Pregnancy and gym training: why is muscle training important and what to look out for in the gym?

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Written by: Maternity Sports Academy. Commercial partnership.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in your life, which also brings with it many changes to your body. Your lumbar spine increases, your abdominal muscles stretch and your posture can become stiff. Many mothers wonder how to take care of their body and physical condition during pregnancy, or whether they can continue with the activities they are used to. In this blog post, we focus on muscle training and why it's especially important to look after your muscles during pregnancy.

Why is muscle training important during pregnancy?

Muscle training has many important effects on health and well-being. As muscle strength develops, everyday tasks and hobbies become less strenuous, which means that everyday life is less stressful as muscle strength increases. Muscle training also boosts muscle and tissue metabolism and accelerates, for example, sugar and fat metabolism. Exercise therefore prevents many lifestyle diseases and is also an important part of weight management.

During pregnancy, body changes are inevitable. Weight increases as the uterus, amniotic fluid, increased blood volume and the baby's weight itself increase throughout pregnancy. The body also often builds up fat stores for the future breastfeeding period. As the abdomen grows, the sagging of the lower back increases as the abdominal muscles move to the side in front of the growing uterus. This can make you feel heavy and clumsy compared to before. It is also not uncommon to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, which adds its own spice to pregnancy.

Regular muscle training can therefore:

support weight management
prevent and treat gestational diabetes
reduces back, hip and joint pain
make everyday life easier
prepare for childbirth and the baby period
support recovery from childbirth

Is it worth skipping the gym and going for a home workout?

It's fine to continue exercising during pregnancy or to start exercising if you haven't done so before. In this case, however, you should get a trainer who understands the changes that pregnancy brings to your body. For many people, the gym is a motivating and safe environment to work out in, and you don't have to miss it because you're pregnant.

However, it may be appropriate to modify your workout, depending on what you have previously enjoyed doing in the gym. A growing belly and a variety of conditions during your pregnancy will guide your training. In the early stages of pregnancy, you will most likely want to take a more relaxed approach to exercising, as fatigue and nausea can be a strong presence. In the second trimester you will often feel better, but the growth of your belly may cause some sensations in your body.

For example, you may feel a tearing pain, a feeling of pressure, aching or other unusual sensations in the abdominal muscles and the whole pelvic area. These sensations are a sign that your body is adjusting to pregnancy. However, you should listen to your own body and, if fast and jerky movements cause more sensations, reduce the range of motion and weight and do movements that you feel comfortable with.

So there's no need to replace gym training with home training, but if the gym feels like an alien environment to work out in, home training is a very good and effective way to keep your muscles fit.

Things to consider in gym training in a nutshell during the waiting period

listen to your body's sensations and do not force movements that feel uncomfortable
the hormone relaxes your tissues, which means that movements that require balance can be more challenging than before
avoid movements that put direct pressure on the uterus and abdomen, such as prone or sitting movements that put pressure on the abdomen
avoid movements where you feel a strong effort and compression in the uterine region, such as heavy squats or cross-country skiing
modify your abdominal muscle movements so that you focus more on the oblique and deep abdominal muscles and less on the back muscles
straight abdominal muscles can be trained, but good alternatives are standing exercises such as the pallof press
avoid movements where there is a risk of falling or tripping
feel fast and explosive movements, whether you feel comfortable doing them

Gym training is therefore a very safe and effective way of exercising during pregnancy. With exercise choices, you can often exercise right up to the end of your pregnancy, unless you are specifically instructed to reduce or avoid exercise due to, for example, the ripening of the uterine orifice.

Exercise is an important part of pregnancy

So exercise is important during pregnancy for many reasons. It improves blood circulation and oxygen supply to the placenta, which supports foetal development. Exercise can also reduce pregnancy-related ailments such as swelling, back pain and constipation, and it improves the function of the pelvic floor muscles. In addition, exercise helps maintain energy levels, reduces stress and improves mood as it releases "good" hormones such as endorphins.

Studies have also shown that regular exercise can help prevent the onset of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and other complications of pregnancy. Exercise can also make childbirth easier and speed up recovery afterwards.

If you want to get muscle training exercises designed by a maternity exercise professional right in your home for the whole pregnancy, check out the 9Months Strength programme from the Academy of Maternity Exercise.