What You Need to Know: The Dos and Don’ts
One of the most common questions we hear from expecting parents is: "Is it safe to lift weights while pregnant?" The short answer is—yes, for most people, lifting weights during pregnancy can be safe and even beneficial. However, it’s essential to approach it with care, intention, and the right professional support.
Before beginning or continuing a weightlifting routine during pregnancy, it's crucial to get clearance from your OB or midwife. Every pregnancy is different, and your provider can help ensure there are no medical complications that would limit physical activity.
When done safely, resistance training during pregnancy offers a wide range of benefits, including:
Improved muscular endurance for labor and delivery
Better posture and core control as your body changes
Reduced risk of lower back and pelvic pain
Maintained strength to support postpartum recovery
Enhanced circulation and energy levels
Studies also show that maintaining a regular exercise routine, including strength training, can lead to shorter labors, fewer complications, and improved overall birth outcomes.
While weightlifting can be a valuable part of a healthy pregnancy, it’s important to shift your mindset during this season. Pregnancy is not the time to pursue personal records or try to build new muscle mass. Instead, your focus should be on maintaining mobility, supporting functional strength, and promoting joint stability as your body prepares for labor and the postpartum period.
Each trimester brings unique changes to your body—and your workout routine should adapt accordingly.
In the first trimester, you may find that fatigue and nausea limit your energy or consistency. This is a good time to reduce reps, sets, or frequency as needed and pay attention to any pre-existing symptoms, like low back or pelvic pain, that might be aggravated by certain movements. During these early weeks, your body is already experiencing hormonal shifts that can affect ligaments and joint stability, so form and control are key. Focus on lighter to moderate weights, prioritize breath coordination (exhale during exertion), and avoid holding your breath or bearing down, which can increase intra-abdominal pressure. Core and pelvic floor awareness is crucial—consider this a time to build a solid foundation, not break personal records. Stick with functional movements like squats, deadlifts, and rows, and listen to your body—fatigue, dizziness, or unusual discomfort are signals to pause or scale back.
By the second trimester, as your belly grows, your posture and center of gravity shift, which can affect your balance and core engagement. You may need to modify positions (like avoiding flat supine exercises) and reduce load to maintain good form and alignment. Avoid coning or doming through your midline (a sign of excess abdominal pressure). Focus on core-friendly movements, maintain good alignment, and use your breath—exhaling with effort helps protect your core and pelvic floor. Consider swapping heavy lifts for higher-rep, lower-load strength work, and don’t be afraid to use supports like benches or resistance bands to help with form and stability. Listening to your body and adapting as needed is the key to lifting safely in the second trimester.
In the third trimester, your body is under more mechanical stress, and certain exercises may start to feel uncomfortable or unsustainable. This is often the time to fully eliminate any movements that feel painful, create pelvic pressure, or are simply too challenging to perform safely. While it’s absolutely possible to continue lifting, the priority now is function over intensity. Focus on gentle strength work that supports daily movement, like squats to a chair, hip hinges, and light rows, using bodyweight or resistance bands. It's time to let go of heavy lifting and instead emphasize core and pelvic floor coordination, especially learning to exhale on exertion and relax during the inhale. Avoid movements that cause straining, bulging, or coning, and choose positions that keep you stable—seated or supported standing work can be great options. Deep breathing, intentional movement, and respecting your body’s cues are your best tools in this final stretch. Think of this phase as training for birth: it’s all about awareness, endurance, and connection.
Throughout all trimesters, remember: just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should. Your workouts should serve to support and nourish your body, not push it to its limits. Focus on form, breath awareness, and functional movements that help you feel strong, stable, and connected to your changing body.
Here are some key guidelines to help you stay safe and supported:
Get medical clearance before starting or continuing a strength routine.
Focus on form and control over intensity or heavy lifting.
Use diaphragmatic breathing and avoid holding your breath (especially during exertion).
Engage your core gently using strategies that support your pelvic floor, not strain it.
Use resistance bands or lighter weights to support mobility and joint health.
Listen to your body—fatigue, pain, or heaviness in the pelvic floor are signs to modify or pause.
Don’t lift to failure or exhaustion.
Don’t ignore signs of pelvic pressure, doming in the abdomen, or urine leakage.
Don’t perform high-impact lifts (like Olympic lifts or max deadlifts) without supervision from a professional trained in prenatal fitness.
Don’t forget to warm up and cool down—your joints are more mobile during pregnancy and need extra care.
Strength training during pregnancy can be empowering—but it should always be approached with support, intention, and education. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help assess your movement patterns, teach you how to protect your core and pelvic floor during exercise, and tailor a routine that matches your body’s changing needs.