30 Seconds SummaryHow concerned do lifters need to be about training hard during pregnancy?
- Historically, pregnant women were advised to limit physical activity, but modern evidence supports exercise during pregnancy as beneficial for maternal and fetal health, with minimal risks.
- Current guidelines recommend caution with heavy resistance training, supine exercises, and the Valsalva maneuver during pregnancy due to potential risks like increased blood pressure and injury from joint laxity.
- Medical guidelines are generally conservative to prevent harm, based on the principle 'First, do no harm', and not necessarily on definitive evidence that certain activities are harmful.
- Changing conservative medical guidelines involves initial observational studies followed by controlled studies, with initial studies observing existing behaviors and outcomes.
- A recent study involving 679 pregnant lifters found that continuing heavy resistance training during pregnancy did not significantly increase the risk of adverse birth or fetal outcomes.
- The study revealed lower rates of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression compared to the general population but higher rates of postpartum urinary incontinence.
- Maintaining pre-pregnancy levels of heavy resistance training through delivery was associated with approximately 50% lower rates of pregnancy and delivery complications.
- The study's findings suggest that heavy training and specific maneuvers like the Valsalva may not be as dangerous during pregnancy as previously thought, but randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these results.
- The observational nature of the study means it cannot definitively prove causal relationships between resistance training and pregnancy outcomes, and some outcomes could be influenced by self-selection and other health-promoting behaviors.
- Further research, especially controlled studies, is needed to potentially adjust current medical advice regarding strenuous exercise during pregnancy.
Stronger By Science
Greg Nuckols
