Are you pregnant and wondering if it is safe to lift heavy weights? One of the most common misconceptions regarding pregnancy and fitness is that women should avoid lifting weights altogether. But is it really so?
Today I will dive into the world of pregnant women and weight lifting and explore the benefits and risks associated with it.
Two very common questions in pregnancy are:
1. How heavy can I lift in pregnancy?
2. Should I do planks in pregnancy?
Not only are these questions asked by pregnant women, but personal trainers ask the same questions too!
One of our graduates Pregnancy and postpartum exercise class emailed me through these questions:
Question 1:
Just a few questions, when you say no heavy weight training during pregnancy, what do you define as heavy as each client will vary based on their fitness level.
Also when you say no planks, when I was pregnant my physio recommended planks but on all fours and then to lift the knees. Would it be suitable for clients with good pelvic floor activation or do you think it’s better to avoid it?
Here is my answer:
Thank you for your email and questions, these are great questions!
Lifting heavy – exactly what you said!
Every woman is different and her pregnancy is so unique. Almost any exercise you can think of, there would be a woman who had done it in her pregnancy and had no problems or injuries from it.
However, there is still a risk factor.
There are certain exercises that have a higher risk in pregnancy, and when it comes to weightlifting, everything is relative intra-abdominal pressure and the ability to regulate this.
What is your idea of intra-abdominal pressure?
The thing is, lifting heavy once isn’t necessarily going to do damage (although it could). For many it is the sequential stress along with fatigue that plays a role in further stressing an already loaded pelvic floor (or abdomen or back).
Think of the “core” as a room.
1. The floor is yours pelvic floor.
2. The ceiling is your diaphragm.
3. Abdominals are the stabilizing muscles of your abdomen and back.
With the growing baby and the movement of the spine and organs and the shifting position of the pelvis, there is a lot going on in this area.
He is also going through hormonal changes, possible overload with life changes and information overload. Good chance she’s more tired than she would have been before pregnancy.
So then he goes to the gym.
She sees that the 70 kg bar that she could normally lift, especially before pregnancy, is loaded.
She doesn’t want to suffer from a postpartum belly. She already feels older than ever. She worries that if she doesn’t do these exercises she won’t be strong in her pregnancy.
That’s how he carries the weight.
However, something happens in the middle. His muscles haven’t caught on. Everything is different from how it was last week in the same gym with the same weights.
But the feeling is only small, so he ignores it.
And it goes on, week after week. Thinking this strength training is going well for her.
But what he doesn’t know is that he’s probably contributing to a much more difficult one postpartum recovery. That her pelvic floor will hold (just!) for the rest of her life pregnancybut at some point (weeks or months or years) after giving birth, something will subside.
And if it doesn’t happen in those early postpartum years, she’s setting herself up for incontinence issues once menopause hits (and that’s another whole can of worms to dig into).
Harder is not better. “Stronger” isn’t necessarily best for her pregnancy body.
She must be strong, yes. It also needs to be flexible and allow her body to move and shift as it does in pregnancy.
So when it comes to choosing exercise, it’s so important that she doesn’t listen to what was good for her pre-pregnancy. It is important that she listens to what is good for her NOW.
And as her trainer, this is the exact understanding you need to have.
To know the schedule. To understand what her body is going through, even if she doesn’t.
Encourage her with cues for her pelvic floor. To watch her technique like a hawk. To notice fatigue and recognize it and accept it and honor it.
And also to add in the stretching exercises that will help her back pain. Having a glute focus to help her posture and function, and ideally minimizing pelvic girdle pain.
So – a long answer to what initially seemed like a simple question. But as I hope you can see, there are so many layers to pregnancy.
What I personally do is encourage strength training in pregnant women, but I don’t focus on heavy weights. I use lighter weights and resistance bands.
Avoid certain exercises
I’m not a fan of pregnant barbell lifting, but I also know it has its place and that some pregnant women CAN do their technique and CAN lift while supporting their pelvic floor and regulating their intra-abdominal pressure.
Will lifting heavy weights help reduce back pain during pregnancy or help prepare her for birth (or postpartum recovery)? In my humble opinion, not like prenatal Pilates or prenatal yoga or specific prenatal enhancement will.
As for boards – YES to board variations.
You’d be surprised how many people (not pregnant women, I’m talking about the general population now) can’t regulate their breathing and intra-abdominal pressure in a full plank after holding it for 10 seconds.
I’m not kidding you.
I’ve been in this field so long, and the drop in technique on a board is huge. And this is remarkable technique (like head drop and hip drop).
To see the dome on the abdominal wall or learn about the pressure on the pelvic floor due to loss of intra-abdominal pressure regulation – that’s skill!
Long winded.. But how did it all sound?
Ask me ANY questions you have.
I love answering them!
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