Pregnant and weight training!

[IzzyJ]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on here for a while! hope everyone is well in 09!

Yesterday me and my partner found out we're going to have a baby!

I'm 6 weeks! So excited and yet scared ****less!! its still early days so I'm being very careful.

I'm still going to the gym but I'm just wondering if anyone has some advice for weight training while I'm pregnant? and then after the babies born too? or advice in general would be much appreciated!

xxx

[hmotb555]

First off Congratulations!!! You are about to embark on one of the greatest joys of life!!!

Well no one let me workout while I was pregnant....but i had a friend and she still did bench presses light weights....I would not lift as heavy as you did pre-pregnancy because trust me that baby is gonna have you worn out....the first 3 months are sooooo tiring!!!! I would also switch from jogging to walking. I walked 7 miles a week up until I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and then I dropped down to 3.5 miles a week up until I was about 39 weeks. I think eating healthy and light exercise (whatever light is for you) will help with your labor and delivery. I felt it helped with mine. I also have a cousin who lifted weights during her pregnancy so yeah i would say listen to your body and keep it light.

As for after the baby is born....WAIT THE 6 WEEKS!!!! I tried to exercise before the 6 weeks and it was NOT a good idea. So yeah wait the 6 weeks and ease yourself back into exercising and weightlifting....most of all get plenty of rest and have a healthy and happy pregnancy

[Anastasia]

Congrats! It's an exciting time of your life!

I've continued to lift weights and do my regular workout routine with my 2nd child up until I was 8.5 months pregnant, so I can give you only my personal experiences.
First of all: Listen to your body! If you feel hot or your HR goes up (it happened to me especially in the early weeks; that's how I actually knew that I was pregnant @ 5 wks -my body reacted suddenly totally different when doing the same excis I've done for weeks before), take it down a notch! (Most OBs/GYNs will tell you not to go over a HR of 140. Personally I find that a total nonsense, especially fit people who worked out long before getting pregnant have a different 'tolarance' to working out while pregnant than 'couch potatoes'. Again, simply listen to your body!)

Yes, especially the first weeks (up to 12 weeks) are a bit more risky re miscarriage so be aware of what you're doing. You can still lift fairly heavy, but just not as much, kwim? For example, if you used to do a latpull with 100 lbs, aim for 60 and see how you feel. Try not to do exercises that put a lot of strain on your body!

Get a lot of rest and don't do too much (for ex. 'hours' of cardio and lifting at the same day, it'll zap your energies quickly!).
My routine while pregnant was to lift weights 3x/week (total body) and only did 10 min. warm-up cardio. On the other 2-3 days I would go to the gym to walk on the TM or elliptical for 20-30 mins. (again, depending on my energy level) at a steady state. I didn't do any interval training at that time as I honestly didn't feel like it/i.e. no energy.
I did pregnancy yoga 3-4x/week which helped me relax and stretch my muscles. Especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimester it helped me tremendously.

HTH and happy 9 months!

[Shea125]

If you worked out prior to pregnancy, by all means, keep it up. It actually makes for healthier mom and baby, not to mention an easier go of pregnancy in general.
Contrary to popular belief, early miscarriage has NOTHING to do with weight training. The majority of miscarriages are due to genetic abnormalities that would otherwise render a nonviable fetus. Again, working out has nothing to do with that. The only effect working out would have on your potential for miscarriage would be if you had an "incompetent cervix".
You can go heavy if you always have, but your body will divulge it own limitations as you progress. Getting back in the gym postpartum depends on you and the manner in which you deliver. If you deliver vaginally, get back into it as soon as you please. If you're among those unlucky folks to have a C-section, it will take longer. Not all doctors restitch the fascia (keeps your rectus abd tightly together), and that adds to recoup time.
Hope that helps.

