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Squats During Pregnancy: 5 Safe Exercises To Do And Guidelines To Follow

Squats During Pregnancy: 5 Safe Exercises To Do And Guidelines To Follow

24 Apr 2023 | 6 min Read

Sudeshna Chakravarti

Author | 799 Articles

Performing squats during pregnancy can be beneficial for both you and your baby. This simple movement helps strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and also keeps your body toned. In addition to this, squats also help improve your hip mobility and blood circulation, thereby preparing your body for childbirth and labour.

Read on as we tell you more about the benefits of doing squats during pregnancy, exercises to incorporate into your workout regime, and safety guidelines to follow.

Is It Safe To Do Squats During Pregnancy?

Yes, you can safely perform squats during pregnancy. In fact, squats are one of the best prenatal exercises that keep you healthy and energised during pregnancy, provided you don’t indulge in strenuous workouts and overdo them.

You can continue this exercise throughout, to ensure a healthy pregnancy. However, we recommend you check with your healthcare provider before doing squats, or any exercise routine during pregnancy.

Benefits Of Squats During Pregnancy

Squats help reduce bodily discomforts and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles / Image credit: Freepik

Let’s look at some of the ways squats benefit you and your growing baby.

It strengthens your glute muscles: Squats strengthen your glute and back muscles and maintain the shape of your bottom.
It alleviates lower back pain: Squatting helps stretch your lower back areas, which further relieves lower back aches during pregnancy.
It prevents constipation: Constipation is a common concern experienced by many women near the end of their pregnancy. Squats encourage the normal functioning of your digestive system and aid in relieving flatulence and constipation.
It strengthens your leg muscles: Doing squats during your third trimester helps strengthen your leg muscles. Having strong legs help in labour, and the final push while giving birth.
It strengthens your pelvic floor muscles: Squats also lower the pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, thereby strengthening them and preparing them for childbirth.
It maintains the centre of gravity of your body: Squatting during pregnancy can also help maintain the centre of gravity of your body, which tends to shift during pregnancy.
It prepares your body for childbirth: Certain squatting positions can help you cope with contractions during labour. These exercises also facilitate the expansion of your birth canal, thus encouraging an easy descent of your baby. You can also perform squats to relax your perineal muscles.

5 Safe Squatting exercises To Perform During Pregnancy

Make sure to consult your doctor before adding squats to your pregnancy exercise regime / Image credit: Freepik

Simple Squats

This is one of the easiest squats during pregnancy and does not require any kind of equipment. Simple squats help reduce or prevent the pain and discomfort in your lower back area.

How to do:

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Turn your feet in an outward position to maintain balance.
Bring your arms in front of you, and press your palms together.
Slowly bend your legs to get into a deep squatting position.
Press your knees with your palms to make space for your tummy. Now slightly bend forward, while maintaining your balance.
Hold this position until you feel comfortable.

Sumo Squats

This exercise helps target the inner muscles of your thighs and glutes and also helps open up your hips to prepare for labour and childbirth.

How to do:

Stand straight while keeping your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Make sure that your toes are pointing outward, and your knees are in line with your toes.
Now lower yourself to get into the squat position. Go as far as you are comfortable.
Ensure that your knees are not caved in toward each other.
Repeat this exercise 5-10 times.

Dumbbell Squats

This exercise helps strengthen your glute and leg muscles, and also tones your body, and maintains the shape of your bottom.

How to do:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Take dumbbells on each hand and stretch your arms towards the front. You can do this exercise by holding a single dumbbell as well.
Lower yourself to get into the squat position, while keeping your back straight and your knees in line with your toes.
Return to the normal position by squeezing your glute muscles up.
Repeat this exercise 5-10 times.

Squatting With An Exercise Ball

Always perform squats under the guidance of a trainer or your family members / Image credit: Freepik

You can do this exercise against the wall. It helps strengthen your core muscles and also helps maintain good posture during pregnancy.

How to do:

Stand straight and keep your back erect against a wall.
Keep an exercise ball between your lower back and the wall.
Stretch out your arms in front, and lower yourself as far as comfortable.
To prevent pressure on your knees, stretch your feet far enough to maintain a 90-degree angle.
Return to the original position slowly, and repeat this exercise 5-10 times.

Chair Squats

Better known as half-chair squats, this exercise is ideal for women who are not comfortable with regular squats during pregnancy.

How to do:

Stand straight with your shoulder and feet width apart.
Sit back into a chair and rest your bottom for 1-2 seconds.
Return to the original position slowly using your glute muscles.
Once you are comfortable, increase the duration of holding from 15 seconds to 2o or 30 seconds.
Repeat multiple times or as long as you are comfortable.

Safety Guidelines To Follow While Doing Squats During Pregnancy

During the third and third trimesters, lower the intensity of squats as with your growing tummy, you may find it difficult to continue this exercise.
Make sure somebody is there to guide you and maintain your balance while you are doing squats.
Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes to prevent excess sweating or overheating while squatting.
Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated while exercising.
Avoid overdoing the exercises, and if you feel exhausted, slow down the activity.
Wear anti-skid shoes to prevent any kind of injury while exercising and prevent disbalance.
Avoid exercising right after having your meal. Maintain a gap of an hour or two before exercising.

Conclusion

Doing squats during pregnancy is considered highly beneficial as it strengthens your lower body, tones muscles, and also prepares you for labour and childbirth. You can safely do the exercises that we have discussed above; however, only indulge in workouts if you are comfortable. Also, always consult your doctor before adding any kind of workout to your pregnancy exercise regime to maintain your and your baby’s health.