Benefits of Strength Training During Pregnancy for Both Mom and Baby
Written by Dr. Lizzie Kieffer, DPT.
Not all that long ago, pregnancy was often treated as a time to slow down as much as possible. A time where pregnant women were viewed as “fragile”. Many women were encouraged to rest, avoid strenuous activity, and even limit exercise out of concern for their own safety and the health of their baby. Thankfully, our understanding of pregnancy has come a long way since then. Today, we know that for most healthy pregnancies, staying active is not only safe, but encouraged!
And while the message of “staying active” has become much more widely accepted, I want to get a little more specific today with the actual exercise that can be extremely beneficial…not just to mom, but for baby too…and that is strength training!
I do feel that there is still some lingering uncertainty when it comes to women feeling assured and comfortable with strength training during pregnancy…questions like, Is it safe to lift weights while pregnant? Could it hurt my baby? Should I stop strength training now that I'm expecting? are still incredibly common! Fortunately, the research continues to show that appropriately modified strength training is not only safe for most low-risk pregnancies, but it offers meaningful benefits for both mom and baby!
In this blog, we'll take a closer look at what the research says about strength training during pregnancy, why it's so valuable throughout all three trimesters, and the ways it can support everything from your changing body and labor preparation to your baby's growth and development. Whether you're already strength training or thinking about getting started, understanding these benefits can help you approach movement during pregnancy with more confidence and less uncertainty.
is strength training safe during pregnancy?
The short answer is yes - for most women with a healthy, low-risk pregnancy. In fact, current research supports appropriately modified strength training throughout pregnancy and highlights benefits for both maternal AND fetal health. Of course, every pregnancy is unique, so it's always important to discuss your individual health history and any pregnancy-related concerns with your healthcare provider before beginning or continuing an exercise program.
One thing that's important to understand is that pregnancy isn't a reason to stop strength training, but it is a reason to train differently. As your body changes, your workouts should evolve right alongside it. That might mean modifying certain exercises, adjusting the amount of weight you're lifting, changing your range of motion, or choosing movements that better accommodate your growing belly and shifting center of gravity.
The goal during pregnancy isn't to chase personal records or see how much weight you can lift, but instead, the focus shifts toward maintaining strength, supporting your changing body, preparing for labor and delivery, and setting yourself up for a smoother postpartum recovery.
If you're wanting more information on exercising during pregnancy and the research on what is safe, make sure to check out my blog Exercise and Pregnancy: Is It Safe? for a more thorough explanation and specifics on the suggested parameters!
benefits of strength training for MOM
Strength training during pregnancy is about so much more than maintaining muscle, although that’s obviously great too! As your body adapts to support your growing baby, your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system are all working harder than before. Continuing to strength train (with appropriate modifications as your pregnancy progresses) can help support those changes while also preparing your body for labor, delivery, and recovery. Let's take a look at some of the biggest benefits for MOM in particular when it comes to strength training during pregnancy.
1. Better Support for Your Changing Body
One of the biggest advantages of strength training during pregnancy is that it helps your body adapt to the physical demands of carrying a growing baby. As your center of gravity shifts forward and your joints become more mobile due to hormonal changes, your muscles play an even bigger role in providing stability and support.
Strengthening your deep core, pelvic floor, glutes, hips, back, and shoulders helps to create a stronger foundation for your changing body. Rather than relying on passive structures like your ligaments and joints to absorb extra stress, you're building the muscular support needed to move more efficiently throughout pregnancy.
This is one of the reasons I encourage women to continue strength training throughout all three trimesters (with appropriate modifications as needed) as their body continues to change!
2. Less Back, Hip, and Pelvic Discomfort
Aches and pains are often thought of as an inevitable part of pregnancy, but staying strong can help reduce some of the physical discomfort that commonly develops as your pregnancy progresses.
As your baby grows, the additional weight and anterior shifting posture places more demand on your back, hips, pelvis, and surrounding muscles. Strength training helps these muscles better support your body during everyday activities like walking, standing, lifting, and carrying.
While no exercise program can guarantee you'll be pain-free, maintaining strength and mobility can often make these changes feel much more manageable and help you continue doing the things you enjoy throughout pregnancy!
3. Improved Blood Sugar Regulation
Strength training doesn't just benefit your muscles…it also plays an important role in how your body uses glucose.
Research(*) has shown that resistance training can improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood sugar levels during pregnancy. This is especially important because healthy blood sugar regulation may reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes and can also help manage blood sugar in women who have already been diagnosed.
Supporting healthy glucose levels benefits both you and your growing baby, making strength training an important part of a well-rounded prenatal exercise routine!
4. Better Preparation for Labor and Recovery
Pregnancy is preparing your body for one of the most physically demanding events you'll ever experience: labor and birth!
Strength training helps build the muscular endurance, coordination, and body awareness that can be beneficial throughout labor. Learning how to coordinate your breath with movement, generate strength when needed, and relax when appropriate are all skills that carry over into birth (and should also be included in a well-rounded strength training program!).
