Strong Mums

Strength for the carrying months — steady, supported, and adapted week by week to the person in front of you

Strength & conditioning
Prenatal · cleared to exercise
45 min
Works for 4–12
1 instructor
Effort 2/5
Cool, ventilated studio floor
prenatal
strength
special-population
low-impact
small-group

The ClassPlans programming teamLevel 3 group-fitness qualified · 10+ yrs teaching

Kit: Mats, light dumbbells (1–5kg), a sturdy chair and clear wall space per member, water within reach of every mat, cushions or a wedge for anyone who wants an incline.

Warm-up8 min

Check In & Warm Through

RPE 2–3 — conversational throughout

Setup: Before anyone trains: every member has told you they are cleared to exercise by their midwife or GP, and you know roughly how far along each person is — write it down, it changes weekly what you offer them. This plan's standing rules: no lying flat on the back after 16 weeks (incline or side-lying instead), no breath-holding, no deep twists through the bump, no jumping, no exercising in a hot room, and effort capped at conversational — the talk test runs the whole class. Say the stop-and-seek-advice list out loud at least monthly and mean it: dizziness, headache, chest pain, calf pain or swelling, any bleeding or fluid loss, regular painful tightenings, or the baby moving less than usual — stop, sit, and we call the midwife, not push through. Room cool, water beside every mat.

How it works: Open with the weekly round: each member says how this week has actually been — sleep, pelvis, energy — and you adjust tonight's offers per person from what you hear. Then warm through standing: shoulder rolls, gentle side reaches beside the bump rather than across it, hip circles with hands on the chair back, ankle pumps, and two minutes of easy marching with relaxed breathing. Nothing quick, nothing bouncy — pregnancy hormones loosen the joints, so ranges stay modest even for the very flexible.

What to say

“Chat to me the whole way through — the day you can't hold a sentence is the day we ease off.”
“Joints are looser than usual right now, so we stretch to comfortable, never to impressive.”
“Anything on the stop list — dizzy, pain, bleeding, baby quieter than usual — you sit down and tell me straight away.”
“This class meets you where this week finds you — last week's version of you is not required.”

Easier

Whole warm-up seated on the chair; halve the marching.

Harder

Marching arms swing bigger — that is as hard as warm-ups get here.

Workout11 min

Strength for the Carrying Months

3 rounds × 4 moves × [40s work / 30s rest]RPE 4–5, talk test always

Setup: Each member at her own mat-chair-wall station; nobody rotates. Four moves demoed with their positional ladders: squat to the chair (widen the stance as the bump grows), incline push-up on the wall or chair back — never the floor from mid-pregnancy unless she's comfortable, single-arm row braced on the chair, and a standing hip hinge to a gentle range. Teach the golden breath rule before the first rep: exhale on the effort, every rep, no breath-holding ever.

How it works: Three unhurried rounds of 40 seconds work, 30 seconds rest — the long rests are the programme, not a compromise. Loads stay light-to-moderate; the aim is maintaining strength for a body that is already strength-training around the clock. Walk the room every round and offer the next rung down before anyone needs it: wider squat stance, higher incline, lighter bell, or the seated version. Watch every rep for a breath-hold and coach it out gently — 'blow the weight away'.

Common mistakes

Holding the breath at the sticky point of a rep — cue the exhale before the rep, not after you spot it.
Treating the class as a fitness test after a good week — the ceiling stays conversational even on great days.

What to say

“Blow the effort out — exhale as you stand, as you push, as you pull. Every rep.”
“Wide, comfortable stance on squats — make room for the passenger.”
“The wall push-up is the full exercise — the floor hasn't earned you and doesn't need to.”
“Strong is the goal, breathless is the boundary — finish every set able to tell me about your weekend.”

Easier

All four moves from the chair or wall; two rounds instead of three; bells down or away.

Harder

Harder here means slower, never heavier or breath-held: 3-second lowers on squats and rows for anyone feeling great this week.

Workout10 min

Carries, Presses & the Long Game

RPE 4

Setup: A short, clear carry lane along the wall — five metres is plenty — plus each member's station. Frame the block honestly: this is rehearsal for the fourth trimester, when a car seat, a buggy and a small person get carried up stairs all day.

How it works: Rotate through three jobs at their own pace, twice each: a suitcase carry along the lane with a light bell and the tallest posture in the building, a standing dumbbell press at half range with the exhale leading every push, and a wall lean-and-breathe — forearms on the wall, back long, three slow breaths into the ribs. No clock pressure; each mum moves when ready. Anyone with pelvic girdle pain skips the carry and doubles the wall breathing — offer it quietly, before she has to ask.

Rounds: 2 easy laps of 3 jobs, self-paced

What to say

“Carry like the bell is a sleeping baby and you refuse to wake it — tall, smooth, unhurried.”
“Press only as high as feels easy today — half range with a good exhale beats full range with a held breath.”
“Ribs soft over hips, shoulders heavy — let the wall take you for three breaths.”
“If anything pinches through the pelvis on the walk, we swap it out tonight — no negotiating with pinches.”

Easier

Carry becomes a tall stand-and-hold on the spot; presses seated on the chair.

Harder

One extra lap of the lane at the same weight — distance before load, always.

The rest of this class plan is free — along with 3 more this week.

ClassPlans programming team

Free on ClassPlans — new class plans weekly.