You may have been told that “During pregnancy, you can keep doing whatever you were doing before. It’s just not the time to introduce something new”. Well, let me disagree with that.
It’s not big news that everything shifts within your body during pregnancy, and as your baby grows, massive changes happen. Among those:
your rectus abdominis (6-pack muscle) stretches around 15 cm (6 inches) by the end of the pregnancy.
the connective tissue of the abdominal midline (linea alba) thins and stretches.
your pelvic floor muscles are loaded with extra weight and pressure.
the ligaments and joints in the pelvis relax and become unstable.
To make the most of your workouts, serve your pregnancy, and prep your recovery, you need to change how you exercise and work on your core – which may mean skipping planks, and introducing some new kinds of core exercises!
Can you work on your abs during pregnancy?
You can (and should!) work on your core during pregnancy, BUT you may need to change your mindset and exercise repertoire.
Most traditional ab exercises such as crunches or front planks are designed to tighten the abs. However, as I wrote above, our abs will stretch 15cm by the end of the pregnancy. So working on tightening your abs is counter-productive and fighting against the natural and necessary stretch that needs to occur during pregnancy.
Suppose your “6-pack” muscles (rectus abdominis = superficial ab muscles) are toned, tight, and shortened. In this situation, they can’t stretch enough lengthwise to accommodate your growing uterus, and they are forced to separate more from side to side than they would have normally. In this case, you’ll have a greater chance of developing a diastasis recti (learn more about the difference between a healthy naturally occurring abdominal separation and a Diastasis Recti during pregnancy)
On the other hand, focusing on intentionally connecting your deep core is very beneficial during these 9 special months.
The goal of core exercises during pregnancy is to maintain core connection, support your spine, pelvis, growing baby, and prevent pelvic floor issues or diastasis recti from happening.
The pelvic floor, transverse abdominis (the deeper layer of your abs), spinal stabilizers, and diaphragm form the inner core muscles and work together to maintain a functional core.
The key to maintaining core connection and limiting the gap to a healthy ab separation is learning how to move and breathe properly with your growing belly, while strengthening your core safely, and limiting stress and strain on weakened areas.
The problems with front planks during pregnancy
Front planks are load-bearing isometric exercises, so when performed with a weakened core system:
They may strain the thinned and stretched abdominal wall.
The problem with front planks and pregnancy #1
In a front plank position, the weight of the baby, extra fluid, and your internal organs can create a lot of extra stress on your abdominal wall, which put strain directly onto the thinned and stretched ab muscles and ab midline.
Your abs are stretched and can’t operate at full strength during pregnancy, and that’s totally normal! Your ab muscles will get progressively weaker, and front planks or traditional ab exercises can not strengthen a compromised muscle group.
You may even start to feel like your belly is unsupported, and “hanging”.
In short, front planks may not be effective or beneficial in a compromised core system – they may even be harmful and exacerbate the natural abdominal separation.
They may disrupt your core system.
The problem with front planks and pregnancy #2
Holding your belly tight while planking during pregnancy can cause excessive and harmful intra-abdominal pressure. Planking can displace the pressure inside your abdomen, which can be harmful because it:
Increases the pressure on your weakened pelvic floor.
Affects how you breathe by not allowing your lungs and diaphragm to fully expand on the inhale.
Causes tension in the upper back, shoulders, and neck (due to shallow breathing and the challenge of the exercise).
You may think that this isn’t a big deal because we only hold the position for a few seconds here and there, but I believe it’s best to avoid anything that can disrupt our breathing pattern (already very challenged because the growing baby limits the lungs expansion), or put strain on weakened areas.
They may hurt your lower back.
The problem with front planks and pregnancy #3
Because of the nature of pregnancy, expecting women are at higher risk for lower back pain. As your belly expands, your center of gravity shifts, altering your posture and putting more strain on your lower back. When lacking core strength, your back takes the burden of this pregnancy weight.
So, if you perform front planks during the 2nd or 3rd trimester, there’s a good chance that your back muscles will take over and try to compensate for your weakened ab wall, but the downward pull of gravity and growing baby can pull at the lower back muscles and lead to injury.
So, when should you stop doing front planks during pregnancy?
