Pregnancy workout plan: trimester by trimester

How hard: the talk testStrong evidence

Walk, swim or cycle at a pace where you can talk but not sing. For strength sets, aim for an effort that feels "somewhat hard", about 13 to 14 on a 6 to 20 scale of how hard it feels, and stop each set 2 to 3 reps short of failure.

Heart-rate responses to exercise vary in pregnancy, blunted in some women and normal in others, so the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says how hard it feels may be a better guide than heart rate. This plan doesn't use a heart-rate limit: use the talk test and how hard it feels.

Sources 1, 2, 3

Check with your midwife or GP firstStrong evidence

Tell your midwife or GP what you plan to do. The Canadian guideline lists reasons not to do strenuous exercise, while carrying on with everyday activity: your waters have broken, premature labour, unexplained bleeding that persists, a low-lying placenta (placenta praevia) after 28 weeks, pre-eclampsia, a weak cervix, a baby who isn't growing as expected, triplets or more, type 1 diabetes, high blood pressure or thyroid disease that isn't controlled, or another serious heart, lung or whole-body condition.

It lists reasons to talk it through first before moderate or vigorous exercise: repeated miscarriages, high blood pressure that started in pregnancy, an earlier spontaneous premature birth, mild or moderate heart or lung disease, anaemia with symptoms, malnutrition or an eating disorder, twins after 28 weeks, or another significant condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises specialist supervision if you plan to compete or exercise well above the guidelines.

Sources 3, 4, 5

Stop and get helpStrong evidence

Stop exercising and call your midwife or maternity unit if you have bleeding from the vagina, tummy pain, regular painful contractions, fluid leaking from the vagina, breathlessness before you start, dizziness, a headache, chest pain, muscle weakness that affects your balance, or pain or swelling in your calf.

Exercising or not, get help straight away for a change in your baby's movements, sudden swelling of your face, hands, legs or feet, a severe headache or sudden blurred vision or flashing lights, breathlessness that comes on suddenly or when you lie down, or a temperature of 38°C or above. Before 12 weeks, call your GP surgery or early pregnancy unit; from 12 to 19 weeks, your midwife or early pregnancy unit; from 20 weeks, your midwife or maternity unit. The NHS says to call 111 if you're not sure what to do or services are closed, and always to call 999 if you think it's a life-threatening emergency.

With back pain, call 999 or go to A&E if you lose feeling in one or both legs, your bottom or your genitals. In the US, call your doctor or midwife, and 911 for an emergency such as sudden breathlessness or chest pain, which can be signs of a blood clot in the lung.

Sources 1, 2, 6, 7, 8

How the week changes by trimesterStrong evidence

First trimester: keep doing what you did, or start gently, and avoid getting too hot. From the end of the first trimester, nothing in this plan has you lying flat on your back, and contact sports and activities with a high risk of falling are out. In the third trimester it's natural to slow down: lighter weights, smaller ranges, a hand on a support, and swimming or a static bike if walking gets uncomfortable.

These changes come from WHO, the NHS, ACOG, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expert group and the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy network (POGP); exactly how much to cut back in the third trimester is our editorial choice.

Sources 5, 3, 9, 2, 10

Choosing your weights and building upEmerging evidence

Pick light dumbbells or a band you could lift about 15 times, do 10 to 12, and stop with 2 to 3 reps to spare; in your first two weeks, and whenever a move is new, stop with 3 or 4 to spare. In the first and second trimesters, add a little weight when every set reaches 12 with 2 to 3 reps to spare. In the third, keep the weights or go lighter.

The dose, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 with 60 to 90 seconds' rest, comes from a 2026 trial. Most studies used light to moderate weights, and a review of 117 studies found that only 38% reported the load and 67% the number of sets, so these are cautious starting points, not tested limits. How fast to build up is our editorial choice.

Sources 11, 12, 13

Bad days and missed weeks

Tired, sick or short of time? Walk or rest: the UK guidance says every activity counts and every minute counts, so a short walk or one strength session is still worth doing. Tiredness is common, especially in the first 12 weeks, and the NHS says it won't harm you or your baby; rest when you need to. Missed a week or more? Restart at the previous phase's dose (our suggestion).

Sources 14, 15

Safe for you and your babyStrong evidence

In a pregnancy without complications, exercise is safe and recommended by WHO, the UK Chief Medical Officers, the NHS and ACOG. In pooled studies it wasn't linked with miscarriage (23 studies, 7,125 women) or with stillbirth or newborn death, though that evidence is of very low quality and most studies tested up to 60 minutes of moderate exercise. It didn't make premature or small babies more likely, and it lowered the odds of a baby over 4 kg by 39%.

Sources 5, 14, 3, 1, 16, 17

How much: 150 minutes, and strength twice a weekStrong evidence

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as 30 minutes on 5 days, spread over at least 3 days, plus muscle-strengthening activity twice a week. Ten-minute bouts count, and if you can't manage it all, do what you can.

This plan's walks add up to about 130 to 145 minutes a week; a short walk on Wednesday or Sunday takes you to 150. The strength, Pilates and yoga sessions come on top.

Sources 14, 3, 4, 2

What it does for youStrong evidence

In trials, exercise on its own lowered the odds of gestational diabetes by about 38% and pre-eclampsia by about 41%, and about 140 minutes a week of brisk walking or similar was linked with at least a quarter lower risk. It cut the odds of depression in pregnancy by about two-thirds, reduced weight gain by about 1 kg, and lowered the odds of a forceps or ventouse delivery by about a quarter. It didn't change the chance of a caesarean or the length of labour. The evidence is strongest for gestational diabetes.

