Welcome to the MamasteFit Blog! In today’s video, I’ll share three essential tips for lifting safely throughout your pregnancy. You may be wondering if you should continue exercising during pregnancy or if it is even safe. In fact, strength training can be incredibly beneficial throughout your pregnancy — if done safely. Learn how to accommodate your growing belly, add support to your lifts, and manage pressure effectively to stay strong and prevent injury. Discover practical modifications for exercises like squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, and bench presses.
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1. Make Space for Your Growing Belly
As your belly grows, you’ll need to make some adjustments to your lifts to accommodate the change. This will ensure that you’re comfortable and prevent unnecessary strain on your body.
Widen Your Stance:
For exercises like squats and deadlifts, widening your stance can provide more space for your belly and help you maintain proper form. For squats, you might even consider using a sumo squat variation, which places your feet wider apart. For deadlifts, a sumo stance with wider legs can also help, or an elevated deadlift can reduce the range of motion, keeping you more comfortable.
Modify the Hip Thrust:
The hip thrust is another exercise you can continue safely during pregnancy. However, to reduce the pressure on your belly, elevate the bar slightly. This allows you to continue the movement without discomfort and decreases the range of motion to accommodate your growing bump.
Adjust the Bench Press:
For exercises like the bench press, bring your feet up onto the bench. This small adjustment can help reduce strain on your lower back and belly, providing more stability during your lift.
Making space for your belly is essential, and simple stance or setup modifications can help you continue lifting safely.
2. Add More Support to Your Lifts
As your body changes, so does your ability to stabilize. During pregnancy, the shift in your center of gravity and the added weight can make certain movements feel more challenging. To stay safe and avoid injury, you may need extra support during your lifts.
Use Supportive Tools:
For example, squatting down to a box can give you added support at the bottom of your squat, which can help you stay steady. For overhead presses, try performing them from a seated position, which can also help with stability. Additionally, holding onto something stable, such as a sturdy structure or rings, while doing squats or lunges can provide extra balance and support as you move.
The key is to listen to your body and adjust your lifts to make them more comfortable and safe as your pregnancy progresses. Using more support during your lifts can prevent unnecessary strain and help you stay injury-free.
3. Manage Pressure During Lifts
One of the most important changes you’ll need to make while lifting weights during pregnancy is how you manage the pressure in your abdominal cavity. This is vital for protecting your pelvic floor and maintaining stability throughout the movement.
Avoid the Valsalva Maneuver:
Pre-pregnancy, you might have been accustomed to holding your breath (Valsalva maneuver) while lifting. However, during pregnancy, it’s best to reduce this pressure to avoid straining your body and pelvic floor. Instead, focus on a breathing pattern where you inhale as you lower the weight and exhale as you lift. This will allow your body to adjust to the pressure changes more naturally and protect your pelvic floor.
You may also want to reduce the intensity of your lifts. For example, if you typically lift at 90% of your one-rep max, scale back to around 60-70%. This reduction in intensity will help you avoid overloading your body with excessive pressure and allow you to maintain better control during your lifts.
By adjusting your breathing and reducing the intensity of your lifts, you can safely manage the internal pressures on your body during pregnancy.
Prenatal Fitness Programs to Support Your Pregnancy!
If you want more daily workouts to support a strong pregnancy as you prepare for birth, join our online prenatal fitness programs!
MamasteFit is unique in that we are one of the ONLY prenatal/postnatal training facilities in the United States. We develop our workout programs from our experience of working with in-person pre/postnatal fitness clients and work closely with physical therapists to refine our programming. In addition, we are birth workers, so we combine our experience as perinatal fitness trainers and birth professionals to ensure that our programs actually support your birth preparation and recovery!
Our prenatal fitness programs are offered in several formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength Program in the Teambuildr App:
- This program is a self-paced workout with shorter demo videos. This is ideal if you like to workout in a gym setting and prefer a traditional workout delivery format.
- This program syncs to your current week of pregnancy, so you can start anytime, with one-time payment or month-to-month payment options.
- This program has a full and mini version, depending on how much time you have to dedicate to workouts!
- Prenatal On-Demand Fitness Program:
- If you prefer to follow a video as you workout at the same time, this workout program will be the best option!
- This program syncs to your current trimester, so you can grab the trimesters you need!
- Birth Prep Workout Program:
- If you already have a workout routine or you only want birth prep-focused workouts, check out this program!
- This program includes full-length workout videos to follow as you workout at the same time.
- Prenatal Yoga Classes:
- If you want prenatal yoga, join our prenatal yoga program! This also syncs to your current trimester.
Lift Safely, Stay Strong
Lifting during pregnancy doesn’t have to be a challenge. With the right modifications, you can continue to build strength, maintain muscle mass, and stay comfortable as your body adapts. By making space for your belly, adding extra support to your movements, and managing your internal pressure, you can safely lift throughout your pregnancy and prepare your body for the demands of labor and delivery.
Remember, this phase of lifting is temporary. Once you’ve had your baby, you can return to your regular lifting routine. But by following these guidelines during pregnancy, you can stay strong, reduce discomfort, and promote a smooth birth process.
For a more in-depth guide on how to safely lift weights during pregnancy, check out my book Training for Two, or explore our online prenatal fitness programs at Mamaste Fit. These resources offer specific lifting modifications, exercises, and tips to help you stay fit and prepared for birth.
By continuing to stay active and connected with your body, you can approach your pregnancy with strength and confidence.
Prenatal Support Courses
Learn the science of pregnancy and birth to take the mystery of labor away! Understand why you are feeling what you feel, and learn strategies to confidently move through pregnancy and birth!
- 9h+ of Video
- Support Group
- Close Captioning
- 5 Workouts/Week
- Gym Workouts
- Self-Paced
Instructor
GINA
Workout on-demand with our prenatal fitness workout videos! Each workout is 30-40 minutes to follow along as you exercise at the same time!
- Birth Prep
- All Trimesters
- Mobility Work
Instructor
GINA
Find comfort and relief from pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period! This program incorporates myofascial sling focused exercises to stabilize across the pelvic girdle joints.
- 3 Weeks
- On Demand Workout Videos to Follow