Can I lift heavy weights in pregnancy? And planks?
Can I lift heavy weights in pregnancy? And planks?
Are you pregnant and wondering if it's safe to lift heavy weights? One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to pregnancy and fitness is that women should avoid lifting weights altogether. But is that really the case?
Today I am going to dive into the world of pregnant women and weightlifting, 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 that pregnant women are asking, personal trainers are also asking the same questions!
One of our graduates of our Pregnancy and Postpartum Exercise Course emailed me through these questions:
Question1:
Just a couple questions, when you say no heavy weight training during pregnancy, what do you define as heavy as each Individual client will be different depending on their fitness level.
Also when you say no planks, when I was pregnant my physio recommended planks but on all fours and then lifting knees. Would that be suitable for clients with good pelvic floor activation or you think it better to avoid?
Here is my answer:
Thank you for your email and questions, these are great questions by the way!
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 have been a woman who has done it in her pregnancy and no problems or injuries from it.
Yet there's still a risk factor.
There are some exercises that have higher risk in pregnancy, and when it comes to lifting weights it's ALL about intra-abdominal pressure and the ability to regulate that.
How's your concept on intra-abdominal pressure?
The thing is that lifting heavy once isn't necessarily going to do damage (although it could). For many it's the consecutive pressure along with fatigue that plays out to putting further pressure on an already loaded pelvic floor (or abdomen or back).
Think of the 'core' like a room.
1. The floor is your pelvic floor.
2. The roof is your diaphragm.
3. The walls are your abdomen and back stabiliser muscles.
With a growing baby and movement of the spine and organs and shift in positioning of the pelvis, there's a lot happening in this area.
She's also going through hormonal changes, potential overwhelm with life changes and information overload. Good chance she's fatigued more than she would be pre-pregnancy.
So then she walks into the gym.
She see's the 70kg barbell loaded that she normally, particularly pre-pregnancy could do.
She doesn't want to suffer from a pooch belly postpartum. She's already feeling bigger than she ever has. She's concerned that if she doesn't do these exercises she won't be strong in her pregnancy.
So she lifts the weight.
Although, mid-lift something happens. He muscles haven't caught up. Everything feels different to how it did last week in this same gym with these same weights.
But the feeling is only minor, so she ignores it.
And she keeps going, week after week. Thinking that this strength training is going her good.
But what she doesn't know is that she's possibly contributing to a much harder rehab postpartum. That her pelvic floor will hold on (just!) for the remainder of her pregnancy, but as some point (weeks or months or years) post-birth, something is going to give in.
And if it doesn't in those early years postpartum, is she setting herself up for incontinence issues once menopause hits (and that's another whole can of worms to dive into).
Harder is not better. "Stronger" is not necessarily what's better for her pregnancy body.
She needs to be strong, yes. She also needs to be supple and allow her body the give to move and shift as it does in pregnancy.
So, when it comes to choice of exercise it's so important she doesn't listen to what was good for her pre-pregnancy. It's 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 timeline. To understand what her body is going through, even if she doesn't.
To encourage her with cues for her pelvic floor. To watch her technique like a hawk. To notice fatigue and acknowledge it and accept it and honour it.
And also to add in the lengthening exercises that will help her back ache. To have the glute focus to help her posture and functioning, and ideally minimising pelvic girdle pain.
So - a long winded answer to what initially seemed like a straight forward questions. But as I hope you can see, there are so many layers to pregnancy.
What I do personally is encourage strength training in pregnancy 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 heavy barbell lifting for pregnant women, but I also know it has it's place and that some pregnant women CAN do their technique and CAN lift whilst supporting their pelvic floor and regulating their intra-abdominal pressure.
Will lifting heavy wights help reduce back ache in pregnancy or help prepare her for birth (or her postpartum recovery)? In my humble opinion, not like prenatal Pilates or prenatal yoga or specific prenatal strengthening would.
As for planks - YES to plank variations.
You would be surprised as to how many people (not pregnant women, I'm talking general population now) cannot regulate their breath and intra-abdominal pressure in a full plank after holding it for 10 seconds.
I kid you not.
I've been in this field for so long, and the drop in technique in a plank is huge. And that's noticeable technique (like head dropping and hips dropping).
To see the doming in the abdominal wall or know about the pressure in the pelvic floor due to loss of regulation of intra-abdominal pressure - that's a skill!
Long winded.. But how did that all sound?
Hit me up with ANY questions you have.
I do love answering them!
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