Exercises with Free Weights:

Free weights (dumbbells, barbells) are a great way to target specific muscle groups while also giving you the advantage of versatility in the way you move the weights, using more muscles to help stabilize the weights during various movements, and allowing you specificity your exercises to real life movements. You can perform various functional movements with dumbbells that will help you during pregnancy and afterward while taking care of yourself and your baby!

* Safety Tip: Keep your torso straight as you perform the movements in each exercise, do not bend your spine forward or to the side as you lift your arms up, and do not swing your arms quickly (lower the weight if you cannot lift the dumbbells without using your torso for assistance)

Exercises in Standing:

When exercising in standing you need to make sure you are engaging your core by bringing your bellybutton up and in, tucking in your tailbone, and squeezing your glutes. If you feel that you are not able to control your abdominal muscles, your balance, or stability, then you should perform exercises in standing. Once you feel comfortable with your form, you can progress to tall kneel or physioball exercises.

Exercises in Tall Kneel:

When exercising in tall kneel, you are adding another element of balance, core stability, and pelvic strength to your exercise. Find your NEUTRAL SPINE in tall kneel by tucking your pelvis in, and ACTIVATE YOUR ABDOMINALS by pulling your bellybutton in toward your spine and up toward your nose.

Exercises with a Therapy Ball (Physioball):

When using a therapy ball, you add another element to your exercises. Sitting on a therapy ball while using free weights helps you work on your balance, stability, core strength, and pelvic strength.Make sure you are sitting on the ball with a NEUTRAL SPINE, your feet are shoulder width apart, and you ACTIVATE YOUR ABDOMINALS by pulling your bellybutton in toward your spine and up toward your nose.

Bicep Curl:

• Sitting on a therapy ball with feet shoulder width apart, find your neutral spine
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and hands facing forward, arms down at your sides
  • Make sure your back is straight and shoulders are rolled back and down
• Bend elbows and slowly bring dumbbells to chest
  • Breathe out as your bring your arms up
  • Keep elbows out at sides, wrists in line with elbows
• Lower dumbbells slowly back to the starting position with arms at sides
  • Breathe in as you lower your arms
  • Keep your back straight and your shoulders back throughout

​Hammer Curl:

• Sitting on a therapy ball with feet shoulder width apart, find your neutral spine
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and hands facing inward toward your sides, arms down at your sides
  • Keep back straight and shoulders rolled back and down
• Bend elbows and slowly bring dumbbells to chest (hands always facing in toward each other)
  • Breathe out as your bring your arms up
  • Keep elbows out at sides, wrists in line with elbows
• Lower dumbbells slowly back to the starting position with arms at sides
  • Breathe in as you lower your arms
  • Keep your back straight and your shoulders rolled back throughout

Overhead Triceps Extension:

• In tall kneeling, with legs shoulder width apart, find your neutral spine
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and hands facing inward toward your sides
  • Keep your back straight and shoulders rolled back and down
• Lift arms up over your head with both arms facing each other, elbows straight (this is the beginning position)
  • Breathe out as your bring your arms up
• Keep your hands facing each other, upper arms close to your head, and begin to lower the weights behind your head by bending your elbows until your forearms are touching your biceps
  • Breathe in as you lower your arms
  • Keep your back straight and your shoulders back throughout
  • Upper arms should remain stationary, only move your forearms
• Bring the weights back up over your head using your triceps until elbows are straight again
  • Breathe out as your bring your arms back up and straighten your elbows

Dumbbell Shoulder Press:

Sitting on a therapy ball with feet shoulder width apart, find your neutral spine

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and hands facing forward, arms down at your sides
  • Keep your back straight and shoulders rolled back and down
• Raise Dumbbells to shoulder height and make sure that the palms of your hands are facing outward (Starting Position)
• Push dumbbells upward and toward each other so that they touch
  • Breathe out as you are pushing the dumbbells up
  • Keep your hands facing outward
• Hold the position at the top for 3 seconds and then slowly bring your arms down to the starting position

Side Lateral Raise:

• Sitting on a therapy ball with feet shoulder width apart, find your neutral spine
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and hands facing toward you, arms down at your sides
  • Keep your back straight and shoulders rolled back and down
• Raise dumbbell to shoulder height so that your arms are parallel with the floor, and make sure that the palms of your hands are facing downward
  • Exhale as you raise your arms up
  • Hold this position for 2 seconds
• Bring your arm back down to your side with palms of your hands facing you
  • Inhale as you slowly bring your arms back down

Seated Dumbbell Triceps Extension (kickbacks):

• Sit on a therapy ball with feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, torso leaning forward
  • Bend at the waist with your back straight until it is almost parallel with floor
  • Keep your head up
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with thumbs curled around the grips and palms facing toward you.
  • Bring your arms up and bend at the elbow so that the upper arms are almost parallel with the floor while the forearms are pointing toward the floor (Starting position)
  • Try to have a 90 degree angle between upper arms and forearms
• Keep upper arms stationary while your extend your elbow and use the triceps to lift the weight until the forearms are almost parallel with the floor.
  • Exhale as you are extending the forearms
• Slowly bring the forearms back down to starting position by bending elbows
  • Inhale as you return to starting position

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