Strength Training and Lifting Weights During Pregnancy

Pregnancy Podcast

Vanessa Merten

Newborn, Parent, Homebirth, Vbac, Kids & Family, Doula, Firsttimemom, Midwife, Pregnancy, Doctor, Parenting, Pregnant, Vanessamerten, Physician, Csection, Prenatalcare, Breastfeeding, Naturalbirth, Nursing, Birthcenter, Family, Baby, Hospitalbirth, Health, Obgyn, Research, Trimester, Expecting, Labor, Mom, Diet, Dad, Birth

4.5 • 948 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Research has firmly established that strength and resistance training benefits physical and mental health. Lifting weights may be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about strength training. This can include resistance bands, kettlebells, and body-weight exercises like pushups, pull-ups, or squats. Even activities like plyometrics and yoga can be considered strength training. Although there is a lot of research on exercise during pregnancy, there are limited studies on strength training. ACOG attributes the lack of literature to resistance training not being considered a safe activity in early guidelines for exercise during pregnancy. This was due to potential injury and possible fetal heart decelerations. This episode examines the evidence on strength training, physical changes that can affect strength training, and precautions and tips to make your workouts safe during pregnancy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton.
0:10.0	Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast. In this episode we're
0:16.4	talking about strength training and weightlifting. You can find the full article
0:21.2	and all of the resources that accompany this episode at pregnancy
0:25.8	podcast.com slash strength.
0:30.0	You are listening to the public feed of the podcast and that means that you have access to the last year of episodes.
0:37.0	Right now you can try pregnancy podcast premium for free for seven days.
0:42.0	That gives you access to the back catalog. There's an additional
0:45.8	over 200 episodes exclusively available to premium members and all of the
0:51.7	premium content is ad-free. Try pregnancy podcast premium for free for seven days
0:58.0	at pregnancy podcast.com slash trial. There is a separate episode that has an overview of exercise
1:06.4	during pregnancy that includes general recommendations and safety tips to make
1:11.2	sure that you're keeping your workouts healthy for you and
1:13.9	your baby. Plus there's a breakdown of all the physical changes and some common
1:18.7	pregnancy symptoms that can affect your workouts. I highly recommend that you listen to that episode
1:24.6	prior to diving into this episode on strength training. Strength training is a
1:30.0	form of exercise that increases your muscle strength.
1:33.8	We often think about lifting weights as strength training,
1:36.9	but this can also include things like using resistance bands, kettlebells,
1:41.6	body weight exercises, like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, even exercises like playometrics
1:48.1	and yoga can be considered strength training.
1:51.6	There's a lot of evidence on the benefits of strength and resistance training for both your physical and
	...

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