Baby on the Way? 6 Exercises for Mom-Strong Arms
Not much of a gym-goer? No problem. We think being a new mom is reason enough to strengthen your upper body during pregnancy.
Maybe you’ve never done a push up or any heavy lifting before pregnancy, but one thing’s for sure — you’re gonna need your arm strength by the time your little bundle of joy arrives!
Strengthening your arms and upper body is important for a lot of different reasons. A strong upper body can help you combat the constant downward pull of your shoulders caused by your new baby bump which might lead to poor posture and an achy upper back. A strong upper body can also give you a stronger core, help you run faster, and make cycling less impactful on your body.
If none of those get you motivated, one very real reason to build strength in your arms during pregnancy is the hours of rocking, lifting, carrying, and holding a growing baby you’ll be doing once he or she is finally here. Not only that, but as a new mom, you’re going to have a lot of lifting to do for the next few years. A toddler can weigh 19-32 pounds or more, and mommies know how much little ones love to be held.
Strengthening your arms and upper body can also lead to greater overall physical fitness, which has many benefits for pregnant women. Some of those benefits include lower risk of excess weight gain and gestational diabetes, increased chance of an easier and faster delivery, faster postpartum recovery, elevated mood, and higher energy levels.
You can enjoy these benefits with simple, in-home workouts, so we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite arm and upper body exercises you can do in your own home with a light set of hand weights. Don’t have a pair of weights handy? Try a heavy book, water bottle, or anything else you’ve got laying around. You can perform a few of these exercises on their own as you have time, or complete the whole circuit by performing one set of ten reps of each exercise.
Try our favorite upper body routine for strong, toned arms in no time:
1. Push ups: Start in a plank position, with your hands and feet shoulder width apart, keeping your body in a straight line. No lifting the booty up or tucking it under! Bend your arms at the elbows to lower your body down without touching the floor, then push your self back up until your arms are straight. Repeat 10 times. (If you’re new to fitness OR if your bump is getting in your way, you might find it easier to place your knees on the ground and perform your pushup from there.)
2. Bicep curls: With one of your weights in each hand, start with your arms hanging by your sides, with the insides of your arms facing out. Curl the weights up to your forearms, bending at the elbow, then lower back down. That’s one rep. Repeat 10 times.
3. Front raises: Start with your arms hanging directly in front of you, holding your weights, with your palms facing in. Slowly lift your arms in a straight line until they are at a 90-degree angle with your chest. Slowly lower them back down. That’s one rep. Repeat the movement 10 times
4. Incline pushups: Using the edge of a chair or coffee table, place your body in the same position as you would for a normal pushup, like we talked about in the first exercise. Hands and feet shoulder width apart, but your body will be at an angle now. Do 10 push ups.
5. Lateral raises: Start with your arms hanging beside you, weights in hand. Slowly bring your arms out until you’ve made a ‘T’ with your body. Lower back down to make one rep. Repeat 10 times.
6. Tricep extensions: Hold one weight over your head with both hands, arms straight. Lower the weight behind your head until you feel your triceps get tight. Raise your arms back up for one rep. Repeat 10 times.
Repeat the circuit three times, two to three times a week. After doing this routine for a few weeks, work your way up to three sets of 10 reps of each move, repeating the circuit three times.
Randi Thiebaud is a Nutritional Sciences graduate from Texas A&M University. When she’s not marketing for Mumberry (a new maternity activewear line of cute, comfortable clothes with built-in belly support), you can find her reading, doing yoga, or singing karaoke. She understands the difficulty and importance of living a healthy lifestyle, and loves to help educate others on how to implement healthy diet and exercise habits into their daily life. To get more diet and lifestyle tips from Randi, click on over to the Mum Blog!
Randi Thiebaud
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