The best way to train the legs is t

The best way to train the legs is to walk every day and choose exercises that mimic the various birth positions you may use in labor. Remember the principle of specificity? Use the body how it will be used in the event you are training for. In birth, you will be walking, squatting, holding staggered-stance positions, spending time kneeling or supported on all fours, and maybe even lying on your side. Make sure that your exercise choices in pregnancy prepare you for this. The lower body really takes on the bulk of the workload in labor, so it is essential to focus a lot of your training on the lower half of the body. Strength, length, and endurance are all key, so include progressions in the number of reps and the length of time to hold certain positions as well as increasing the amount of stretching and release work to keep the muscles supple and tension free.Let’s take a look at the exercises you can use to get your lower body ready for labor and motherhood. Also, remember to add in the core breath—inhale to expand then exhale to engage just before you exert the force (see chapter 6 for more about core breath). You can turn almost any exercise into a core and pelvic floor exercise by adding in the core breath!