Move With Confidence And Feel Strong With Sweat’s Pregnancy Programs

If you’ve got a bub on the way and are looking for a way to move your body during your pregnancy, first of all, congratulations!

Here at Sweat, we’re over the moon to be able to support women around the world during this exciting chapter of their lives with three programs designed with pregnant women in mind.

Last year, we were so excited to announce the release of Pregnancy with Kayla and Pregnancy with Kelsey. And now, we’re bringing you more ways to move from bump through to birth with the launch of Pregnancy Barre with Britany!

So what are the differences between Sweat’s three pregnancy programs? We’ll break it down for you.

If you’ve got questions about exercising during pregnancy or are looking for tips, you can also check out our Q&A guide or tips from the Sweat Trainers here!

If you’re currently pregnant and interested in trying any of these workouts, it’s essential you receive clearance from your healthcare provider before you begin.

Sweat's pregnancy programs

“I want women to know that they can still feel good in their bodies during pregnancy and this program is about highlighting that,” says Brit. “I wrote this program while pregnant myself – after I had gone through the highs and lows (mainly lows!) of first trimester workouts.”

“I’m so excited to release a pregnancy program because I believe in the strength of women across ALL phases of life.”

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Head Trainer and mother-of-two Kayla Itsines.

“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, ” she says, reflecting on how challenging she found her first pregnancy with daughter, Arna.

“After Arna was born, I wanted to create a program that would support women to feel strong and stay active during pregnancy.”

Kelsey’s journey took her on a different path, but she shares the same excitement about being able to provide her community with a training option for such a beautiful time in their lives.

“My own fitness journey didn’t actually start until after I became a mother, but having a program as an option for their pregnancy journey is a need for so many women. For six years my community has been asking me for a prenatal program.”

Sweat’s pregnancy programs are designed to help you keep moving and feel strong from bump through to birth, but to begin one of these programs and better understand what kind of exercise is best for you and your baby, you’ll need to get the okay from your healthcare provider.

In Pregnancy with Kayla and Pregnancy with Kelsey, there are 40 weeks of 20-30 minute workouts in each program, which can be completed at home or in a gym using your bodyweight or with simple equipment such as dumbbells, a chair and resistance bands.

Pregnancy Barre with Britany can also be completed at home or in the gym, with three weeks of low-intensity barre workouts available for each trimester that you can complete and repeat as your bump grows.

Kayla, Kelsey and Brit know first-hand what it’s like to bear witness to the incredible changes your body goes through during pregnancy. Kayla followed her program during her second pregnancy while Brit’s been sharing her own fitness journey with her community as she prepares for the birth of her daughter.

You know your body best

“These programs could be suitable for someone who wants a gentle way to get active during their pregnancy or for the woman who was very active but isn’t able to continue with the type of training they are used to doing,” says Kelsey, who wants to remind every woman that YOU know your body best and these programs are simply an option. Don’t feel up to taking on a structured program? That’s totally fine!

“It’s absolutely okay to scale back your training during pregnancy,” says Brit, telling us how her workouts completely changed after finding out she was pregnant. “During the first trimester, I rarely had the energy to work out for more than 30 minutes.”

Remember, it’s important to obtain clearance from your healthcare provider before doing any exercise during pregnancy, as well as checking in regularly as your body changes throughout each trimester. 

In the Sweat app, you’ll also be asked how far along you are before you start your workouts to ensure your place in the program aligns with where you are in your pregnancy. 

“Every pregnancy and every woman’s experience is unique and different, so you definitely need to listen to your body and work with your healthcare professional,” Kayla says, having had two very different experiences of pregnancy and knowing that for some women who are expecting, rest might be what you need the most.

What can you expect?

Pregnancy with Kayla

Combining her prenatal qualifications, years of experience training women and first-hand knowledge of pregnancy, Pregnancy with Kayla is a 40–week program created by Head Trainer Kayla Itsines to help women move with confidence and continue their health and fitness journey.

Kayla has prenatal qualifications and this program is suitable for women who want to stay active or find a gentle way to move during their pregnancy with low-impact workouts.

How is the program structured?

The workouts in Pregnancy with Kayla are uniquely tailored to each trimester, so when you select the program in the Sweat app you’ll be asked to enter what week of pregnancy you’re in so you start in the right place.

