High Level Weightlifting During Pregnancy Q&A

I recently met Veronica, a certified pre-and postnatal coach, NASM certified fitness trainer and USA Weightlifting Level 1 coach who is pregnant with twins and has continued to strength training throughout her pregnancy. It’s always enlightening to talk with pregnant athletes who are combining higher levels of fitness training with a focus on safety. 

Veronica has the educational background and experience to be able to know what works for her body, how to modify her workout when needed, and she stresses that any pregnant women who wants to continue a higher level of fitness training should work closely with her healthcare provider. If you don’t have training in the field of prenatal fitness like Veronica does, check your area for trainers or classes that have certified prenatal and postpartum fitness instructors if you plan to continue with a more challenging fitness routine during pregnancy.

Keep in mind that every woman’s pregnancy is unique, and you should always consult with your healthcare provider before starting or continuing exercise when you're pregnant. Also, if you're carrying multiples, you need to be closely monitored during your pregnancy, and if you experience complications, exercise may be contraindicated.

I asked Veronica some questions about her training program during pregnancy and how she’s modified her routine as her pregnancy progressed.

How do you decide what strength training exercises are safe to continue during your pregnancy? 

Veronica:In general, I consider recommended guidelines from reputable sources and coaches about what's safe in pregnancy and what's not, keep my doctor or midwife in the loop, and stop doing anything that causes any adverse symptoms. For example; early in pregnancy (around eight weeks), I was still using the ab wheel but noticed some spotting after I would train on those days. After that happened, I took out any prone ab movements, and my spotting went away. Although spotting isn't uncommon in early pregnancy, it seemed linked to my training since it only happened on those days, so it made me feel more comfortable to take out those movements.

What are the points you consider that help you decide when to modify or cut an exercise or move?

Veronica: Of course, any adverse symptoms or contraindications from my doctor. However, I've had a relatively easy pregnancy with no real complications, so it's mostly been up to my discretion. In that case, I've tried to think more about what I should do versus what I can do. I like to train mostly in Olympic weightlifting but took out the snatch and clean and jerk before the end of my first trimester. I was disappointed not to include them anymore, but I knew that I could train for power and strength in other ways during this time, and that if I continued to snatch and clean my bar path would be altered. The risk versus reward seemed too high, so I switched to a mostly powerlifting oriented training for the rest of my pregnancy—same for things like any jumping movements. I don't need to do them to get the results I want, so I switched them out for something that would accomplish the same goal but be less stressful on my pelvic floor.

What physical changes have impacted your lifting routine? 

Veronica: At first, not much! However, I switched to a sumo stance on my deadlift before I needed to because I knew my belly eventually would get in the way, and I wanted to practice it before I got to that point. I'm carrying twins and have a short torso, so I started showing pretty early, and I have had to get creative with how to work around my growing belly. As my pregnancy has progressed, I've noticed more tightness in my hips and chest, so I've added more glute and upper back movements to help with that, along with some extra stretching and soft tissue work in those areas. One physical change is that I don't sleep as well as I used to. Since sleep is so essential to recovery, I try to take that into account when planning my training for the day.

What are the major motivators for you to keep working out during your pregnancy?

Veronica: The biggest motivator for me is that it's just such a big part of my life and routine. Before getting pregnant, I trained five days a week and was almost always training with a partner or teammate, so giving up that time cold turkey would have been hard on me emotionally. Everything else changes so much in pregnancy that keeping this part of my routine was helpful for my mindset. I do think staying active has also helped stave off some of the typical pregnancy aches and pains too. I added a prenatal yoga class into my workout routine, which is way outside of my comfort zone as a weightlifter, and I have loved it!

Any surprises regarding how you anticipated you'd feel in your third trimester and how you are feeling now?

Veronica: I definitely thought I'd be more uncomfortable than I am. It's no walk in the park but so far I've not needed to use a support belt and I have some swelling in my legs and feet but I thought it would be much worse than that. Especially with multiples, I think a lot of people expected me to be on bed rest, and I'm still pretty active at 35 weeks. I'm starting to slow down a little bit now but continuing to take walks and doing some training a few days a week because I can, and it feels good.

What helped you through the times when you didn't feel like training?

Veronica: Mostly knowing that I had people that were expecting me to show up to my training sessions; but also knowing that I could cut back and go a little lighter that day if I was feeling less than 100% and come back the next day and work a little harder if I felt like it. Keeping a mindset that pregnancy is temporary has been a helpful perspective to have.

Any suggestions for other pregnant women who want to continue with a high level strength training routine?

Veronica: First, find a coach who can help you along the way if at all possible. Second, make sure you've got someone that can remind you that this is temporary when you get frustrated. I've cried in the gym a couple of times when all of my training partners were snatching (my favorite movement), and I was just overhead pressing or something like that. They never made me feel bad about my emotions and always encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Last, remember that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. Ask yourself if you really need to do that particular movement to accomplish your goal, and be willing to make modifications as your pregnancy progresses.

Veronica coaches at Functional Integrated Training in Fitchburg, WI https://functionalintegratedtraining.com/veronica/

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