Exercise During Pregnancy: What Is Safe and What to Avoid
Staying active during pregnancy offers significant benefits — reduced back pain, better sleep, lower risk of gestational diabetes, improved mood, and often an easier labour. But exercise during pregnancy requires careful modification as your body changes. At Core and More Fitness in Clapham, our pre and postnatal fitness programme is built around current clinical guidelines and your individual needs at every stage.
Trimester-by-Trimester Exercise Guide
First Trimester (Weeks 1–12)
Most exercise is safe in the first trimester if you were already active before pregnancy. The key adjustments are managing fatigue and nausea, avoiding overheating, and staying well hydrated. Heart rate guidelines have evolved — modern advice focuses on how you feel rather than a fixed number. You should be able to hold a conversation throughout exercise.
Second Trimester (Weeks 13–26)
Often the most comfortable trimester for exercise. Energy returns, nausea typically eases, and the bump is not yet large enough to significantly alter balance. This is an excellent time to build strength in the glutes, back, and shoulders — muscles that will carry increasing load as pregnancy progresses. We begin to modify exercises involving lying flat on the back for extended periods.
Third Trimester (Weeks 27–40)
Exercise continues to be beneficial but requires more significant modification. Balance work, impact activities, and heavy loading are reduced. We focus on pelvic floor preparation, breathwork, and maintaining strength in a way that supports the birth process. Walking, swimming, and tailored resistance work remain appropriate for most clients.
Postnatal Fitness: The First Steps Back
The postnatal period is often approached with impatience — understandably, after months of modified training. But returning too quickly, or with the wrong exercises, risks long-term pelvic floor and abdominal issues. Here is a realistic postnatal timeline:
0–6 Weeks: Recovery Only
This period is for healing — whether from vaginal delivery or caesarean section. Gentle walking and pelvic floor activation are appropriate, but no formal exercise until your 6-week GP check. We can meet during this time to plan your return-to-fitness programme so you are ready to start the moment you are cleared.
6–12 Weeks: Gentle Reintroduction
Once cleared, we begin with low-impact strength work, breathing mechanics, and core reconnection — specifically targeting the deep core and pelvic floor. This is not about aesthetics; it is about rebuilding the functional foundation that every other movement depends on.
12+ Weeks: Progressive Training
From around 12 weeks postnatal (later for caesarean deliveries), we progressively rebuild strength, cardiovascular fitness, and movement quality. By 6 months, most clients are training at or beyond their pre-pregnancy levels.
Diastasis Recti: What It Is and How We Address It
Diastasis recti — separation of the abdominal muscles — affects the majority of women to some degree in late pregnancy. Not all cases require intervention, but significant separation requires specific exercise programming that avoids excessive intra-abdominal pressure. Our trainers are trained to assess for and work around diastasis recti safely.
Start Your Pre or Postnatal Fitness Journey in Clapham
Our private studio on Abbeville Road, SW4 offers a quiet, supportive environment for pre and postnatal training. We work with a maximum of two clients per session, meaning your programme is always tailored to exactly where you are. Book a free consultation and we will build a plan around your pregnancy stage or postnatal timeline.
