I’ve been training with Lena Habash at BFit Biscayne for some weeks now. At six months pregnant it’s been highly informative and comforting to train with an expert who understands the fitness needs for a pregnant body. She has pushed me, when all I want is to use my pregnancy as an excuse for laziness, but also keeps my safety as the utmost importance.At my last session, we focused on movement. We kicked off with squats and a one-armed press combo. It was early morning, and the gym wasn’t yet filled with the noises of fitness fanatics. This near silence made it even more obvious, that when I squat, there is a loud, cracking noise coming from my knees and ankles. Embarrassingly, I explained the cracking has been happening for years.After asking me to remove my shoes and squat again, she noticed my very flat feet with pronation. She had me concentrate on standing more rolled out, or pushing through to the outside of my foot, rather than letting my foot fall naturally inwards.As I squatted with that new stance, the cracking noticeably diminished. I was amazed. Although I felt a slight strain in my shins, I was reassured that it was most likely because those muscles don’t get used frequently due to my compensated stance. It would take time to build up their use. After a round of various squat and lunge exercises with my new positioning, it was becoming less of an awkward feeling. However, I would need to be mindful in order to make it natural.Many fitness enthusiasts go through workouts either unaware of the true impact poor form has on their body, or settle for body aches, pains, and noises, because that’s just the way it has always been. I was amazed how this tiny shift affected so much. It was a good reminder why form in exercise is so important.Lena’s advice when it comes to form is to:
- Become aware of your movement.
- Control your movement, don’t let it control you.
- With attention to detail, movement patterns will positively impact life no matter where you are starting from.
Lena also had me do single arm rows, bent over on a bench. Asking me, as she does, "how does that feel after a few reps." I told her I was feeling it more in my triceps. Although these do work the whole arm, where she really wanted me to be feeling it was my upper back, shoulder blade and bicep.Once again, she adjusted my position, moving my standing leg away from the bench and moving my kneeling leg back to allow me to properly position my hip. She then had me visualize rowing into my hip versus into the crevasse of my arm. These slight changes made all the difference. I could feel my back and biceps working.Slight movement changes like these can shift so much, from training an unintended muscle to the correct one, to avoiding unnecessary injury.Lena is a trainer at BFit Training Studios with a Master’s in Strength and Conditioning. For more information on her training philosophy visit BFit, or follow Lena @habashkii. And for more tips on safe fitness during pregnancy read our article, 10 Tips for Working Out During Pregnancy.
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