Exercise during pregnancy has a myriad of benefits, including reducing aches and pains, decreasing complications, improving the health of your baby, and helping you with a speedier recovery after delivery.
However, many traditional cardio exercises will need to be regressed or avoided as pregnancy progresses due to the body’s alignment shifts, decreased stability, and increased intra-abdominal pressure. Luckily, you can adjust almost any exercise to a level that suits your needs.
See below for some basic cardio exercise guidelines during and after pregnancy, as well as modifications for 6 common cardio exercises.
Cardio Exercise Guidelines
- Listen to your body (not a heart rate monitor): During pregnancy, your heart rate response to exercise becomes more variable. This means that your heart rate is no longer an accurate gauge of your exertion. Use the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) instead — staying between a 6-8 on the 1-10 scale (up to 8.5 if you are accustomed to high-intensity exercise).
- Be mindful of decreased stability. During pregnancy, a hormone called relaxin works to soften the joints, ligaments, and other connective tissue, to allow the body to adapt to carry a growing baby, and to provide the laxity and mobility needed to deliver baby. A consequence of this soft tissue laxity is that it tends to increase mobility and decrease stability. Relaxin impacts every person differently. Just be mindful that you may feel a bit more “wobbly,” especially in your pelvic hip region. If you do feel a bit less stable, regress single-leg moves like lunges. As a general rule, it’s best to avoid ballistic single-leg movements (like jump lunges).
- Carefully manage your intra-abdominal pressure. As your belly grows during pregnancy, it increases your intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), or the pressure within your core. Activities, exercises, or behaviors that further increase IAP could increase the risk of Diastasis Recti or Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. This is the reason for many of the core exercise modifications during pregnancy. Always watch for coning in your belly as a key indicator a movement is not appropriate for your body.
Modifications for 6 Common Cardio Moves
For each high-impact move below, we listed an alternative move that accomplishes a similar goal in a more pregnancy-safe way below (in purple). Click the link or the photo to watch a video demo. Have fun experimenting with these. Each can be customized to dial intensity up or down. You can also use these moves in place of other cardio moves as well.
1. High Knee Runs
High Knee Marches
We often see people modifying this high-impact cardio move by doing a lighter jog in place. While this is fine if that feels ok, we’d actually recommend the High Knee Marches below. These not only remove the impact altogether, but they can actually get your heart pumping even more than a light jog. So, they can be a more effective cardio option. Exhale every time you lift your knee and be sure to keep your trunk in neutral alignment (avoid hunching when you lift your knee).
2. Jumping Jacks
Squat with Side Step
While the common no-impact regression for jumping jacks is often that lovely “half-jack,” this just reminds us too much of 1980s aerobics and it may also not feel like much of a workout. Instead, try this Squat with Side Step. It removes the impact, while keeping your heart pumping, and also adds some great lower body work. You’ll see in this video how it can be a strength move if you hold a weight, and a cardio move if you remove the weight and pick up the tempo.
3. Mountain Climbers
Diagonal Lifts
Mountain climbers can be a great cardio and core exercise when you are not pregnant. During the second trimester (or when you have a small/medium belly), begin regressing these by removing the impact and performing in a slower, more controlled fashion. Once your belly gets larger, or if you see any signs of coning in your belly, try the Diagonal Lifts below for a great cardio + core alternative. You can use any type of 3-5 lb weight, or no weight at all. Don’t have a weight? You can also do High Knee Marches shown in #1 (which combine cardio + core with the high knee lift).
4. Jump Squats
Reach Down & Up
You can remove the impact, but keep the challenge, with this highly customizable Reach Down & Up move. For the highest intensity version, perform this with a full range of motion, and pick up your tempo. Take it down by decreasing your range of motion — placing your hands above your knees or on a stool. Inhale on the way down, exhale as you reach up. Keep you spine in neutral alignment (avoid rounding forward to make your hands touch the ground). Only lower as far down as you can go without rounding forward.
5. Burpees
Modified Incline Burpee
When you first begin modifying burpees, you can begin by stepping back into the plank one foot at a time (as opposed to jumping back into the plank). As your belly grows, begin to perform the plank portion on an incline (if accessible) as shown in this Modified Incline Burpee below. Focus on a strong exhale as you extend into the plank position, and ensure your body is in neutral alignment (straight line from ear-shoulder-hip-knee-ankle).
6. Jump Lunges
Knee Repeaters
We recommend avoiding jump lunges for most of pregnancy due to potential pelvic instability from the hormonal changes. Even if you’re not feeling the effects of relaxin, your hormones continue to change, so it’s typically not worth the potential risk, especially when there are other beneficial moves that can accomplish the same goal. For a different lower body + cardio option, try Knee Repeaters. This move really gets your heart pumping, and you can increase the challenge by going lower on your supporting leg. Exhale every time you lift your knee and keep your spine neutral (avoid hunching over).
Understand the Moves to Avoid by Trimester
For more information on movements to avoid, or regress, by trimester grab our Moves to Avoid by Trimester Guide. You’ll learn what moves to avoid (or regress) by trimester, with evidence-based information as to why. You’ll also receive a summary chart so you have all the information at your fingertips.
Want Complete Workout Programs?
Remove all the worry about what to avoid or modify, and get safe and highly effective workouts throughout your pregnancy journey with our Prenatal Workout Programs. Just select the program that’s right for you based on your stage when starting and you’ll be guided through a structured training program complete with three total body workouts per week, nutrition guidance, childbirth education, and more. Your workouts are strength-focused, but also offer great cardio training with our proprietary LIIT™ (Labor Intensity Interval Training) to help you physically and mentally prepare for the demands of Stage 1 Labor.