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Back in July, Sweat co-founder and Head Trainer Kayla Itsines shared the news exclusively with Women’s Health UK that she was pregnant with her second child, due early 2023. Since then, she’s launched a brand new pregnancy training programme on the Sweat app and, in even better news, she’s put together an exclusive pregnancy workout just for you. As loyal WH UK readers, any expectant mums can give this 12-15 minute upper-body strength and posture session a go.

‘This workout is designed to help reduce postural issues, as well as strengthen certain muscle groups that can be weakened during pregnancy,’ Kayla tells us. ‘It’s suitable for all trimesters and all you’ll need is a pair of dumbbells. Remember that every woman’s pregnancy is individual, so be sure to talk to your GP regarding what type of exercise might be right for you. This will depend very much on your strength and fitness level prior to pregnancy.’

For Kayla, this means ‘lots of walks’ and ‘getting her steps up’ as much as she can. ‘During my first pregnancy I had morning sickness and nausea until about 26 weeks so I wasn’t able to train much at all,’ she tells us. ‘But in this pregnancy, thankfully, the nausea stopped at about week 9 and I’ve been feeling much better ever since. I’ve found that exercise not only helps me stay connected to my body during pregnancy, it also helps me prioritise my “me time” and puts me in a positive headspace.’

We know, however, that for some of you it might feel safer to stop exercising altogether than to run the risk of doing something wrong. ‘I get it,’ Kayla says. ‘It’s hard to know what you can and can’t do and the unknown can feel daunting. Each pregnancy is unique and the most important thing is that you work closely with your GP/midwife to determine what type of exercise is suitable for you. If you’re cleared to train, low-impact strength training can be a great way to maintain your general strength, health and mental wellbeing throughout pregnancy and into your postpartum journey. The best thing you can do is to work with your healthcare professional and listen to your body – no one knows your body better than you do.’

Ready to give it a go? Read on to watch Kayla’s demos of each exercise, including instructions for each.

Perform the following exercises back-to-back, and repeat the whole thing 3 times.

Perform the following exercises back-to-back, and repeat the whole thing 3 times, then take 30 secs rest.

1.Dumbbell curl and press x 15 reps

2. Dumbbell bent-over row x 12 reps

Perform the following exercises back-to-back, and repeat the whole thing 2 times, then take 30 secs rest.

1.Dumbbell lateral raise x 12 reps

2. Dumbbell overhead tricep extension x 12 reps

3. Dumbbell arnold press x 12 reps

Perform the following exercises back-to-back just the once, then take 30 secs rest.

1.Dumbbell bent-over reverse fly, 30 secs

Finished? Check out Kayla's full pregnancy programme on the Sweat app.