Introducing Prenatal Workouts On Tempo

Note: Our prenatal class series includes a wide range of movements with and without weights, and may include some exercises where you are laying on your back. Check in with your doctor before engaging with any exercise routine to find out what is safe for you and modify workouts accordingly.

Head Coach Melissa Boyd and Michelle Grabau, a mother and a mother-to-be respectively, are excited to debut Tempo’s series of prenatal classes just in time for Mother’s Day!

A true labor of love, Melissa (who is both Fit for Birth and BirthFit certified) and Michelle (who is a certified personal trainer) have spent months designing these classes meant to help the moms and expectant moms in the Tempo community continue their training during and post pregnancy.

Tempo athletes will have access to five mini-series of prenatal classes, available on-demand:

Comprised of breathing and workout prep classes that are great for pre-workout warmups, stress relief and relaxation, and combatting fatigue and nausea

Strengthen the core and pelvic floor. Treat these as add-on classes or a class to take on for active recovery on a rest day.

Full-body strength training classes that have a core and pre-natal focus. These classes are great to slot in weekly.

Use these classes to get in a good sweat, blow off some steam, and to prep for labor.

Mobility classes meant to help address and relieve aches and pains commonly associated with pregnancy.

While there is no denying the good that strength training and exercise does for any individual, there are many added benefits for expectant mothers. We sat down with Michelle, who is now in her third trimester, to learn why prenatal fitness is so important and what you can expect from these classes.

Exercise while pregnant provides numerous benefits. It can help prevent serious conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia; curb pregnancy symptoms like back pain and constipation; and promotes healthy weight gain.

A healthy workout routine will also promote a safer faster delivery with a lower chance of complications, and set you up for a speedier postpartum recovery.

You’ll also relieve stress, reduce anxiety and boost overall self confidence and mental wellbeing.

Being pregnant can be one of the loneliest times in a woman’s life. You — and your baby — are the only ones living in your body and feeling what you’re feeling. By offering a wide array of classes, and within each, options for all stages of pregnancy while sharing stories of mine and Melissa’s experiences with motherhood, there’s an indescribable bond there between us and the community.

In each class, Melissa will guide me through every exercise so that members will both have specific directions and a real-time demonstration.

Melissa and I have also structured each class to be accessible to expectant mothers at any stage of their pregnancy at varying fitness levels.

We focus a lot on correct core engagement and pelvic floor recruitment. In that way, just about anyone — pregnant or not — can actually take the classes and find value in them. You’ll learn how to focus on breathing and how to properly brace and engage your core. Something that really anyone will benefit from.

Many of the classes will also incorporate optional equipment like resistance bands and Swiss balls and all the classes will include friendly banter and funny stories. If you’ve taken Melissa’s Shape Shift program, then you know how much she loves “best friends building butts”, and now you can add babies to that list!

Yep! Please ask your doctor during your routine visit if you’re cleared to do weighted resistance and strength training and any impact exercises like running or jumping before diving into class. Once okayed, just get some guidelines from them.

Once cleared by a doctor, this series of classes will be a great way to slowly reintroduce strength and conditioning to a mother’s workout regimen. With a huge focus on core, the classes will help new moms reconnect with their pelvic floor and manage intra-abdominal pressure, which will help with diastasis recti. That’s when the “six-pack” ab muscles separate — a common occurrence during and after pregnancy that requires slow and safe repair.

I know many will want to return to your “pre-baby body", but the reality is that your body is very different than it was before.

You have the opportunity to make it even better and stronger if you do it right, and doing it wrong or too quickly may run the risk of significant, long-lasting damage. Take the time and enjoy it with your family!

When you first become pregnant, it’s all about what you can’t do. What you can’t eat, can’t drink. I hope these classes flip the script and are all about what you can do. Your body is doing amazing things and we’re celebrating that.

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Michelle and Melissa’s prenatal series is now live on Tempo. Tap on the “Classes” tab and scroll until you see the “Prenatal” collection. We hope you love them and use them as a resource for you and any mother figures in your life.

For current Tempo members looking to connect with other Tempo moms, head to our Official Facebook Community and search out the #tempomama topic that Michelle created.