2nd Trimester of Pregnancy: Core Principles

Catherine
Oct 11
3 min read

Updated: Oct 14

from The Danaher Method

As you're heading into the 2nd trimester of pregnancy there are a couple of key things to

consider:

Energy levels (usually higher)
Posture (may begin to shift with the belly growing)
How you're engaging your core (it's about the transverse abdominals)
Stretching the chest & strengthening the posterior chain
Relaxin is pumping thru your body, pay attention to how your stretch

It goes without saying but always listen to your doctor and your body. The advice listed here is based on my education and practical experience but you know your body best.

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Core Principles to Consider During Your 2nd Trimester

Energy levels are often higher during the 2nd Trimester. Lean into that.

You may feel ready to resume workouts you didn’t have the energy for in your first trimester. During 2nd trimester is when most people report feeling their best, but everyone is different.

For me, I'd ask myself, what do I need today - both for exercise and for diet. My nausea and fatigue ended around 10 weeks and I was able to resume higher intensity workouts but each day was also unpredictable. That meant that signing up for classes in advance wasn't going to work in case I didn't feel good that day so I gravitated towards moving on my own and following online classes (some TDM, some others).

Pay attention to your posture, your postural stacking.

Here are some postural changes that can occur during pregancy:

Source: Pregnancy Posture Health: EP’s Chiropractic Functional Team, Dr Alex Jimenez

I'll often say to clients "head over heart over pelvis". Your growing belly may shift the pelvis into an anterior tilt. Pay close attention to stacking head over heart over pelvis, especially when under load (e.g. and overhead press or deadlift).

Here are two classes from our Strength Training channel where you can work on postural stacking.

TAKE THIS CLASS

TAKE THIS CLASS

Train Your Transverse Abdominals and Double Down on Breathwork

Maybe in your first trimester you started a breathwork practice, continue this. If you aren't yet thinking about breathwork, start (360, gil breathing, abdominal/thoracic). If this is unfamiliar territory, find a teacher who can guide you thru your pregnancy and possibly a pelvic floor PT.

The 2nd part about core is to get to know your inner unit (TVA, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, multifidi). In the 2nd trimester, as your belly is starting to grow, replace spinal flexion (any crunches) with core work that access the transverse abdominals - your deepest abdominal layer that connects the diaphragm, the pelvic floor and the spine.

The class included here is one I filmed early in my 2nd during my first trimester of pregnancy and will fire your deepest abdominals and support the pelvis and hips.

TAKE THIS CLASS

Introduce Chest Stretches & Upper Body Strengthening into your Practice

As posture starts to change you might notice some forward head posture signs. To combat this, incorporate fascia release for the chest and strength work for your posterior chain.

TAKE THIS CLASS

Pay attention not to over-stretch. Consider Myofascial Release as an alternative to traditional static stretching.

The relaxin hormone is being released increasingly thru pregnancy making ligaments more flexible. Avoid deep stretches beyond what you did before pregnancy. Rather, incorporate Myofascial release for general stiffness, especially lower-back discomfort that often comes up. One of my favorites is to place a yoga tune up ball under my tush while seated on the floor or in a firm chair. Then take 5 breaths and let the tissues of the glutes melt over the ball. We have a whole channel dedicated to myofascial release, Roll & Release, available online.