Serena Williams Reveals Her Intense Circuit-Style 8-Month Pregnancy Workout

It should come as no surprise that while Serena Williams is pregnant, she’s still completely destroying any and all workouts in her path. The woman won the Australian Open while she was pregnant; what more do you expect?

The 35-year-old tennis superstar and mom-to-be showed off her super intense workout in a new series of Snapchat videos — and we’re convinced that she can do more at eight months pregnant than most could without a growing baby in their belly.

First, Williams can be seen doing some intense medicine ball slams and squats. Fairly difficult, but not outrageous compared to what’s next: an exercise she calls “the turtle” in which she pushes a heavy sled across the gym.

Talk about brute strength! While many still think exercise is dangerous during pregnancy, experts say staying active throughout your pregnancy is actually good for you. As long as you have the green light from your doctor and you have no complications with your pregnancy, making it a point to move during pregnancy can extend the typical benefits of exercise as well as help with your pregnancy (like reducing back pain and decreasing risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and C-section delivery).

The American College of Obstreticians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends exercises like walking, swimming and stationary biking, as well as modified versions of yoga and Pilates. The ACOG also says that if you were a runner before you got pregnant, go ahead and continue to hit the pavement. Basically, as long as you’re not adding any new exercises to your fitness routine while you’re pregnant, you should be safe to exercise (Remember: Always check with your doctor!).

Exercise the ACOG recommends to avoid? Contact sports, anything where you might fall down, and exercises where you might become overheated (like hot yoga). One doctor told Women’s Health that protecting your abdomen is especially important.

“Whether or not we’re talking about Olympic or elite athletes or the average pregnant woman, all women should avoid any exercise that has an increased risk of falling or abdominal injury,” says women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D. “And everyone should check in with a health professional.”

Considering that Williams is an elite athlete and no stranger to hardcore exercises — and assuming she has the OK from her doctor — we’re guessing she’s totally fine to do ball slams and sled pushes. (But just because she can doesn’t mean you should feel pressured to copy!)

When Williams isn’t killing it in the gym, she’s making our jaws drop in her nude Vanity Fair cover. The 23-time grand-slam winner posed for the cover of Vanity Fair‘s August 2017 issue and got candid about her life on and off the court.

“If you would have told me last year in October or November that I would have a baby, not be pregnant but have a baby, I would have thought you were the biggest liar in the world,” she told the magazine. “This is kind of how I am right now. This is happening sooner than later, and it’s going by so fast… I don’t know what to do with a baby. I have nothing… I’ve done absolutely nothing for the baby room.”

Even with a baby on the way (who Williams and Reddit co-founder fiance Alexis Ohanian think will be a girl), the tennis star has no plans of letting her career slide. Williams says she plans to hit the competitive court as soon as January. “I don’t think my story is over yet,” she said.

Photo Credit: Snapchat / Serena Williams