Lifting for Two; the third trimester

Weeks 28 to 40 + 1 – the third trimester

General overview

This is easily my favourite trimester of the whole pregnancy.

Despite people warning me that this is one of the hardest stages, my personal experience is that I feel good, my energy is better, I’m enjoying myself and I’m feeling more balanced.

Baby grows from almost 15 inches long and 2.25 lbs (the size of a coconut) to approximately 21 inches and 7.3lbs (the size of a mini watermelon – wow!).

Weight change is 146 lbs at 28 weeks to 159 lbs at week 40.

Baby is born at week 40 weeks + 1 day.

Workouts

My strength, stamina and motivation are the highest they’ve been through the whole pregnancy and continue to increase the closer I get to due date. Plus, I’m actually ENJOYING my workouts again which is the best feeling!

As the size of my bump grows my posture, balance, coordination and centre of gravity change – and none for the better. At this stage of the pregnancy, I adapt my workouts to consist of a mixture of what I love doing and what I need to be doing to prepare my body for the fourth trimester.

I split the focus of my workouts into two main areas 1) free-weight exercises that focus on balance and coordination and 2) machine-based exercises that focus on strength and muscle maintenance.

Balance and Coordination

I programme my workouts so that I’m moving in as many different directions as possible, in as many different ways as possible – forwards, backwards, sideways, stepping up, hinging down etc. This includes exercises like squat halos (halo whilst in the squat hole), curtsey lunges straight into step-ups and lateral lunges straight into side-step ups. During these sessions I’m typically doing 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each movement, rests are short, weights are on the lighter side and the movement is controlled, to reduce any risk of falling (although I haven’t felt actively worried about this at any stage). These workouts definitely gets my heartrate up!

Strength and muscle maintenance

I start swapping out my usual heavy barbell lifts like back squats with the leg press machine, and gradually widen my stance to make it more comfortable with my bump. Using the machines gives me a bit of extra support, reduces my risk of falling and helps me to breathe through heavier lifts properly. I’m hitting the leg press once a week and either building up to heavy weights gradually or playing around with pause sets/1.5s/pulses etc. My deadlifts change from ‘traditional’ deadlifts, to sumo, to rack pulls – again to accommodate my bump and to reduce the pressure that I start to feel in my abdomen as the lifts get heavier. I haven’t completely cut out any lifts and instead I just adapt what I do so that either my stance is wider, the lifts are lighter, the bar is higher etc. etc. 

My final workout is two days before labour early labour starts.

Energy

Energy during this trimester is the best it’s been through the whole pregnancy. On the whole, my workouts are longer and I’m able to hit a good number of lifts per session rather than the reduced sessions I was doing earlier in the pregnancy. This only changes during the last week or two of the pregnancy when the length of my sessions get a bit shorter again to help maintain steady energy throughout the day.

Food

I’m eating almost the same way as before I fell pregnant. I’m not eating a great deal more than normal, and my hunger seems to have balanced out again. My protein intake falls between 110g and 130g most days, my fibre, veg and carb intake is high and generally I’m eating balanced meals with some sweet treats here or there. I’m not experiencing any food aversions and I’m finding it easier to cook and prepare meals. Food and hydration feel the easiest they have during the pregnancy and I’m enjoying just being able to get through the days without thinking about food too much.

Body

These weeks see the greatest visual change to my body, especially during the last 4 weeks when my bump grows the most and I start feeling pretty stretched. I’m getting some pelvic pain during the night when I roll over, which is more noticeable after a heavier lifting session – this is most likely due to the relaxin hormone kicking in and softening my joints, but it doesn’t cause any real issues for me and it’s normally gone the next day. I also experience restless legs on and off in the evening which means I sometimes have to stretch out in the evenings. I get away without experiencing the ‘pregnancy waddle’ that people often report and I find walking and general day to day activities pretty easy – I even manage to run for the train a few times without any issues!!

Goals/Focus

My main focus now is simply to enjoy the last part of the pregnancy because I know it’ll be over before I know it and I’ll soon miss feeling baby moving inside me. Other than that my only goal is consistency, to workout as often as I want to and feel able to, to swim when I have time and to catch up with friends and family before baby comes along. In all honestly, it’s a peaceful time and I love it!

Daily activity 

I’m hitting 10,000 steps a day, walking the dog once or twice a day most days, and swimming for about an hour once a week. I keep doing my pelvic floor exercises every day too! Early mornings feel good again and generally I’m more active with day-to-day errands and social events than during the rest of the pregnancy.