Kathy Smith - Pregnancy Workout

There's also an excellent section on getting back up to working out postpartum, with a set of simple exercises that can be done within a day or two after delivery (and even a few stretches for the baby, which Smith demonstrates with her adorable infant daughter). Gynecological authorities appear in the video as well to give advice on prenatal exercise and to answer common postnatal questions on such topics as resuming exercise after a C-section and timing exercise around breastfeeding. The baby-block and teddy-bear graphics are a little too cutesy, and those used to working out to high-energy Top 40 hits may find the music extremely bland, but the exercise itself is always the focus, making this one of the best pregnancy workouts available. --Barrie Trinkle

The choreography is not hard to follow at all, and the moves, while not being too challenging, definately give you a workout. What I found to be especially nice is the way the video is broken down. There is a 7 minute warm up, 3 stages of aerobics, which enable you to take a drink and catch your breath, and a moderate amt of leg work, arm work, and abdominals. I do find that I skip over the relaxation part. Kathy Smith also gives you moderations to moves, in case some are too challenging.

This video is so enjoyable that my 2 year old, 4 year old, and 6 year old can, and want to, exercise with me. I find this video very motivating and I look forward to doing it every morning when I wake up. I have never felt so good about my pregnant body before. In my opinion, this video is a MUST!


The Ultimate Birth Preparation Workout   November 20, 1998
155 out of 158 found this review helpful

This video is the best childbirth preparation you can do! As an avid workout enthusiast, I wanted a video that I could safely do as my doctor advised no more jumping or step workouts after my 3rd month of pregnancy.

The Kathy Smith Pregnancy video has a low impact aerobic segment followed by a superior toning section; a postnatal mini-workout with exercises for after your baby arrives is also included. As my husband says, giving birth is a major physical event that you must train for! After doing this video religiously 3-4 times a week for the last 6 months of my pregnancy, I had a textbook labor and a wonderful delivery. I even escaped the dreaded low back pain and swollen ankles which I attribute to staying physically active with this video. I was able to utilize a lot of the moves (squats, etc.) during labor and delivered a healthy son without drugs of any kind! Because I recovered from the birth quickly, I was better able to cope with those exhausting first few weeks home with my new son. I highly recommend this video to all my pregnant friends!


Informative, and a good intermediate level workout   February 7, 2000
x (Athens, GA)
82 out of 83 found this review helpful

I am currently in my 7th month of pregnancy and I alternate my Kathy Smith tape with my Buns of Steel 8 tape (with Madeliene Lewis). Though I prefer Lewis's style a little better - she never waxes "cutesy" about pregnancy in her mannerisms or her set design - I find enough valuable elements in Smith's video to balance the parts I didn't like.

There is a break in the middle of Smith's video for a "cute pregnancy rap song" - if you can't rap along, then you are advised to slow down a bit... if you already know you aren't exerting too much, fast forward the video or hit the bathroom - but DO check your heart rate - guidelines during pregnancy ARE different and many women will find they don't feel they are working although their heart rate has passed the maximum bpm recommended by ACOG.

Smith's workout (choreographed by Madeliene Lewis) has excellent variety of movement, but with enough repetition to keep it easy to follow. The things I liked most about this video are the toning exercises at the end of the aerobics session. It has a balanced strength training for upper and lower body, as well as some excellent abdominal exercises. I also appreciated the educational section at the beginning of the video where Smith outlines the goals for fitness training in pregnancy and precautions pregnant women need to take when exercising.


Fun and informative   December 1, 1999
Susie (Boston, MA)
46 out of 46 found this review helpful

I used this tape 2-3 times a week from my 3rd month of pregnancy until a week before I delivered. I'm convinced that the workout helped me not only to sleep better and have more energy while I was pregnant, but also to push more effectively during labor and bounce back more easily afterwards. The choreography is basic, so it's easy to follow even if you're not an aerobics nut. It's also very varied, so you won't get bored. The women in the tape are all in various stages of pregnancy, and Kathy Smith uses them to demonstrate modifications to the exercises. The only part of this tape that I didn't care for was the relaxation at the end. I found Kathy Smith's voice too perky for zoning out.


Good all around workout for maintaining fitness level.   February 14, 2000
Three little seeds (Philadelphia, PA)
35 out of 39 found this review helpful

I was in excellent shape before I got pregnant and continued my regular workouts for several months into my pregnancy. I bought this video tape to help keep me excerising as my belly got bigger and I became more clumsy! I think it a pretty good tape - a bit easy for my fitness level, but it gets my heart rate up and all-in-all, is a well-rounded, safe workout for pregnant women. I do supplement this with a step workout and some additional power-walking. I'm not sure it would provide me with enough of a workout on its own. However, I can reccommend it, especially for those with a mid-lower level of fitness.