Each week has a mixture of three 20-30 minute resistance sessions (Full Body, Upper Body Strength & Posture, and Lower Body), cardio sessions, recovery and rest days, all of which are optional.

This variety of sessions is designed to help you work on your strength, fitness, posture and general health from bump through to birth.

The cardio sessions are low-intensity steady-state (LISS), and you can choose low-impact cardio options such as walking, swimming or cycling during these sessions.

How are the workouts structured?

The Full Body and Lower Body sessions follow a triset, superset and circuit format, and the Upper Body Strength & Posture sessions focus on mobility, strength, endurance and posture. Some sections are rep-based while others are time-based, with all of the exercises designed for pregnant women. A warm-up and cool-down are also included before and after every resistance session.

What equipment do you need?

You can do Pregnancy with Kayla at home or in the gym with some basic equipment including:

• Dumbbells

• Chair

• Resistance band

• Recovery band

• Step

If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use your bodyweight or substitute for two safe objects of the same weight, such as bags of food, water bottles, or other household items. If you don’t have a suitable chair, use a stable, flat surface such as a bench or step instead.

Pregnancy with Kelsey

Pregnancy with Kelsey is designed to help you move with confidence as you work on your strength, fitness, posture and general health from bump through to birth.

With Kelsey’s prenatal qualifications, her years of experience as a trainer and mother, and her empowering approach to fitness, this 40-week low-impact program has been in high demand from women around the world who are looking for a gentle way to continue exercising during their pregnancy.

How is the program structured?

Because this program is uniquely tailored to each trimester, you’ll be asked to enter what week of pregnancy you’re in so you start in the right place when you select the program in the Sweat app.

Each week has a mixture of three resistance sessions (Full Body, Upper Body, and Lower Body), cardio sessions, recovery and rest days, all of which are optional.

The cardio sessions are low-intensity steady-state (LISS), and you can choose to do low-impact cardio such as walking, swimming or cycling during these sessions. The recovery sessions are focused on areas such as lower back relief, hip mobility, and upper back and neck relief.

How are the workouts structured?

Each resistance session will take around 20-30 minutes to complete and follows a superset and circuit format with exercises designed for pregnancy. Some sections are rep-based while others are time-based. A warm-up and cool-down are also included before and after every resistance session.

What equipment do you need?

You can do Pregnancy with Kelsey at home or in the gym with some basic equipment including:

• Dumbbells

• Bench

• Resistance band

• Recovery band

If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use your bodyweight or substitute for two safe objects of the same weight, such as bags of food, water bottles, or other household items. If you don’t have a suitable chair, use a stable, flat surface such as a bench or step instead.

Pregnancy Barre with Britany

Pregnancy Barre with Britany is a great way to feel strong and stay active from bump through to birth, with low-intensity barre workouts designed with your changing body in mind.

“Barre provides such a great opportunity to work on posture and alignment, which can be challenging during pregnancy,” says Brit, who is excited to include these new Pregnancy Barre workouts in her own routine before her daughter arrives.

How is the program structured?

Each trimester, you’ll have three weeks of low-intensity workouts available. You can complete and repeat these as your bump grows!

Every week, you’ll have a lower, upper and full-body barre workout based around barre exercises designed for pregnant women, as well as optional low-intensity cardio sessions.

How are the workouts structured?

Each workout will take you approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, with a focus on posture, strength and alignment.

If you’ve tried Britany’s barre workouts or programs before, you might be familiar with some of the exercises and sequences of movement. But don’t worry, Brit’s designed this program so that it’s also accessible to those who have never tried barre before.

Within each Pregnancy Barre workout, the sections are time-based (either two, four or eight minutes per section), including a warm-up and cool-down before and after each session.

What equipment is included?

You can do Pregnancy Barre with Britany at home or in the gym with some basic pieces of equipment, including:

• Chair

• Dumbbells

• Resistance band

Once you’ve been cleared to exercise following birth, Kayla and Kelsey also have postnatal programs in the Sweat app (Kayla’s Post-Pregnancy and PWR Post Pregnancy) to support you as you rebuild your strength. 

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 health care 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 health care 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.