Your client has discovered she is pregnant through a home pregnancy test. She wants to continue to exercise during her pregnancy and is seeking your help. What is the best recommendation?

Continuing the current program with minimal modification bypasses the necessary medical screening that identifies pregnancy-specific contraindications the trainer cannot evaluate.

Reducing work volume alone is insufficient because it does not address the range of potential medical contraindications that require physician evaluation before any prenatal exercise resumes.

Consulting a physician is the correct first step because pregnancy introduces potential contraindications and individual risk factors - such as placenta previa, preeclampsia risk, or cardiac conditions - that only a licensed medical provider can assess. The physician can issue specific limitations or clearance before exercise continues. A personal trainer lacks the clinical authority to independently prescribe or modify a prenatal exercise program.

Prescribing 50% of age-predicted maximal heart rate is an arbitrary and overly restrictive threshold that does not substitute for individualized medical guidance from a physician.