Sources 18, 19, 20, 21

Strength training in pregnancyEmerging evidence

Across 50 studies, programmes that included strength training lowered the odds of high blood pressure in pregnancy, gestational diabetes and mood problems around the birth, with no sign of harm; most also included aerobic exercise, and the weights were generally light to moderate. In a 2026 trial of 209 women, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 with bands or light weights, from 12 weeks to 36, improved quality of life with no adverse events linked to training. That's the dose this plan's strength sessions use.

ACOG lists strength training with weights or bands among the exercises studied in pregnancy and found safe and beneficial.

Sources 12, 11, 22, 1

If you already lift heavyEmerging evidence

The evidence on heavy weights in pregnancy is thin. It rests on an online survey of 679 experienced lifters who chose to take part, two-thirds of whom reported no complications, and one study of 10 women at about 26 weeks, in whom a single session of heavy squats, bench presses and deadlifts didn't change the baby's heart rate. Most trials used light to moderate weights.

If you lifted heavy before pregnancy, discuss carrying on with your midwife or doctor. ACOG suggests elite athletes consider lighter loads, and the IOC advises avoiding breath-holding and tightening the pelvic floor before and during heavy lifts. Don't start heavy lifting in pregnancy: the UK guidelines don't recommend vigorous activity for women who weren't already doing it. After the first trimester, press on an incline or seated rather than flat on your back.

Sources 23, 24, 12, 1, 10, 25, 3

Lying on your back: one practical ruleStrong evidence

From the end of the first trimester, keep moves on your back to a few minutes, or use propped-up, side-lying, all-fours, seated or standing versions, and roll onto your side if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell. This plan's sessions have no lying on your back after 12 weeks.

Guidelines differ on when this starts, from the end of the first trimester (WHO) to later in pregnancy (the NHS, ACOG and others), and the grade is for the guidance: the evidence of harm from short spells is thin. A review of 7 studies concluded there isn't enough evidence to say whether exercise on your back is safe or should be avoided.

Sources 5, 3, 26, 9, 1, 10, 4, 27

Go to sleep on your side from 28 weeksEmerging evidence

A separate question from exercise: going to sleep on your back from 28 weeks is linked with late stillbirth, about 2.6 times the odds in pooled studies, and either side appeared equally safe. The NHS says to go to sleep on your side, and not to worry if you wake up on your back.

Sources 28, 15

Keep cool and drink waterEmerging evidence

Avoid hard exercise in heat and humidity, skip hot yoga and hot Pilates, and drink water before, during and after. In 12 small studies of 347 women, no one's core temperature reached the 39°C level of concern, including during hard exercise for up to 35 minutes at 25°C, and in pooled studies exercise wasn't linked with birth defects. The studies were small, so the cautious advice stands.

Sources 5, 2, 29, 30, 31

Pelvic floor exercises every dayStrong evidence

Started in pregnancy by women without leaks, pelvic floor training cut leaking late in pregnancy by about 60% and 3 to 6 months after the birth by about 30%. Do slow holds and quick squeezes 3 times a day; the Canadian guideline says pelvic floor training may be done daily, with instruction in the right technique.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests a supervised programme from 20 weeks if your mother or sister has had pelvic floor problems, and at least 3 months of supervised training if you already leak.

Sources 32, 33, 9, 4

Back and pelvic girdle painEmerging evidence

Exercise doesn't stop back or pelvic pain in pregnancy from starting, but it makes it less severe, and an 8 to 12-week programme cut the number of women reporting it by about a third. With pelvic girdle pain, pain at the front or back of the pelvis, keep active but avoid what makes it worse: standing on one leg, moving your legs wide apart, lunges, step-ups, lots of stairs and heavy lifting. Ask your midwife or GP about physiotherapy or a support belt.

Sources 34, 35, 36, 37, 38

Running and new sportsEmerging evidence

If you ran before, you can usually carry on, slowing down or switching to brisk walking as your bump grows: in 1,293 runners, carrying on wasn't linked with earlier birth or smaller babies, though forceps or ventouse deliveries were a little more common. The NHS advises against taking up running or another vigorous sport for the first time in pregnancy.

Sources 3, 26, 39

What to avoidStrong evidence

Contact sports and anything with a high risk of falling or a blow to your bump, scuba diving, hot yoga and hot Pilates, and hard exercise at high altitude unless you live there. Don't hold your breath when you lift.

Sources 5, 2, 3, 10

Your tummy musclesEmerging evidence

A gap between the tummy muscles is common and usually normal in pregnancy, and exercise in pregnancy isn't linked with it. Nothing has been shown to prevent it. Keep training your trunk in standing, side-lying and all-fours positions, and if the middle of your tummy bulges into a ridge, make the move easier.

Sources 40, 10, 21

How to adapt it

Our suggestions, with the evidence where there is some:

• New to exercise: start with walking, swimming or a static bike, and the beginner home workout twice a week.
• Already training: keep your own programme with these swaps after the first trimester: an incline or seated press for the flat bench press, a seated leg curl for the lying one, the Pallof press, bird dog and side-lying work for crunches and sit-ups, and all-fours versions of anything done face down. Jump only if you did it before and it causes no leaking, heaviness or pelvic pain.
• Pelvic girdle pain: sit-to-stands instead of goblet squats if squatting hurts, feet hip-width, small clamshells, the one-limb bird dog, no step-ups or lunges, and shorter walks or swimming.
• Low back pain: keep active, and try the NHS all-fours back exercise, which is cat-cow without letting your back sag.
• Twins: talk to your midwife or doctor before moderate or vigorous exercise after 28 weeks.
• Gestational diabetes: ask your diabetes team how to fit exercise in and whether to check your blood sugar around sessions. ACOG notes that hard or long sessions, over about 45 minutes, can lower blood sugar, so eat enough beforehand.
• Missed a week or more: restart at the previous phase's dose.

Sources 9, 7, 4, 1