Sex efficiency through exercises : special physical culture for women / by Th. H. van de Velde ; [photos, by E. Steinemann].

against pressure ") are specially suitable for the early months, as they can be performed very slowly and gently, and do not affect the contents of the pelvis. And as the choice of suit- able exercises at the beginning of pregnancy is so limited, full use should be made of Nos. 24 and 25. There are further possibilities as well as the exercises aforesaid : various exercises in the repertory of general physical culture for women may be included in the pro- gramme, for either the whole duration of pregnancy or a part. Any expert will be able to alter or combine well-known sequences of movement in " new " exercises, but in selecting and composing all such exercises, the principles stated in Chapter XII. should be borne in mind. During pregnancy all sudden jerks and all strong vibrations or impacts should be avoided as far as possible ; thus, all gymnastics which include either jerks or shocks are forbidden. But the material contained in these pages is sufficiently full for a varied and beneficial programme of physical culture, and it is obvious that women who had had no— or very slight—previous physical training should give most time to such elementary matters as foot exercises, trunk movements and breathing. B. Exercises of the Pelvic and Abdominal Zone In Chapter IV. certain exercises of this category are described. Those listed under Nos. 1 to 4 are only suitable and/or possible for women who have had physical training, and whose abdominal walls are firm and in sound condition, and even for them only suitable in the early months. These exercises are performed on the hands and knees, and the breasts, which pregnancy renders larger and heavier, should in all cases be protected by a firm brassiere when in the quadrupedal posture. Exercises 5 to 10, as listed and described in Chapter IV., should not be attempted in pregnancy, as they are too vehement and/or involve swinging movement. Only 8 (a) and 8 (c) (Film 6.) might be taken into consideration.