Best Pregnancy Exercise

The bilateral back extension exercise is one of the BEST Busy Mom exercises for pregnancy and a new mom. Yes it's origin is rehabilitative in nature, but why is it so important for you. From a 4 point kneel you are cued to lift up one of your back legs straight out by contracting your glut muscle- you are not to let your pelvis drop or shift during this leg lift and your abdominals need to be tight for your pelvis to be held steady. This is step one and testing if you are able to hold your 3 point stance working on your pillar and anti-rotation muscles in your core to hold your pelvis steady. Next (or is you are advance you can lift arm and glut simultaneously) lift your opposite arm straight out in front of you, trying to get your arm in line with your ear, but again not letting your pelvis drop or rotate. You are now in a 2 point stance. This is beneficial because your anti-rotator muscles are firing (increasing lumbar stability), your glut medius of the pillar leg is working, your glut max muscle of the suspended leg is firing, your shoulder stability muscles are firing of your support arm and your core and back muscles are firing of the extended arm. This is a lot of bang for your buck- highly efficient exercise, perfect for busy moms. Many athletes use this 1-2 x per week in their dynamic warmup program so everything is firing for performance. For a new mom and for a a pregnancy exercise this should be part of your regular routine as you are overcoming changes in your body. During pregnancy your hips are widening making your glut medius less effective, you lumbar spine is mobilizing in the joints due to relaxin and your belly is expanding putting your pelvis into anterior tilt. The pregnancy waddle or gait associated with late pregnancy is inevitable. Performing the bilateral back extension will help prevent discomfort from joint instability and pregnancy posture. You can learn how to manage your new changing body by firing your muscles to help prevent loss of balance and aid in recovery.

During Pregnancy Fitness Routine the Key Reasons For performing the Bilateral Back Extension are;

1. Manage lumbar instability that can lead to discomfort

2. Fire your abdominals at their new changing lengths for aid in daily activities and recovery after baby is born

3. Shoulder stability

For a NEW MOM regaining lumbar stability is mandatory. You are now carrying around a baby, your body is constantly changing shape and you are under physical stress from sleep deprivation and delivery recovery. The main goals of performing the bilateral back extension for a new mom is to

1. Retrain deep abdominal muscle firing and anti rotational muscles ( the true function of the abdominals)

2. Strengthening your glut muscles for pelvic stability to avoid lifting with your back instead of legs

3. Stabilizing the shoulders by horizontal pressing and vertical lifting

Like mentioned earlier once you go through your pregnancy fitness and recovery new mom fitness this exercise is a great warm up for any routine. It is commonly performed incorrectly as people allow there belly to sag, pelvis to rotate and lift their back leg with their back not by firing their glut. Be aware of these when you perform this exercise.

Pregnancy Posture-Interview

I am conducting an ongoing interview with pregnancy posture expert Dr. Erica Ainswoth. Dr. A. is a personal trainer and has a successful chiropractic practise in Toronto. Stay tuned for more posts. Please direct any questions through the comments section of this blog and I will address them.

I will be off the computer for a week, enjoy this first edition of an ongoing interview with Dr. Ainsworth.

Interview PREGNANCY POSTURE

Question-BabyBumpFit- Hi Erica, please to have you here. Let's start talking about pregnancy posture. Can you give us a brief description of it and what are the most common issues you see related to this?

Answer- by Dr. A
As any pregnant woman will tell you - your body changes in many ways throughout pregnancy. Your posture is not an exception. With the added weight gain and loosening of the ligaments the natural curves of the spine are accentuated.

What do these changes look like? - a sway back position is common where the low back is more arched than usual and the feet are turned out (pregnancy "waddle"). Other common changes include rounding of the upper back and shoulders with the head poked forward. These changes are necessary to make room for the baby however, they can also cause strain on the joints, ligaments and muscles in the body. Not surprisingly, the neck, mid and lower back are also the areas that I see the most injured pre and post natally.


. HORMONAL – Increase ligament laxity due to the release of relaxin. The hormone peaks in the first trimester. Relaxin promotes widening and increased flexibility of the pelvic joints (symphysis pubis in the front and the sacro-iliac joint in the back of the pelvis) which help to facilitate delivery. The increased flexibility also allows joints to misalign more easily.
· BIOMECHANICAL – Postural changes result from an increased weight gain causing the center of gravity to shift forward. The spine alters itself to accommodate this change causing strain on the joints, ligaments and muscles (Ie: pelvis tips forward, sway back, pelvis flares outward)
· WEAK ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
· BIOMECHANICAL – The mid-back and neck compensate for the postural changes in the low back and pelvis (Ie: rounding of the upper back and shoulders, and a forward head position with loss of curvature in the neck)
· POOR POSTURAL HABITS – Increased breast size results in the shoulders rolling forwards

BabyBumpFit- Thanks Erica, great start to our ongoing interview series. Dr.A can be reached at drainsworth@theurbanathlete.ca .