(Difficulty: Advanced)
equipment: yoga ball
Description:
(Difficulty: Advanced)
equipment: yoga ball
Description:
(Difficulty: Advanced)
equipment: yoga ball
Description:
(Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced)
equipment: yoga ball
Description:
Difficulty: Advanced
Start by getting down on all fours on a mat or a flat surface. Position your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Your back should be flat, and your core tight.
To tighten your core, gently exhale as you lift your belly button away from the floor. You can also engage your pelvic floor by pretending you were trying to hold back gas or stop the flow of urine.
Lift your knees a few inches off the ground, so your weight is supported by your hands and the balls of your feet
Hold This position for 20-30 seconds.
(Difficulty: Advanced)
Description:
Start in a normal plank position. Keeping your back flat, slowly rock your shoulders forwards and back, just like your body is functioning as a jig saw.
Make small movements, and keep your core tight throughout the movement.
Complete 10 reps.
(Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced)
Description:
Find a low step, and stand 2-3 feet behind it facing the step.
Just like a normal walking lunge, reach forward with one leg to take a longer step, with the front foot landing on the stair.
Lower the back knee down, and then push off of the step to bring the front foot back to starting position.
Repeat for 10 lunges each side.
Before any of our suggested workouts or building your own from our library of exercises, do this quick whole-body 5 minute warm-up!
Note: This counts as part of your total exercise minutes for the week!
Difficulty: Advanced
The acronym RDL is a common term for any form of Romanian Deadlift. A key component to this exercise is the hinge, or bending at the hips, while the knees stay relatively straight. Keep the back flat, head looking forward.
Start with one foot slightly in front of the other, with the back foot elevated and toes in the ground.
As you hinge at the hips, keep the back leg extended behind you. Your back leg should raise in the air as your chest leans forward.
The front foot, or working leg, should feel this in the hamstrings (back of legs) and glutes (booty)!
A staple leg exercise in the BumptUp Pregnancy Program, this page serves as a comprehensive guide to explain the Split Squat, and its many variations. The split squat can be used in many ways throughout your training, and are a great way to strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, quads and core!
Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced
To perform a split squat,
Other variations that may show up in the BumptUp Pregnancy program:
Difficulty: Beginner
Stop at the position at the bottom of the exercise! Bend both knees, and hold here with the back knee just a few inches above the ground. This simple exercise will get tough! It is a great way to work the muscles without adding more impact.
For this one, hold it for 30 seconds (if you can) vs doing a set number of reps.
Difficulty: Advanced
From the same starting position, drop the back knee down, and quickly come almost all the way up, then immediately back into the next rep. You never stand all the way up with this exercise, which adds a little “bounce”. You may want to do 30 seconds vs. a set number of reps for this one!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Find a low step or box and place the front foot on it. Drop the back knee down. This will put less stress on your knees and will focus on the quads of the front leg.
Difficulty: Advanced
This variation puts much more load on the working leg, making the exercise more difficult. Assume the same starting position, however find a small stair or box to elevate the back foot. The higher the foot, the harder the exercise.
Any of the above variations can be made more difficult by adding weights (or soup cans!).
Difficulty: Advanced