7 Reasons To Follow A Structured Exercise Program During Your Pregnancy
Having a workout plan designed by a trusted trainer can help you move with confidence from bump through to birth.
March 26, 2025 - Updated March 26, 2025
When it comes to exercising during pregnancy, there are plenty of benefits for both mother and baby. From preparing your body for labour to reducing back and pelvic pain and improving your postpartum recovery, if you’ve been cleared by your healthcare provider to stay active, finding a way to move your body should be part of your pregnancy routine.
So, your doctor has given you the green light to exercise and it’s something you feel up to. Now what? Pregnancy is a complicated and confusing time - mentally and physically. Throughout each trimester you may be dealing with symptoms like fatigue and nausea, adjusting to the new aches and pains that may come with your changing body, or feeling overwhelmed by the all the advice that’s targeted at expectant mums. It truly can be so hard to know where to start when trying to find functional, feel-good movement that will support you throughout each trimester.
Enter: the Sweat app. We’re the first to recommend the benefits of following a structured workout program at any stage of life, but know just how important a pregnancy workout plan is in order to move with confidence during this exciting chapter of life. That’s why we’ve got four unique pregnancy programs from leading personal trainers who not only have pre and postnatal training qualifications under their belt, but who know first-hand just how important a structured program is during pregnancy.
Take the guesswork out of your routine
One of the many benefits of following a structured pregnancy program? All of the hard work (well, beyond completing the actual workouts!) has been done for you by a trained professional.
Sweat’s pregnancy programs have been designed by Kayla Itsines, Sarah Smith, Kelsey Wells and Britany Williams, four trusted personal trainers with prenatal qualifications who are mothers themselves. Their programs have been designed to help elevate your training and make it easier for you to show up and Sweat.
That means no time spent planning out a pregnancy-friendly workout, wondering what movements are appropriate for how far along you are and how best to structure your session, but simply opening up the Sweat app to see your training options for the week and hitting that “Start Workout” button.
Your pregnancy, your pace
Don’t forget, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to exercise during pregnancy. Have three weekly workouts available in your program but only feeling up to completing one? Prefer to opt for some gentle walks over your structured sessions this week? That’s totally fine. Your weekly workouts are simply an optional guide and we recommend taking exercise during your pregnancy at your own pace.
Every woman - and every pregnancy - is so unique, and you might find your relationship with exercise completely transformed by your pregnancy.
“It’s absolutely okay to scale back your training during pregnancy,” says Britany, whose approach to working out changed significantly after finding out she was pregnant. “During the first trimester, I rarely had the energy to work out for more than 30 minutes.”
It’s a sentiment that Sarah backs up, sharing that she found the start of both of her pregnancies incredibly tough, and needed to take her routine back to basics until her exhaustion and morning sickness subsided.
Feel confident in your training
Once your healthcare provider has given you the green light to participate in one of Sweat’s pregnancy programs, you’ll need to make sure your pregnancy settings are turned on in the Sweat app.
You can do this by tapping on your avatar in the top right-hand corner of the app. Then, select “My Profile” and scroll down to where it says “Pregnant”. Here, you can indicate your pregnancy status and let us know how many weeks into your pregnancy you are. We’ll then use this information to make sure we’re providing you with pregnancy-friendly workouts that suit how far along you are.
New to Sweat? We’ll ask if you’re pregnant when you first open the app and recommend you select “Stay active while pregnant” as your goal.
Every trimester is different
In Pregnancy with Kayla, Pregnancy with Sarah, Pregnancy with Kelsey and Pregnancy Barre with Britany you’ll find unique low-impact workouts that are tailored to each trimester with your growing bump in mind to help you maintain your strength, fitness and general health.
We know that how you train at six weeks pregnant is very different to how you’ll want to approach the final weeks of your pregnancy, so we use pregnancy settings in the Sweat app to make sure your place in your chosen program aligns with where you are in your pregnancy.
As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll find certain movements (such as those which involve you lying flat on your back!) are no longer recommended, which is why it’s so important to start your Sweat program at the right week.
Enjoy a well-rounded approach
These programs are all designed to be completed at home or in a gym using your bodyweight or minimal equipment such as dumbbells and resistance bands. Having experienced the highs and lows of their own pregnancy journeys, our trainers know that working out during pregnancy is all about finding what works best for you, and they want to empower you to feel confident training anywhere, anytime.
“During my first pregnancy, all I wanted was a program I would feel comfortable doing and I didn’t have one. I found it so difficult to navigate my own workouts,” says Kayla, reflecting on how tough she found approaching exercise during her first pregnancy with daughter, Arna, ultimately inspiring her to create the program she followed during her pregnancy with son Jax.
“After Arna was born, I wanted to create a program that would support women to feel strong and stay active during pregnancy.”
Connect with your trainer
One of the benefits of following a structured program? Being able to connect with your trainer and dive deeper into their own pregnancy journey. Why not follow the Sweat trainers on Instagram to see what they’re up to now or scroll through their archives to learn more about their own pregnancy.
Sarah Smith is Sweat’s dedicated pre and postnatal trainer, and has plenty of advice up her sleeves for expecting and new mums on the Sweat blog. From tailored advice for each trimester to her wellness fundamentals and dealing with lower back pain, Sarah has so much workout wisdom to share with the Sweat Community.
Return to fitness after pregnancy
Once you’ve found a pregnancy program you love, you might be wondering how to return to exercise after giving birth. Once you have clearance from your healthcare provider to start exercising again, we recommend taking things slowly and at your own pace with a progressive program designed with postpartum women in mind.
Kayla, Sarah, Kelsey and Britany each have post-pregnancy training options available in the Sweat app which take a gradual approach to help strengthen your body after giving birth (whether you deliver vaginally or have a caesarean), with each focusing on the common concerns women face after pregnancy.
Start your pregnancy journey with the Sweat app
Ready to grow strong with one of Sweat’s four pregnancy programs? Start your 7-day free trial and discover just how good it feels to move with confidence today.
Amy is a writer and editor at Sweat. She has over a decade of experience in women’s publishing and digital media and has previously worked across titles including Mamamia, Grazia and Cosmopolitan.
* Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. Sweat assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article.
Disclaimer: Although exercise during and after pregnancy has been associated with multiple health benefits, you should consult with and obtain permission from your physician or other healthcare provider before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for you, especially while pregnant and in the months following your pregnancy. Not all exercise is suitable for everyone or every pregnancy and exercises, including those contained in this article, may result in injury. Do not start this fitness program if your physician or healthcare provider advises against it. This article is for informational purposes only. Any instruction, information, or guidance contained in this article is not a substitute for medical advice, consultation, and/or medical treatment from your doctor or healthcare provider. Do not delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of any instruction, information or guidance contained in this article. You are responsible for your own safety and are participating in this fitness activity at your own risk. Start slowly and do not exceed the exercise recommended by your physician or health care provider. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain, discomfort, bleeding, or shortness of breath at any time while exercising, stop immediately and seek medical advice.
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