Research has also found that women who participate in resistance training during pregnancy may have an increased likelihood of vaginal delivery. And after baby arrives, maintaining strength during pregnancy can provide a strong foundation as you begin your postpartum recovery and gradually return to daily activities and exercise.
5. Improved Mood and Energy
The benefits of strength training aren't limited to physical changes! They can even extend to your mental well-being, too…which honestly, might be the MOST beneficial of all!
Regular exercise has been associated with improved mood, reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, better energy levels, and an overall greater sense of well-being during pregnancy. Even on the days when motivation feels low, moving your body can help you feel more capable, confident, and connected to the changes happening throughout pregnancy.
Pregnancy asks a lot of both your body and your mind. Strength training is one way to support both.
benefits of strength training for BABY
One of my favorite things about strength training during pregnancy is that its benefits don't stop with mom. Every workout creates an environment that supports your baby's growth and development, too. From improving blood flow and oxygen delivery to supporting healthy fetal growth, your movement plays an important role in creating the best possible environment for your baby throughout pregnancy.
1. Increased Blood Flow and Oxygen Delivery
Every time you exercise, your heart works a little harder to circulate blood throughout your body. During pregnancy, that circulation also supports your growing baby by helping deliver oxygen and nutrients through the placenta!
Research has shown that regular exercise, including strength training, can improve uterine blood flow, creating an environment that supports healthy fetal growth and development. It's one of the many reasons movement during pregnancy is about much more than simply staying active.
2. Supports Healthy Placental Function
The placenta is your baby's lifeline throughout pregnancy, delivering oxygen and nutrients while removing waste products. Supporting healthy circulation also helps support the placenta's ability to do its job efficiently.
While we often think about exercise benefiting our muscles or cardiovascular system, it's also helping maintain the systems that nourish your baby throughout pregnancy.
3. Supports Healthy Birth Weight
One of the many benefits researchers have observed is a reduced risk of fetal macrosomia, which is when a baby grows larger than expected for their gestational age.
Healthy blood sugar regulation and improved maternal metabolism both play a role in supporting appropriate fetal growth. Rather than encouraging excessive growth, strength training helps create conditions that support healthy development throughout pregnancy.
4. May Support Lifelong Metabolic Health
Some of the most exciting research looks beyond pregnancy itself. Emerging evidence suggests that babies born to mothers who exercised during pregnancy may experience long-term metabolic benefits, potentially lowering their risk for metabolic dysfunction as they grow!
While researchers continue to learn more about these long-term effects, it's another reminder that the choices we make during pregnancy can have lasting impacts beyond birth.
5. Supports Healthy Cardiovascular Development
Research has also found that babies of physically active mothers may demonstrate signs of healthy cardiovascular development, including improved heart rate variability, which is actually a marker of how well the nervous system and cardiovascular system are working together.
Although these changes happen long before your baby is born, they highlight just how connected your health and your baby's development truly are throughout pregnancy…which is actually so cool in my opinion!
how to strength train safely during pregnancy
So we know that strength training can offer incredible benefits for both you AND your baby, now the next thing to discuss is…how do we do it safely?
Here’s what I will say → you don't need to completely change your workouts the moment you see those two pink lines. Instead, think of pregnancy as a season of adaptation. As your body changes, your training should change with it! We don’t want to stop moving, but each trimester will require a slightly different approach to be effective at supporting what you need.
And if you happen to be in the first trimester right now and are wondering how the heck to handle movement in the first trimester when you’re struggling with nausea and/or fatigue…make sure to check out THIS blog that covers everything you need to know about that!
But in general, here are a few key principles I recommend keeping in mind:
1. Prioritize Good Breathing & Pressure Management
Honestly, this is something that should be prioritized whether you’re pregnant or not, but ESPECIALLY during pregnancy! Because it’s really not about the specific exercise you’re doing most of the time, it’s more about HOW you’re doing it that matters most.
Learning to coordinate your breath with your deep core and pelvic floor helps you manage pressure more effectively as your baby grows. Rather than holding your breath or bearing down during challenging movements, focus on exhaling through the effort while maintaining a strong connection to your core.
This is one of the most valuable skills you'll practice throughout pregnancy because it carries over into your daily activities, your workouts, and even labor and birth!
2. Modify Exercises as Your Pregnancy Progresses
What feels great at 12 weeks may not feel so great at 32 weeks, and that's okay (and to be expected!).
As your belly grows and your center of gravity shifts, some exercises will naturally need to be modified. That might mean adjusting your stance, changing your range of motion, using different equipment, or swapping an exercise for another that better supports your changing body.
Remember, modifying an exercise isn't a step backward, and if you have an athletic background or high-achieving mindset, you may need to remind yourself of this frequently! Because utilizing a modification is actually one of the smartest things you can do to meet your body where it’s at!
