Difficulty: Intermediate
Start in a half kneeling position with one knee on the ground.
Holding a light weight or object in both hands, start with both arms straight near the leg that is down.
Lift the weight up above your head in a diagonal line, so that it finished above the knee that is in the air.
Lower back to the start.
Repeat 10 times on one side, then switch your knees and complete on the opposite side.
Difficulty: Beginner
Description: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, and hold a light wieght such as a soup can or dumbell in each hand.
Keeping your arms straight, lift your hands away from your body. Make a T shape with your arms, and then lower back to your sides in a controlled motion.
Complete 10 reps
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Description:
This exercise is best done with your hands on the edge of a counter top.
Step back with one leg to do a reverse lunge, dropping the back knee almost to the ground. Bring the back leg back to the starting position and stand all the way up.
Repeat on the opposite leg, completing a reverse lunge on each leg.
With the hands still on the counter top, do one Incline Pushup. Bend the elbows to lower your chest to the counter, and then press up.
Lung-Lunge-Pushup. This is one rep. Great total body exercise!
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
This exercise will use a weight such as a dumbell, or milk jug.
Start on your hands and knees in a table top position. Hold a weight in one hand, with the opposite hand and both knees on the ground.
Pull the weight up with one arm to your hip, keeping your elbow tight and back flat. Lower the weight in a controlled motion, completing all 10 reps on one side before switching to the next side.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
The tricep is located on the back of your upper arm, and plays a big roll in any “pushing” motion of every day activities, such as pushing a stroller or closing a door.
Sit on the edge of a chair, hands gripping the seat’s front edge. Slide your hips forward off the chair, knees bent at 90 degrees. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping the elbow tight to your sides.
Push down to straighten the elbows and return to the starting position.
to increase difficulty: straighten the legs out in front.
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Description:
Also referred to as a “Scap” Pushup, this movement is a great exercise to activate and mobilize the upper back and trap muscles.
Start in a tall plank position, with the back flat and hands underneath shoulders. Keeping the elbows locked, try to pinch your shoulder blades together, as if you are trying to “puff out” your chest. Then, pull your shoulders back towards the ground. Think about trying to rip the back of your shirt as you round your upper back.
A Bear Crawl is a super versatile, super effective exercise. Similar to a plank, it can show up in your workout as a simple activation exercise, or used to target your core muscles. The BumptUp 36-week Program features several variations of the bear crawl hold, each listed and explained below.
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.
Lift your knees a few inches off the ground, so your weight is supported by your hands and the balls of your feet
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Week 4-8, Day 1
An isometric exercise is one that requires holding a position with minimal movement, similar to a plank.
Assume a Bear Crawl position, with a flat back and hands directly under the shoulders. Press the toes through the floor so that the knees are slightly elevated.
Hold this position for the specified time, engaging stabilizing muscles in the shoulders, hips, quads, and abs. In the Pregnancy Exercise Program, the time will increase each week!
The bear crawl, and its many variations, is a great exercise for building core strength, stability, and coordination. It engages multiple muscle groups, including the shoulders, arms, core, and legs.
As you get ready for the big event of life (childbirth), BumptUp has designed workouts to help you stay fit during your pregnancy. These workouts include strength training and exercises to improve your heart health.
We will begin with a short warm-up. It involves doing some dynamic stretches to activate and loosen up the muscles we’ll be focusing on. Just like preheating an oven, warming up before exercise helps raise your body temperature, increase blood flow, and get your body ready to perform its best!
Each workout will consist of a total of ~8 exercises.
Some key terms…
For each exercise, we have provided a brief explanation along with a video demonstration to help you understand how to do it correctly. If you click on the link for each exercise, you’ll find a more detailed description that will hopefully answer any questions you may have. We understand that when you’re training on your own, there are going to be things that sound confusing, and we hope this link will provide clarity.
On this page, you will also find variations of each exercise. We have suggested modifications to make the movement easier, while progressions increase the difficulty. These alternative exercises target the same muscle groups but can be adjusted based on your current fitness level, available space, equipment, and other factors.
In accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), ALL healthy individuals should aim to complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week. This could equate to 30 minutes of moderate exercise, 5 days per week.
Bumptup has programmed 3 days of moderate resistance training workouts to maintain and build strength throughout your pregnancy. These workouts are designed to be low impact so that, if necessary, they could be completed on consecutive days.
The first week of the exercise program begins with Week 4 of pregnancy. Each Day has been linked below:
On Days without a structured workout, we suggest getting some kind of movement or exercise for at least 25 minutes. This could be a simple walk or jog, or create your own 25-minute workout in the BumptUp App!
A staple in any PE class, a pushup is a basic upper body movement that can be done almost anywhere, with no equipment needed.
Doing a pushup the correct way SHOULD be challenging, and we have developed a series of progressions to develop the same muscle groups in a safe and effective manner.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Beginner Pushup
Use a chair, couch, bench, box or even a wall to elevate the hands. Kneeling on the ground facing the box (or other surface), place the hands about shoulder width apart. Bend the elbows until the chest lowers to the edge of the box, controlling the tempo throughout the movement.
Elbows should stay tight to the sides of the body. Make sure the back stays flat, so that the hips and shoulders move at the same speed.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