[Shea125]

Just another little add-on: running is ok too, if you ran prior to getting pregnant. Many marathoners and track stars have gotten pregnant and continued running 20-30-60+ miles into their 3rd trimesters. At that point, your body itself slows you down a bit, but you may continue running at reduced speed and mileage.
If you didn't run prior to pregnancy, I wouldn't recommend picking it up until after you deliver, more for comfort and convenience than anything else.

[smdiskin]

Hi,
As most of the people here have said... you can keep doing what you have been doing with modifications as you get bigger.... I just had my baby in October and during the first 3 months made few modifications, dropped weights slights and took longer breaks between stes... after 4 months no exercises on back etc and lose the squats... didn't let the HR go up so much and made sure I kept cool... make sure you stay hydrated.... I even got my black belt in karate at 3 1/2 months (didn't have to fight for it due to my great age... 35)
I had to stop my workouts at 5 1/2 months due to early effacement of my cervix (and was put on strict bedrest)... but I was assured by the Gynae/Obs that this had nothing to do with my working out... baby did come early in the end, but again this had nothing to do with my w/o...
Baby was a good size for gestation 4lbs 2oz at 32 weeks, was only in an incubator for observation for a few days and now at 14 weeks he weighs 12lbs 5 oz.. only 2lbs behind his cousin who was born 2 weeks after him at 8lbs 4oz.... He has had none of the problems often associated with prem babies and is strong and in good health... studies also show that babies of mothers who w/o have strong hearts etc some ofthe fitness is imparted to the baby...
BUT....
you must a) follow your doctors advice and b) listen to your body.... c) accept the changes you will have over the next few months and yes it is true that for a while after you had the baby you will still look pregnant... wasn't expecting that myself...

[kim.b]

I am so glad to have found this. I am 10 weeks pregnant with my 4th child. I have been going back and forth on what kinds of workouts I should do. I had been doing long slow cardio but then started to do more higher intensity stuff and my heart rate definately gets up there. My lifting has slowed a bit, rather than a body part a day I have been combining several and a little less weight but am still pretty sore. I have cut back in the last week from 6-7 days a week to 5. Feels strange but the break actually feels good.

I remember seeing a girl at my gym last year doing stairclimber minus perfect form doing like level 15 on the stairclimber and only going down to about a 12 at times. All through her pregnancy.

I still drink a large cup of coffee before I go for energy. I have not felt bad and just take more breaks. Can you still challenge yourself and be pregnant? If you're used to competition training and high intensity, can you safely continue. I hope so.

Opinions?

[kim.b]

Oh and also, I made the mistake of exercising about 2 weeks after my last son and bled a lot. So, beeee careful even though it's fun to get back at it. I hate having to sit back and watch everyone make gains knowing that I'm not. I LOVE being a mom but I LOVE my weights too!

[NOVA888]

The majority of miscarriages are due to genetic abnormalities that would otherwise render a nonviable fetus.

True is some cases, but I wouldn't say most, as genetic tests are generally not conducted on fetuses that were miscarried. It's something doctors throw at women, but this notion is tossed about too carelessly IMO. Almost as a means of writing off the pregnancy as an act of God, when in many cases this simply is not true.

Many women miscarry as a result of uterus problems, advancing age, progesterone deficiency, PCOS, gestational diabetes, or other illnesses, etc. Also, various legal or illegal drugs have an impact on miscarriage. And in most of these cases, it's highly probably that no genetic abnormalities were present, but instead had more to with the health and/or habits of the mother.

Now I certainly wouldn't recommend that 'every' woman out there continue pumping iron with the same intensity, but instead to go with their own bodies and how they feel. But even then, one can never predict with 100% accuracy what effect intense weight training would have on a woman who might unknowingly encounter one of the problems mentioned in the previous paragraph, or whether various activities might even exacerbate underlying problems.

With that said, many women I'm sure won't miss a beat and will feel fantastic throughout their pregnancies, while others are ordered to take bedrest for fear of miscarriage. So my opinion is that erring on the side of caution certainly won't hurt for the 40 weeks it takes to have a little one.