The following are modification tips for specific exercises and videos from your fellow VF moms:
From Mandy Lee ([email protected]), mother of six!
Strength Training:
Abs
I did ab work on my back up to my 4th month and then I did pelvic tilts on my hands and knees and really squeezed my abs.
Squats
I did squats all the way up to my due date. They are fabulous and gave my legs such strength. If I felt tired, I didn't use any weights (the weight of the baby is enough in the 9th month!) and leaned on a chair for support.
FIRM modifications
You can keep going on the Firm! Just modify and listen to your body. I did all the Firms but my favorite were Strongbody, Prime Power Fat Burning and Lower Body since the aerobics were low impact. I did Firm 1 a couple times and just modified the high impact to marches.
Tall box work
I bought a 12 inch tall box for tall box work and kept going with tall box untill my belly got so big that it was hard to come down from the tall box. Then I went to a 8 inch step for tall box just to keep up my strength.
Lunges
I did stationary lunges instead of regular lunges.
Dips
I did Stationary dips and used a ski pole or dowel for balance.
pushups
I did wall pushups with my feet as far out as they could go.
chest work
I put all my risers on one end of my step and made sure I wasn't laying flat but at an angle for chest flies. I used the same weight for upper body except for days when I felt tired.
Table/bridge work
I still did table work but not bridge work since you have to lay on your back. I didn't have to modify inner and outer thigh and shoot outs since lying down is so pleasurable while pregnant.
Cardio
All high impact was made low and plyo hops were changed to pulse squats. All Firm box work was done on a 4 inch step.
Cathe Friedrich video modifications:
I kept going with Cathe Friedrich step video's with lot's of modifications. I wasn't about to give up her fun workouts. So these are some of the modifications.
Lower Step height to 4 inches. Take out all power. This is easy. All hop turns can be changed to step knee up. All run runs, change to basic step. All step hop front, change to basic step.
Over the top high impact can be an A step low impact. Power horse shoe can be regular horse shoe.
Some of the other more complex moves were a challenge. Here are some I found
to modify:
The ricochet is an 8 count move so I replaced it with a 3 count horshoe turn and march for 2 counts (like the move in the 3rd section from Power Max). You will end up on the same foot.
For the pendulum, I would step up on the bench and step side to side all the
way down my step with my hips kinda swinging.
For power sevens, I would do a repeater with my leg out and just squeeze the buns 7 time really hard. This works!!
For the heel toe jack, I would go across my step at a diagonal, tap and walk around my step and then go over the other side on a diagonal, tap and come back around. You will end up on the same foot.
For Flying angel, just stay front and keep it low. For jacks, do a low jack with one leg tap to the side.
One of Cathe's moves was tough. It was the Power Max move in the second section
where she goes around the step 3 counts, straddle and go around the other step. I found a great modification. Do a peg leg around the step for 3 counts and on the 6th count do a knee up (make sure you do this or it won't work!) and then straddle and do a 3 count peg leg around the step again and knee up and straddle. I wish I could show you how to do it. It really is fun!
With Cathe's tapes, I couldn't keep going all the way up to my 9th month
because I kept getting contractions so I finally just did Firm tapes.
I also used the Buns of steel video's since the aerobics are low impact.
After my 6 weeks recovery after the baby was born, I listened to my body and did the talk test as I did with my pregnancy since I don't feel like the heartrate chart does me anygood. Just light walking and my heartrate would be past the pregnancy no no mark. I would say, " Mandy is doing something good for her and her baby" as I was working out. If I was breathless, I knew I was working too hard.
Anyway, I started off doing Tamilee's Quick Tone series, Buns of STeel series and Firms after the 6 weeks after labor. I slowly regained my strength and a couple months after the baby was born, I was doing my regular workouts. I just made sure I started slowly and if I started bleeding too much I knew I was overdoing it.
I tried to exercise 4-5 days a week during my pregnancy. My goal was to stay healthy and not to reach for some unrealistic goal of sqatting with a lot of weight or mastering a complex step move. I wanted to keep healthy and prepare for the toughest workout a woman will ever do in her life, LABOR. Keep consistant and you won't be disappointed with what exercise will do for your body.
From Daphne Magnusen, mother of two:
Some of the other modifications that I did: sit-ups on a slanted step with head at the "up" end; push-ups against the wall instead of the floor; lighter weights; slow and careful motions; frequent water breaks, etc.
