If you’re feeling up to working out in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, we salute you. If not, we totally endorse hunkering down and relaxing as much as you can, as you’re likely to feel wiped out for a few weeks at least.

“Working out in the first trimester might be the last thing you feel like doing if you’re battling symptoms like nausea, sickness and fatigue,” agrees Ricketts. “Although it might not feel like you are pregnant physically as your bump will likely be quite small at this stage, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to make adaptions to your training. It’s important to make sure your workouts are suitable and adapted even at this early point in pregnancy – while it might not seem like it on the outside, your body is doing so much on the inside!

1. Lower body dumbbell Bulgarian split squats

“Single leg movements tend to get trickier as pregnancies progress due to balance, stability and pelvic girdle pain, so it’s great to enjoy these still in the first trimester if you’re able to,” says Ricketts.

Stand with a raised surface (such as a bench or chair) behind you and place your right foot up on it.
Play around with the positioning of the front foot. Stand far enough away from the bench that you have enough range to lower to the floor, but not so far that you end up arching your back. A few foot-lengths away is a good place to start.
Engage your core by pulling your belly button towards your spine, rolling your shoulders back and down and leaning forward slightly while maintaining a straight spine.
If you are holding light dumbbells, let your hands rest by your sides. Otherwise, place your hands on your hips.
Bend your front knee to lower your hips to the floor. Try to get your back right knee to come as close to the ground as possible.
Press through your front foot to come back up.

2. Banded bodyweight glute bridge

Using a resistance band adds a little extra to the classic glute bridge, helping you get more out of the move. As your bump grows, you won’t be able to work out on your back so much (more on this below) so take advantage now.

Lie on your back with your feet placed flat on the floor, knees pointing towards the ceiling and pushing out against the resistance band looped around the knees.
Tuck your pelvis by pushing your pubic bone to the sky, as far as is comfortable – don’t forget to modify!
Press through your heels to raise your hips off the ground, maintaining the pelvic tilt to avoid arching through the spine.
Ensure your knees push out against the resistance band.
At the top, squeeze the glutes for a few seconds before lowering to the floor.

3. High plank hold (on bench)

“You’ll also notice this core exercise is adapted to include the bench,” says Ricketts. “This is really important as although it might not seem like you have much of a bump, it’s important to adapt your core training straight away to avoid putting unnecessary strain and pressure on your abdominal muscles.”

Start in an all-four positions on the floor with your hands propped up on the bench in front of you, knees bent and stacked directly under hips.
Step one leg back at a time to come into a raised high plank position on your palms, actively squeezing heels and glutes together if you’re able to.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat for two to four sets.

PT approved pregnancy-safe workouts for each trimester to boost energy and wellbeing