels very good in your muscles)labor and delivery prep and prenatal stretch and relax are good during the late pregnancy. Unless you are blessed, like some people other than me, with the physical ability to do "normal" workouts during your pregnancy, this one is OK for the late pregnancy, just to keep those muscles in place and ready for the delivery.
I didn't find any great workout either...
I tried earlier with the firm and felt very good, but in my case, I started having early contractions and had to stop. Good luck to you!

 

[dcat]

Congratulations! The only pregnancy dvd I purchased when I was expecting was Fit For 2 (there is a website: fitfor2.com) but I didn't really like the step portion so didn't use it much. Early on I did Cathe's Cross Train Express series with the exception of Leaner Legs. I modified Intervals and higher impact moves to low impact. Also, I dusted off older videos like Donna Richardson's Donnamite, Reebok videos with Gin Miller, and even Kathy Smith (not her pregnancy one). I remember doing Cathe's Pure Strength series and MIS and just modified the weights and movements accordingly. I was able to do Cathe's Basic Step & Body Fusion workouts a couple of times before I had to take impact completely out of my routine and would've stuck to those to the end if I could have. Hope this is helpful. Enjoy your pregnancy!

 

[brigitte_d]

Here are my recs:

1) Leisa Hart's Fit Mama--NO. BORING.

I previously recommended this video, but for those who were regular exercisers before pregnancy, this thing is BORING. It's very repetitive, and it's clearly for those who were not regular exercisers before pregnancy. A) You will not feel like you did anything or got any "real" benefit. B) If you don't start out being bored with this video, you will feel that way eventually, finding yourself counting away the agonizing seconds on your DVD player. There's a Salsa Dance (20 min.) followed by a Yoga Fat Burn (20 min.), then there are stretches, kegels, preparation for delivery, etc. The Salsa Dance and Yoga Fat Burn feel like they're going on FOREVER, and are just too easy. I did like this DVD for a while, but abandoned it a couple of months ago. I feel guilty for recommending it previously. Also, Leisa Hart says dorky stuff about "those sexy hips", "feeling sexy", etc.

2) Gaiam's Prenantal Yoga with Shiva Rea--YES, for RELAXATION.

This video is soothing and relaxing, with great production value. Shiva Rea's voice makes you feel very calm and soothed. This video isn't great for making you feel like you've really exercised, but it is AWESOME for relieving back pain and muscle aches associated with pregnancy. And she keeps your core strong, too. I LOVE THIS VIDEO--but not for the exercise so much as the relief of pain. You'll feel like you got a massage after you do this one. It is GREAT for relaxation, aches, pains, focusing on the baby and letting the world melt away for an hour.

3) CTX

I started doing this series again in 3rd trimester after getting bored with Leisa Hart. I just do a lot of modification (no ricochets, etc., and MUCH, MUCH ligher weight--sometimes none). It makes me feel GREAT!!! Nobody helps you feel exercised like Cathe. Just don't do any of the lying-on-your-back exercises.

4) Firm's Total Body plus Abs (from series 2, with the Fanny Lifter)

I've done this a couple of times in 3rd trimester, also modified. Very good. Also don't do any lying-on-back stuff here. I think the other 2 videos in this set are a little to jumpy/movey for pregnancy.

Remember, NO LYING-FLAT-ON-BACK STUFF after the first trimester or so. If you do abs, do a stability ball or other pregnancy-modified moves.

Others seem to like Basic Step/Body Fusion a lot. Try that, too! Apparently there's an ab workout that takes place on the stability ball: perfect.

Best of luck with your pregnancy!!!

Brigitte
37 6/7 WGA

 

[imani]

I wanted to give my 2 cents here. I haven't been doing a lot of videos during this pregnancy but I am planning on getting back into them ASAP. I will mostly modify the workouts I already have but I did get a couple of prenatal workouts. I did the Quick Fix Prenatal workouts this morning. This DVD has 3 10 minute workouts and I did all three. The first one concentrates on the lower body with some squats and ballet moves. The second one is an upper body section. They used water bottles as weights but I prefer using real weights so I used 3 lbs dumbbells. The third one is an abdominal workout with kegels. While I would say that this workout is geared more towards beginners, I felt like I benefited from each section. Nancy Popp leads the workouts and was very personable and did a good job cueing. Overall, I think that I will use this tape more when I am really big towards the end of my pregnancy. I have only previewed the prenatal workout by Leisa Hart and based on the preview, I would say that I like the Quick Fix workout better.

I got this DVD together with QF postnatal DVD from Amazon.com for a little over $13.00.

Hope that helps,
imani

~23 weeks

 

[Jennifer V]

Hi!

Apart from yoga tapes, I haven't tried any specific to pregnancy. If anyone has tried Kathy Smith's Pregnancy Workout, please tell us how it is. It might be just the ticket for me in my last semester. Right now, I'm just modifying my regular workouts (mostly Cathe). I bought the Basic Step and Body Fusion specifically for my pregnancy, and I love how I can easily modify it, and the fact that the pace of the music isn't too fast for my body that just doesn't want to make quick turns and spins anymore.

Good luck with your pregnancy!

Jennifer V
25 weeks