Continuing Education Courses Developed for Fitness Professionals 

Pilates instructors who complete the Pilates Through Pregnancy Fundamentals, The Post Partum Client, and Advanced Prenatal Concepts on the Equipment have the option to become certified as either a Prenatal Mat Instructor or Prenatal Comprehensive Instructor. For more details on the certification program click here. 

In this two-day mat seminar, students will learn the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy.  We will discuss the musculoskeletal changes that occur and how the growing fetus affects a client's center of gravity and posture.  We will review the impacts of pregnancy on muscle length and skeletal alignment throughout the body, and we will go into depth into the role of the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles and how they are affected by pregnancy and birth.  We will clarify the contraindications and precautions of working with this unique population and discuss ideal positions and important components of exercise during pregnancy.  We will review appropriate exercises to support the changing pregnant body.  Upon completion of the course, instructors will be able to design and implement a safe exercise program for pregnant client integrating the course material.

In this one-day seminar, we will discuss how the fitness instructor should approach working with this unique population.  We will assess how the musculoskeletal changes of pregnancy affect clients and discuss the goals of postpartum rehabilitation in its progression.  Guidelines for abdominal strengthening will be presented along with in depth instruction on evaluation and management of diastasis recti issues.  We will discuss common postpartum pain syndromes and learn basic manual therapy techniques and supportive exercises to help clients deal with these concerns.  We will also discuss proper body mechanics for baby care to help clients prevent injuries.  By the completion of the course, fitness professionals will be able to design a safe and effective exercise program for the postpartum client.

In this one day workshop, we will review the goals for designing a mat program for the prenatal client and then apply those concepts to exercises using the stability ball, the foam roller and therabands.  We will practice the palpation technique for checking the diastasis recti and go over precautions for this population.  We will also review the causes of pelvic pain during pregnancy and discuss techniques to help pregnant clients manage pain using exercise strategies.  Students will then integrate the concepts and create a mat class using all the available knowledge.  The class will end with a master class taught by Deb to experience a prenatal program using the stability tools.  Students will come away with an expanded mat repertoire utilizing the props and a deeper understanding of how to design a workout for the prenatal client.

In this workshop, we will take the concepts learned in Pilates Through Pregnancy Fundaments and apply them to exercise training using the reformer, chair, and tower.  Participants in this class will solidify their understanding of the goals of exercise during pregnancy and further expand their exercise repertoire.