3. Pay Attention to Positioning
As your pregnancy progresses, it's generally recommended to avoid spending prolonged periods lying flat on your back, particularly after the first trimester, since this position may reduce blood flow for some women.
You'll also want to avoid activities that carry a high risk of falling or direct trauma to your abdomen. Choosing stable, controlled movements allows you to continue building strength while minimizing unnecessary risk.
4. Listen to Your Body
Pregnancy is not the time to push through pain or ignore warning signs. Some days you'll feel strong and energized. Other days, you'll need to decrease the weight, shorten your workout, or take an extra rest day, and again, that's okay and totally acceptable!
Your body is doing an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Learning to adjust your training based on how you feel each day is part of training well (and smart) during pregnancy.
5. Continue to Challenge Yourself…Appropriately
Strength training during pregnancy doesn't mean avoiding challenge altogether. As long as you're using good technique, breathing well, and making appropriate modifications, it's okay to continue progressing your workouts. That progression may look different than it did before pregnancy, but continuing to challenge your muscles appropriately helps you maintain strength throughout all three trimesters!
We’re not necessarily trying to hit personal records, but instead, the focus is to build a body that feels strong, capable, and prepared for everything pregnancy, labor, and postpartum will ask of it.
If all of this feels a little overwhelming, it’s okay! Let’s take a deep, collective breath and understand that this is exactly why I created the Mind Body Core Prenatal Program! Every workout is designed specifically for pregnancy, with built-in modifications, breathing cues, deep core and pelvic floor education, and trimester-specific progressions, so you never have to wonder if you're doing the right exercises for your changing body.
pregnancy is a time to train smarter, not harder
I want to be clear that strength training does NOT mean that you have to be lifting heavy weights or pushing yourself to the limit every single workout! There is a time and place to push yourself, perform one rep maxes or lift HEAVY weights…but pregnancy isn’t that time.
If you’re needing to hear this from someone, let me be the one to tell you that strength training can be as simple as bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, light dumbbells, or functional movements that challenge your muscles while supporting your changing body. Because what matters most isn't how much weight is on the bar, it's moving with good form, breathing well, and choosing exercises that meet you where you are!
Now, with that being said, pregnancy also isn't a time to stop moving altogether! Instead, it's about finding that happy medium between challenging your body and respecting the changes it's going through. Some days that may mean lifting weights. Other days it may mean focusing on mobility, deep core activation, or a shorter workout because that's what your body needs. Finding that balance is what it’s all about!
When you shift your mindset from training harder to training smarter, your workouts become less about checking a box and more about supporting your body through pregnancy, preparing for labor, and building a strong foundation for postpartum recovery.
Remember, consistency will always have a greater impact than intensity. Showing up regularly with movements that are appropriate for your stage of pregnancy is far more beneficial than chasing personal records or feeling like every workout has to leave you exhausted. And I say all of this with love, because trust me, I know how hard this can be on both ends of the spectrum.
training smarter with mind body core prenatal program
If you're looking for a pregnancy workout program that does more than simply tell you what exercises to do, the Mind Body Core Prenatal Program was built for you.
I created this program to help women continue strength training safely and confidently throughout pregnancy with expert guidance every step of the way. In fact, it's the same program I've used (as a pelvic floor physical therapist and mom of three) during my own pregnancies because I wanted a place where women could feel supported, not just with workouts, but with everything pregnancy brings.
Inside the Prenatal Program, you'll find trimester-specific strength workouts with both 3-day and 5-day workout options, so your plan is already laid out for you. You'll also have access to pregnancy-specific mobility and deep core programming, helping you build strength while maintaining the mobility and core connection your body needs as your pregnancy progresses.
But it doesn't stop with just workouts…
…your MBC membership also includes the Labor Prep Program, Prenatal Nutrition program, pregnancy pain relief education, and a growing library of videos and educational content designed to help you better understand the changes happening in your body. Whether you're dealing with pelvic pain, preparing for labor, or simply wondering how to modify an exercise as your bump grows, you'll have trusted guidance all in one place…and literally just a click away!
Because pregnancy isn't just one trimester, and your support shouldn't be either.
The Mind Body Core Prenatal Program was designed to guide you through every stage of pregnancy…helping you move with confidence, feel prepared and empowered for birth, and build a strong foundation for postpartum recovery.
Ready to get started? I'd love to help you feel stronger, more confident, and supported throughout your pregnancy. You can explore the MBC Prenatal Program and the entire membership by clicking the button below!
*Remember - you can access the Prenatal program by either purchasing the individual program or bundle with the Postpartum program for lifetime access OR by becoming an MBC member where you have access to ALL programs inside!
*Research: Duchette, C., Perera, M., Arnett, S., White, E., Belcher, E., & Tinius, R. (2024). Benefits of resistance training during pregnancy for maternal and fetal health: A brief overview. International Journal of Women's Health, 16, 1123-1135.