Pregnancy Barre With Britany: Workouts For Every Trimester

Since the moment trainer Britany Williams announced her pregnancy, many women in the Sweat Community have had their fingers crossed that she would release a pregnancy program. We’ve got the news you’ve been waiting for - Pregnancy Barre with Brit is now available in the Sweat app! 

This program was designed during Brit’s own pregnancy, with her vision of helping other women who are looking for a way to stay active and feel strong from bump through to birth. 

Pregnancy Barre with Brit can be completed at home or in the gym, once you’ve obtained clearance from your healthcare professional. All you need for each workout is 20-30 minutes and a resistance band, chair and set of dumbbells. 

For each trimester, there are three weeks of low-intensity prenatal workouts, so you can pick and choose workouts at your own pace until your next trimester or repeat the entire three-week journey multiple times. The workouts are not progressive from week to week, so you don’t have to worry about completing things out of order or going backwards by switching between weeks.

After finishing each trimester of Pregnancy Barre workouts, you’ll be prompted in the Sweat app to choose between repeating the trimester, moving to the next trimester, or changing your program.

Strength at every stage

For Brit, who is known for her barre and Ignite Strength programs (along with her hilarious, positive attitude), being able to use her prenatal qualifications to offer a program for women who are expecting is such an exciting moment. And nope, you don’t need to have any prior experience with her Barre or High Intensity Barre programs to get started!

“I believe in the strength of women across all phases of life. My focus as a trainer is showing women what they are capable of and that doesn’t simply pause when a woman is pregnant. I want to help women realise they are capable of so much more than they give themselves credit for,” Brit says. 

“Fitness during pregnancy can be intimidating and full of questions and it’s my goal to help strip away that intimidation and make it fun - just like when you’re not pregnant. I want women to know they can still feel good in their bodies during pregnancy and this program is about highlighting that.” 

When Brit thinks about her fitness experience over the past few months, so much of her motivation to stay active hasn’t just been for her - it’s been for her daughter, too. Keeping her body moving has been as much for own health as it has for her baby’s, and she hopes that being a healthy role model will mean she gets to watch her daughter living her own active lifestyle in years to come.

A fresh perspective

Although she has prenatal qualifications under her belt as a trainer, going through pregnancy herself has given Brit a new perspective on movement during pregnancy. 

After going through the highs and lows of working out during her first trimester (although she laughs that it was mainly lows), she wrote her Pregnancy Barre program, knowing firsthand that unique challenges are part of the journey.

“I understand the aches and pains, the changes in energy, the body odour (who knew that I would smell so bad?), and the confusion of what to do and not do! I understand that sometimes during pregnancy the last thing you want to do is work out, and I built this program with all of that in mind. Pregnancy Barre is there to support you mentally and physically so you can feel good throughout your pregnancy, no matter what stage you’re at.”

Part of feeling supported during your pregnancy is knowing that it’s absolutely okay to scale back or pause your training, whether that’s due to the physical or mental demands of pregnancy. Brit says that while many pregnant women can exercise for a long period of time, a lot of the time they don’t want to. For that reason, one of the first things she did when designing Pregnancy Barre was to commit to shorter workouts.

Brit’s own training completely changed after finding out she was expecting, as she barely had the energy (or motivation) to exercise for more than 30 minutes. 

“I’ve taken more naps during pregnancy than I have in all of my other years of adult life combined!” she laughs.

As Brit moved into her second and third trimester, her energy came back but she then began to slow down, use lighter weights and focus more on breathwork and core control, but she knows that every woman's pregnancy is unique.

“My best advice is to focus less on the length of your workout on any given day and more on your consistency across the weeks and months. All movement is worth celebrating in pregnancy – whether it’s for 10 minutes or for an hour.”

The barre you know and love, with a few tweaks!

If you’re already a fan of Brit’s barre programs in the Sweat app, you might be wondering how Pregnancy Barre is different. The workouts are very similar, but they’re shorter, omit exercises that are difficult or unsuitable during pregnancy, and focus on exercises and sequences that will better support you and your baby. 

“Barre workouts provide such a great opportunity to work on posture and alignment which can be challenged during pregnancy,” says Brit, and she’s excited to finish the last few months of her pregnancy including workouts from Pregnancy Barre to keep her functioning at her best.

Love the sound of Pregnancy Barre with Brit and want to continue your health and fitness journey throughout your pregnancy? It’s available now exclusively in the Sweat app!