Uni what? Unilateral exercises are performed when you are only using one limb at a time. These exercises can be great for functional training, to target how and where you are building strength and allows for more core activation.

 

So what does this mean for a pregnant woman?

 

Well, think about after you have the baby. You will probably hold the baby on one side, hold your diaper bag on one side, pick up things from the floor with one arm- basically performing any movement with one arm and a different movement with another. It’s possible you never really did that before and your body might not be used to it.

 

In order to help with these challenges, incorporating a unilateral, or single limb movement into your workout can be very beneficial. Take for example an overhead press. You typically lift the weights from shoulder height to overhead with both arms. Now, if you tried doing the same movement with one arm at a time it would probably feel different. This allows you to train functionally, as it prepares you for all the things you will be doing using a single hand.

 

It’s a little tricky, but there are several benefits to exercising this way. We hope that you will contact us before getting started so that we can offer guidance and suggestions with your program.


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Brent

Brent

President, Personal Training Manager at Body By Brent LLC
Brent
Brent
Brent