Gemma Atkinson's At-home Pregnancy Workout

From Women's Health

As you already know, Strictly favourite, actress and WH digital cover star Gemma Atkinson is pregnant. The author of The Ultimate Body Plan (Harper Collins, RRP £16.99) shared the news that her and her partner, dancer Gorka Marquez, will become first time parents later this year, via Instagram at the start of February.

And now, she's filling us in on how she's staying fit, whilst she's expecting.

Gemma Atkinson's at-home pregnancy fitness routine

This weekend, the Hits Radio breakfast presenter shared her adapted at-home regime: a 30 minute set of circuits of squats, bicep curls and tricep kick backs (using 3kg dumbbells) that she completes whilst wearing a Myzone heart rate monitor 'to make sure my heart rate stays in the 'safe zone' for baby and for me.'

Of the moves, the actress said: 'I’ve been cleared by my doctor, midwife and Evil Steve [her PT] to do these exercises and before even considering exercise when pregnant YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST GET THE GO AHEAD FROM PROFESSIONALS.'

'It doesn’t look like a lot and being honest, for the usual me it would have just been my warm up. For pregnant me though, it was fine 😊,' she added.

Gemma also mentioned how she likes working out for two. 'I'm actually enjoying training for my baby as apposed to just me and these simple moves, I’ve found, have become my go to when training alone at home.'

'Obviously every woman and every pregnancy is different. There may be some of you who are doing way more then this, some of you who are doing way less. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Especially when you are pregnant!'

Gemma Atkinson's pregnancy fitness at the gym

The former Hollyoak's star previously shared some videos of her adapted, scaled back workout at Manchester's UP Fitness, via her Instagram stories, at the beginning of the month.

"Bye bye 40kg barbell lunges... hello body weight lunges," she captioned one reel of her lunging up and down a gym mat.

In another, she said that she was happy to be back and training, after some time away during her very early pregnancy, whilst another showed the mum-to-be lifting a pair of 3k dumbbells.

On Sunday, the Bury native shared a snap detailing how she was heading back to the gym this week, stating in the caption: "I'm back training with Evil Steve tomorrow and I can’t wait to start swearing at him again 😂"

When it comes to pregnancy and fitness, there's a load of myths about what you can and cannot do swishing around. WH spoke to Rishi Mirpuri, a personal trainer at Ultimate Performance (where Gemma trains) and who has experience of training pregnant clients.

"A common misconception is that women can’t weight train during their pregnancy," says Mirpuri.

"That couldn’t be further from the truth. However, it is important to account for the vast amount of changes that will happen within the body over three trimesters and adjust the training regime accordingly."

"It’s always important to consult your doctor when embarking on any kind of exercise programme during pregnancy."

Training during pregnancy | Rishi Mirpuri PT's tips

"Do what you were doing previously. If you had a set gym routine before you were pregnant, keep it. Adjust the intensity of the workouts to around 60-70% of your previous sessions, and see how you feel."

"You will not be setting new personal records in the gym during your pregnancy, but you can still maintain a good level of strength throughout, so the time it takes for you to get back into things post-pregnancy is reduced significantly."

"Use this opportunity to ensure that your pregnancy goes smoothly rather than improving your body composition."

"Throughout your pregnancy, focus on exercises that keep you in an upright or 60-degree angle (incline) when performing exercises. Avoid any exercises that involve you lying down completely flat on your stomach, or any exercises that involve compression of the spine or build pressure in the abdomen region – no crunches or sit-ups."

"Focus on exercises that strengthen your back muscles, glutes and hamstrings. You’re stomach is about to get a whole lot bigger, so focusing on these muscles will help prevent/limit lower back pain."

"In first trimester training: take your time. If you need more rest, take more. Go by how you feel in terms of your energy and how out of breath you are. Aim for reps in the 12-15 rep range for most exercises."

"Second and third trimester training: you can ramp it up, slowly. You can push yourself a little bit more here. Squats can be a great exercises to strengthen your hip muscles here (adductors/glutes/pelvic floor muscles) which can be beneficial during both pregnancy and childbirth."

"You can perform the exercise using just bodyweight, or using dumbbells where the load is on the side or in front would be best."