It's probably OK to hold front planks if:
You're in your first trimester.
You have learned proper form and breathing while doing front planks pre-pregnancy.
However, I recommend avoiding front planks if:
You're in your second or third trimester.
Your abdomen domes or bulges while holding the plank position (a mirror placed under you on the mat can help make sure there is no triangular / point shape on your ab midline). Coning or doming is a red flag that your ab midline can’t handle the intra-abdominal pressure. Research wise, it’s still unclear if this doming can cause diastasis recti, but I do believe it's best to avoid it because doming is a clear sign that your core can’t handle the intra-abdominal pressure.
You aren’t sure about the proper form or breathing to use while holding a front plank.
You're at risk for diastasis recti or have been diagnosed with it (women who are older when they get pregnant, have a higher BMI, have had multiple pregnancies or are carrying multiples, are at a higher risk of developing diastasis recti during or after pregnancy)
And of course, if you're not cleared for exercise from your Doctor.
What about inclined front planks or side planks during pregnancy?
Is it safe to do inclined planks while pregnant?
To me, inclined planks are safer, but they wouldn’t be my “to-go exercises” since they don’t necessarily serve your pregnancy.
You can’t hold a correct front plank (even an inclined front plank with a chair, box or table) without tightening your belly.
When you're pregnant, you want to help your abs safely stretch length-wise to prevent a severe ab separation. When you continue to try to tighten the abdominals, you are essentially fighting this natural process.
Is it safe to do side planks while pregnant?
Contrary to most pregnancy fitness plans out there, mine doesn’t include side planks.
With exercises like side planks your core can become oblique dominant, which can pull on each side of your linea alba, creating more ab separation.
During pregnancy it's incredibly important to respect the changes happening within your body in order to give yourself the best chance to emerge from this journey with the least physical impact.
In short:
To me, exercising during pregnancy should:
help you prep your body for birth.
honor your transformation.
help you go through all the changes while limiting common aches and pains.
and begin prepping your recovery.
In my opinion, there’s no benefit to continue doing side or front planks during pregnancy, and the risk of doing unintended harm is considerable.
any Other Ab Exercises to Avoid during Pregnancy?
Your body is undergoing monumental changes. A pregnancy workout routine should be so much more than continuing or adapting whatever activities you were doing pre-pregnancy, and it is much more specific than you might think.
I recommend avoiding these ab exercises during pregnancy:
anything that shortens the ab wall (crunches, sit ups)
leg lifts (like scissors, double leg lifts…). Our legs are heavy and these exercises put a of stress on the ab midline, lower back, and pelvic floor
exercises that involve extreme twisting or bending backward.
What are the best ab exercises during pregnancy?
One of the most common mistakes when exercising during pregnancy is neglecting core connection and awareness.
Your growing baby pushes internal organs in every direction, down on your pelvic floor, up towards the diaphragm and lungs, and forward against your ab midline. The extra forces exerted on the transverse muscle, and pelvic floor can lead these muscles to literally turn off during pregnancy. Let’s not allow that to happen!
Our breath is what connects our inner core system: pelvic floor, diaphragm, deep abs, and back muscles.
Performing core exercises based on abdominal breathing is the best thing you can do to help your body adjust during pregnancy.
Note that every woman will experience some degree of pelvic floor weakening and abdominal separation during pregnancy. However, including abdominal breathing exercises in your daily life can:
help decrease the severity of the separation
maintain continence and proper core function
and begin the preparation for your recovery
Since most of us aren’t connected to (or even aware of) our deep core in everyday life, reconnecting with yours can take some time and practice, but it will be so beneficial for your pregnancy, postpartum recovery and beyond.
Connecting to your inner core, and learning how to move and breathe with your growing belly is key to feeling your best, preventing injuries, and fully enjoying this unique time.
This is the perfect time to be pro-active and re-connect with your core in every sense!
Start your Pregnancy Workout Routine & Wellness Plan today! ✨
To make the best of these 9 months, be sure to read :
First Trimester Exercises - Do’s and Don’ts
12 Pregnancy Tips to learn how to have a healthy baby and experience
Diastasis Recti vs abdominal separation during pregnancy