Sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross is six months pregnant, expecting her first child with husband, former NFL star Aaron Ross. And while most would take it easy during their first pregnancy, the 32-year-old is an athlete. Richards-Ross has been preparing for childbirth in the same way she prepares for a race — training.
“The trick to [working out while pregnant] is to make time for it,” Richards-Ross told PEOPLE. “The first trimester is the toughest and I struggled with feeling overly fatigued and sleeping all the time, but now that I am well on my way, I’ve found my groove and getting my workouts in has been fun again.”
And the fact that her husband, whom she calls her “accountability partner,” works out with her helps a lot.
Richards-Ross tries to avoid moves that require too much of her abdominal muscles and that are high impact. Instead, she’s been opting for long walks on the treadmill, exercise bikes and elliptical machines. As for strength training, Richards-Ross said, “I do still weight train, but avoid anything that puts too much strain on my core.” She continued, “I squat, lunge, light bench press, shoulder press, standing hamstring curls on the machine, bicep curls and lateral pull downs.”
Richards-Ross is hoping that by going hard and light at the same time with her fitness routine, she’ll be able to combat going overboard with the inevitable pregnancy weight gain and have a smooth delivery.
“It gives me energy and is the perfect balance to the additional eating and cravings,” Richards-Ross said. “Although I’m not training nearly as hard, I feel that my body is very responsive to the workouts I do.”
Richards-Ross is due to deliver in August. “I also hope that it will make my delivery as easy as my pregnancy has been!”
Image via WENN
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