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Workouts

Mommy Workout: The Final Weeks, Week 4, Day 3

This cycle of Mommy workouts will build strength, improve movement quality, relieve aches and pains, and prepare for labor in the last weeks of pregnancy.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Mindith Rahmat Published on Sep 21, 2013

This cycle of Mommy workouts is designed for women in the last six to eight weeks of their pregnancy. This can be a challenging time to keep up with physical activity. Your baby is experiencing rapid growth, and that means you are too. You might also be distracted with all the preparations and anticipation that tends to settle in at this stage.

This cycle of Mommy workouts is designed for women in the last six to eight weeks of their pregnancy. This can be a challenging time to keep up with physical activity. Your baby is experiencing rapid growth, and that means you are too. You might also be distracted with all the preparations and anticipation that tends to settle in at this stage.

As you can see in the videos and photos, I was in this stage of pregnancy while developing these workouts. I’ve combined several elements that were particularly helpful for me between 34 and 40 weeks:

  1. Strength and Conditioning: Primarily with the use of kettlebells and bodyweight exercises
  2. Practical, Functional Movement: Particularly in the form of long hikes and movement “challenges” that will help you move better on an everyday basis.
  3. Labor Preparation Exercises: Exercises to help with fetal positioning, strengthen the abdominal muscles, and build lower body endurance to prepare for the marathon of birth.
  4. Stretching and Mobility Work: Exercises to ease aches and pains that tend to crop up during this time
  5. Yoga and Meditation: Time set aside for you to collect yourself mentally and physically, by linking breath and movement

The strength and conditioning workouts tend to be short and simple and should usually take no longer than thirty minutes. That means you should exert as much effort as you can during the workouts – without overdoing it, of course. Toward the end of the cycle, you’ll notice an emphasis on walking and hiking, with a weekly long walk or hike. This is one of the best ways to prepare your body for labor. Feel free to jog or run as you feel comfortable during these sessions.

I’ve also included a weekly challenge. The challenges aren’t necessarily things you’ll be doing in the gym, but are ways to move better and more mindfully throughout the day. Not only will quality movement prevent a lot of pregnancy issues like sciatica and low back pain, but it will also translate into your workouts.

Enjoy this cycle of workouts and the last stage of your pregnancy.

Week 4, Day 3

A.

3 Rounds, 5 breaths per pose:

Easy Pose

Butterfly

Seated Side Bend R/L

Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend

Hero Pose

Cat Cow

Melting Heart

Downward Dog

Warrior I

Warrior II

B. Mommy Challenge: Week 4 – Kettlebell Cleans

The kettlebell clean is one of my favorite exercises for moms. Do the following short routine daily to develop functional strength. For an extra challenge, add a 15 second carry to each minute.

Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:

5 kettlebell cleans per side

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

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