10 reasons to strength train during your pregnancy

Here at Ladies Who Lift we believe that working out pre- and post natal is very important. In this blog, Coach Brittany, who holds a specialty Certification in Pre/Post Natal Training, dives into just 10 benefits of why you should continue to strength train during your pregnancy.

For many, training while pregnant can seem scary, but at Ladies Who Lift, we believe that strength training while pregnant is not only valuable, but necessary.

There are many old school myths that are very conservative and tend to deter women from working out. Women were told to “take it easy,” don’t do anything that could “harm the baby” and limit the duration to a mere 15 minutes/day. Those times have changed and the old, overly cautious approaches are no longer warranted or even recommended for the majority of pregnancies. Now, it is recommended that women perform 150 minutes per week of moderate-intense activity for the greatest health benefits to both you and baby.

Here are just 10 of the many Benefits of working out and strength training throughout your pregnancy

1. Baby also reaps the benefits

According to a study by Enfamil, exercising while pregnant has shown to give baby major brain and endorphin boosts. Babies born to moms who strength trained while pregnant show more advanced neurodevelopment at birth as well as stronger and healthier hearts due to the increased blood flow. Research also suggests that women who regularly exercised while pregnant had shorter and less stressful deliveries, as well as fewer cases of hypertension and low birth weight.

2. Exercise can alleviate many common first trimester ailments

The first trimester can be rough but exercise can truly make a difference. Movement manually massages the intestines and can help move food along, releasing trapped air. Increasing your heart rate during exercise also helps to circulate blood back to your brain, helping with dizzy spells. You may begin experiencing some lower back pain during the first trimester as well. Staying active and maintaining your strength training routine will help to combat all of this. Your body is going to be experiencing A LOT of changes, feelings about body image, hormonal changes, and other shifts make pregnancy a prime time for depression. Exercise can help to mitigate this by releasing powerful endorphins that relieve pain and stress.

3. STRENGTH TRAINING CORE (ABS, PELVIC FLOOR, + LOWER BACK)

Head Coach and Ladies Who Lift founder Rae Reichlin always makes sure to incorporate pregnancy safe core exercises into the strength training routines of her clients who are expecting. Having a strong pelvic floor can help women both during and after delivery. Not only can it assist with better bladder control after childbirth, but it has also been linked to faster delivery. Starting on your pelvic floor strength is something that you can begin immediately after finding out that you are pregnant. The abdominal muscles assist in bending, and lifting. Strong abs will also help with the pushing during delivery.

4. better posture

During the 2nd trimester, while the uterus is growing, increase in weight and relaxin in the body can really start to hinder even the best of postures. As the uterus grows, the center of gravity starts to shift forward causing the lower back to sway. The increase in breast size causes the upper back and shoulders to round forward and the head and neck to push forward. All of these postural changes can be tamed and less severe with the proper strength training.

5. improved balance + coordination

Constant changes in shape, center of gravity, joint stability, and balance will likely be affected during your pregnancy. Training unilaterally (focusing on one side at a time) is important and should be built in to a well rounded program. When performing unilateral movements of the upper body, the core must be engaged to prevent the trunk from rotating unnecessarily during push or pull exercises. Muscle imbalances are common and we want to build strength in the weaker side. Suggested lower body strength movements are squats, lunges as well as single leg exercises to improve balance, either with weights or bodyweight.

6. injury prevention

Strength training can help decrease lower back pain, weakened muscles, poor circulation and swelling commonly experienced in pregnancy. Building a strong lower body and back muscles will help you to carry the added weight during the pregnancy, ease back aches and strengthen your joints, as a result helping to reduce the pain of growing a little body. Weight-bearing exercises put temporary stress on your bones, signaling to bone-building cells to take action and rebuild stronger bones. Having strong bones reduces your risk of possible fractures and falls. Most women will experience some sort of S.I. Joint (sharp pain tailbone or in the upper section of their glutes or round ligament pain (the ligament that attaches the uterus to the pelvis bone). The expansion of both are necessary in preparing for childbirth. Continuing in strength, low-impact training programs can help subside and dull the pain.

7. less weight gain and have a quicker return post-baby

Women who exercise throughout their pregnancy experience less weight gain and have a quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight than those who do not exercise (Dr. James F. Clapp, Author of Exercising through your Pregnancy 1998). In one study, for those women who exercised, overall weight gain during pregnancy was reduced by 7 pounds, and fat deposition was reduced by 3%. Babies born to mothers who have strength trained throughout their pregnancy also have a tendency to be leaner, lighter, but still incredibly healthy. Maintaining a healthy weight can be a direct link to participating in a strength training program. During and after strength training you are burning calories effectively. Building muscle increases your metabolic rate even as you rest. Your metabolic rate is increased up to 72 hours after a strength-training exercise. Maintaining a healthy weight can help with preventing any pregnancy complications and can lower risk of developing gestational diabetes as well as preeclampsia.

8. creating “me time”

Between the baby-proofing, registry-making, showers, classes, doctors visits, and tying up lose ends at work before maternity leave, there might not be a lot of time left for you. Taking even just 30 minutes several days a week for yourself might be just what is needed. This intentional space gives you the chance to continue to establish “you-centered” goals and to be in tune with your body and how you are feeling.

9. faster + easier labor

While most aspects of labor are very much out of your control, research shows that exercise is one of the only things you can do to naturally help ease the pain of and shorten your time in active labor and delivery. According to Dr. James F. Clapp, maintaining a consistent fitness routine throughout your pregnancy can lead to the following:

• 35% reduced need for pain relief

• 75% decrease in the incidence of maternal exhaustion

• 50% decrease in the need to artificially rupture membranes (break water sac)

• 50% decrease in the need to induce or stimulate labor with Pitocin

• 50% reduction in need to intervene because of abnormal fetal heart rate

• 50% fewer episiotomies

• 75% reduction in need for operative intervention (forceps or Cesarean section)

10. SHORTer Recovery from labor and delivery

Staying active builds your muscle strength and stamina making it a little easier to get up and moving shortly after delivery. A strength training routine that is followed throughout pregnancy can help leave you with more energy and feeling less fatigued after all the hard work you just did during labor. Women who stayed active throughout their entire pregnancy have a tendency to have less complications which can mean a shorter stay in the hospital and more time to enjoy being at home with your new bundle of joy!

---

Women may experience any or all of the above benefits and even more! Each pregnancy is different and each woman should be treated as an individual, not grouped into a one fits all category. 

Everybody is different, as is every pregnancy, and women should regularly check with their doctors, as well as work with a trainer who is prenatal certified throughout their pregnancy if they have any fears or doubts about what they are doing. Consulting with your OBGYN before beginning or making any changes to your strength training routine is of the utmost importance!

Here at Ladies Who Lift we highly encourage you to hire yourself a coach/trainer to help you along on your journey. During your strength training program, there will be modifications and proper exercises to help you maintain the safest and healthiest ways of exercising as your pregnancy progresses. A customized program is highly recommended for pre/postnatal clients so that we can closely monitor your changing needs.