How I Trained During Pregnancy and Why It Made Postpartum Recovery Easier

Pregnancy changes your body in ways that go far beyond aesthetics. How you train during this season matters not only for how you feel while pregnant (and health benefits for baby), but for how your body recovers afterward.

Many women approach pregnancy fitness with one of two mindsets. They either stop training entirely out of fear, or they push through workouts that no longer match what their body needs. Both approaches often make postpartum recovery harder than it needs to be.

What often gets missed is this simple truth: postpartum recovery begins during pregnancy.

The way you train while pregnant can either support your body’s ability to recover or create patterns that take longer to undo later.

This is how I trained during pregnancy, why I made those choices, and how that approach supported an easier postpartum recovery.

Why Pregnancy Training Shapes Recovery After Birth

Pregnancy is not a pause from fitness. It is a period of rapid adaptation.

As your baby grows, your posture changes, your rib cage expands, and your breathing mechanics shift. The deep core system works differently to manage pressure and support the growing load.

If training during pregnancy ignores these changes, the body compensates. Those compensations do not disappear after delivery. They carry into postpartum movement, strength, and core function.

When training respects these adaptations, the body enters postpartum recovery with better coordination, awareness, and capacity.

The goal during pregnancy is not to maintain pre-pregnancy performance.

The goal is to train in a way that sets your body up to recover well.

How I Approached Training During Pregnancy

My approach to pregnancy training was intentional and grounded in physiology, not trends.

I did not stop training.

I did not chase intensity for its own sake.

I did not push through discomfort or symptoms.

Instead, I focused on training in a way that supported coordination, strength, fitness level and pressure management as my body changed.

Core Work Focused on Coordination, Not 'Burn.'

During pregnancy, the core is already under constant demand. Traditional ab exercises that emphasize shortening or bracing can increase pressure without improving function.

Rather than chasing an ab burn, I focused on:

• breathing mechanics
  
  
• rib cage and pelvic alignment
  
  
• deep core engagement
  
  
• pelvic floor coordination
  
  

This approach helps maintain communication between the diaphragm, deep abdominals, and pelvic floor as pregnancy progresses.

Inside the nātal app, Ab Prehab is designed around this exact principle. It focuses on preparing the core and pelvic floor for pregnancy demands rather than overloading them.

Training the core this way during pregnancy made reconnecting postpartum far more intuitive.

Strength Training With Smart, Pregnancy-Specific Modifications

Strength training remained part of my routine throughout pregnancy, but it looked different than pre-pregnancy training.

I focused on controlled, intentional strength work with close attention to breath and pressure management. Load, range of motion, and tempo were adjusted as my body changed.

Strength training during pregnancy supports muscle mass, joint stability, and confidence in movement. When programmed appropriately, it also reinforces patterns that carry into postpartum recovery.

This is the foundation of Expecting Athletes, which is designed for women who want to continue strength training during pregnancy while respecting how the body adapts.

Rather than avoiding strength, the goal was to train in a way that supported both pregnancy and recovery.

Pressure Management Became a Priority

As pregnancy progressed, managing pressure became increasingly important.

Every lift, transition, and movement required awareness of how pressure was being created and controlled. This meant adjusting breath timing, reducing unnecessary bracing, and respecting fatigue.

Learning to manage pressure during pregnancy made early postpartum recovery feel familiar rather than overwhelming. The motor skills were already there.

This is one of the biggest reasons recovery felt more straightforward. The foundation had been built before birth.

Training Evolved With Each Trimester

Training during pregnancy should not look the same from start to finish.

As my body changed, exercises were modified, intensity was adjusted, and recovery was prioritized. The focus remained on maintaining strength, supporting mobility, and reinforcing coordination without forcing progress.

This adaptive approach reduced strain and helped maintain consistency.

It is also why nātal offers pregnancy programming that evolves with you. Your body does not need one static plan for nine months. It needs training that adapts as pregnancy progresses.

How This Supported Easier Postpartum Recovery

Postpartum recovery still requires time and intention, but training this way during pregnancy made a noticeable difference.

Core reconnection felt more intuitive because coordination and breathing had been practiced throughout pregnancy. Rather than starting from zero, recovery built on an existing foundation.

Pelvic floor awareness carried over as well. Instead of feeling disconnected, I understood how to support my body during movement.

Strength returned more efficiently because proper mechanics had been maintained. Once cleared for postpartum exercise, rebuilding felt like progression rather than repair.

These are the benefits of training with recovery in mind from the beginning.

The Bigger Picture

Training during pregnancy is not about bouncing back. It is about setting your body up to move forward.

When pregnancy training prioritizes coordination, pressure management, and intentional strength, postpartum recovery becomes less overwhelming and more productive.

You do not need to train perfectly.

You need to train intentionally.

That philosophy is built into every prenatal program inside the nātal app, from Ab Prehab to Expecting Athletes.

Final Takeaway

How you train during pregnancy matters.

It influences how your core reconnects.

It affects pelvic floor function.

It shapes how confidently you return to movement after birth.

When pregnancy training supports the body’s natural adaptations, recovery does not feel like starting over.

And when you are ready postpartum, having that foundation in place makes programs like Ab Rehab far more effective.

Recovery is not something you fix later.

It is something you prepare for now.

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