Recommendations for exercise during pregnancy have not only changed over the years, there’s been a lot of myths that cause confusion for pregnant women who want to stay healthy through their pregnancy. Let’s review 5 myths that you’ve probably heard, but that have been debunked.
1. Don’t lift over 20 pounds
This myth falls apart the minute you have your second child and realize you need to pick up your toddler who likely weighs more than 20 pounds, or do chores around the house.
When you hear specific weight lifting limits or guidance like “don’t lift over 20lbs”, there’s really no science to back the exact numbers, and the numbers often vary.
Instead we want to think about how our bodies respond to the weight we are lifting. We want to modify intensity in pregnancy, including the weight we are lifting simply because max effort and “heavy for you” lifts are going to cause you to brace your core and breath hold, and we want to avoid that in pregnancy. This typically means staying under 75-85% of your 1 rep max in any lift, but could need to be lower so that you can breathe through the whole range of motion. This avoids adding any excess pressure into your core, which is already stressed during pregnancy.
2. Just do what you’ve always done
We hear this a lot: “If you were doing it before pregnancy, you can just continue doing it”. While it is safe to continue exercising and strength training in pregnancy, there are definitely movements and intensity that will need to be modified as we think about our core and pelvic floor health. We also have to take into consideration new and changing energy levels, nausea, sleep, and other stressors going on that will impact our training in pregnancy.
We have a free movement modification PDF that you can download and use as you workout during pregnancy as well as a full Pregnancy Fitness Program called MomStrong by MINT that will help you progress and modify your exercise as well as prepare for birth!
3. Lifting weights is dangerous to you and your unborn baby
This myth unfortunately still gets spread via the comment sections of pregnant moms lifting videos and other places, but is simply untrue. In fact the opposite is true – studies show that health outcomes for moms and babies are better with prenatal exercise.
ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) released new guidelines in 2020 stating that overall, the evidence suggests that aerobic and strength conditioning exercises should be encouraged before, during, and after pregnancy. Lifting weights during pregnancy not only can help you stay fit, but it can help you prepare your body for parenthood. When done correctly, strength training can will help with posture changes, protect your core and lower back, and help build or maintain endurance. This is something you will definitely need for labor. It can also reduce back pain, and help you maintain a healthy weight through pregnancy.
4. Keep your heart rate under 140bpm
ACOG introduced this idea in its first-ever guidelines on exercising during pregnancy in 1985, but it was revised in 1994—and with good reason. The concern with elevating our heart rate was due to the muscles pulling all the oxygen and not enough going to the fetus, however the 140bpm limitation is outdated and overly cautious.
Getting your blood pumping during pregnancy can be quite beneficial, strengthening your heart and blood vessels, decreasing your risk of gestational diabetes, reducing back pain and more. In fact, if you have a healthy pregnancy with no complications, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week—without any heart rate limitations.
We like to recommend that our clients follow RPE or rate of perceived exertion and the “talk test” rather than being consumed by their heart rate monitor. Keep the intensity under a 7 out of 10 (moderate). If you can’t catch your breath to hold a conversation with me, you may be going too hard in pregnancy.
5. Just listen to your body
A lot of Trainers who may not be experienced with working with pregnancy and postpartum women may tell you to “just listen to your body”, because they aren’t sure what guidelines and modifications may be important during pregnancy.
Although you’re not fragile during pregnancy, you’re also not invincible and there are certain movements and patterns we do want to adjust and modify. You likely CAN do a pull-up and your body might feel okay doing it, because you’ve been doing them forever. But what you may not realize is that you might be creating a ton of added pressure into your core. When we think about mitigating the risk of certain postpartum symptoms like diastasis recti, we want to avoid these movements that put excessive pressure into our core and pelvic floor. Remember to refer to our Movement Modification PDF or our Pregnancy Fitness Program for more help here.
Reminder
Your pregnancy fitness journey is unique, just like you! You can safely and effectively workout through pregnancy, strength training included! Make sure that you get the green light from your doctor before taking on any exercise in pregnancy or postpartum, and reach out to us if you need help, have questions, or want to learn more about our programs!
