Everything you need to Know about Pregnant Powerlifting

pregnancy, powerlifting, strength training
Over the last 10 years we have seen more women love lifting weights. One of the sports that is focussed on strength training, is powerlifting.
 
Powerlifting has been around for a long time. But with the rise of CrossFit, powerlifting has grown in popularity.
 
Powerlifting involves the three big movements: squat, bench
press, and deadlift. When women become pregnant, they want to continue with her powerlifting program. When a person becomes pregnant, they want to know if their program needs to change. In this article, we’re going to take the guess work out of it for you. First, we will break down the powerlifting movements. Then we’ll talk about modifications or considerations for pregnancy.

What are the BIG THREE movements in Powerlifting?

Squat

The squat is a lower body exercise that focuses on the muscles of the legs. It involves lowering your body into a “seated” position. The hip crease needs to go below parallel. You then push back up to a standing position while holding a barbell across your upper back.

bench press

The bench press is an upper body exercise. It targets the muscles of the chest, shoulders, and triceps. You lie flat on a bench and pushing a barbell upward from the chest to full arm extension.

Deadlift

The deadlift is a full-body exercise that hits the muscles of the lower back, hips, and legs. You lift a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position. It employs a hip hinge movement while keeping the back straight.
 
These three lifts are the foundation of powerlifting competitions. Participants aim to lift as much weight as possible in each movement in their given weight class.

Medical Disclaimer:

If you have any questions about powerlifting for YOUR pregnancy, reach out to a provider. I encourage you to seek out advice from your birth provider or a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Can I lift heavy during pregnancy?

The short answer to this question is yes. The longer, more nuanced answer, is it depends.
 
Exercise including strength training during pregnancy is not only safe, it’s encouraged. Pregnant exercise guidelines say to strength train at least two times per week.
 
We only have one study that has looked at heavy lifting in pregnant people. Individuals were recreational level lifters. They lifted at least 80% of their one rep max at some point during their pregnancy. There was no increased risk to mom or baby for all outcomes when individuals lifted heavy during their pregnancy. This is super exciting! It starts to challenge the idea that women need to limit their weights during pregnancy.
 
During pregnancy because of fatigue, how their body is feeling, and other obligations, the weights that they will lift will be lighter. That is completely okay. It is also to completely okay!

What general considerations do I need to take when it comes to my program?

Your body is going to be changing. Resting heart rate will go up and you’ll feel more out of breath with exercise. That is normal based on what happens during pregnancy. Pay attention to how your body feels during and after lifting or exercise in general. If you experience any discomfort, pain, or unusual symptoms, it’s important to pause or stop. Consult with your healthcare provider if you are worried about it.
 
Lifting form during pregnancy is just as important as form when you aren’t pregnant. If you are having a tough time with positions, scale it.

First trimester considerations

In the first trimester, you’re a little baby is sitting very far back in your pelvis. Because of this we don’t need to make any sweeping adjustments to your exercise program.
 
Exercise considerations in the first trimester have to do with fatigue and sickness. It could be hard to get into the gym when you are feeling like trash. While everybody has tiredness after a hard work out, it’s heightened during pregnancy. That will cause some people to adjust the load on the bar or the intensity of their session.
 
You can still perform Valsalva. Many people still use their weightlifting belts in the first trimester.

Second trimester considerations

In the second trimester, baby comes out of the pelvis and belly starts to really grow. This is when most people are going to start changing their exercise routine. There is no set time that modifications need to occur. There ARE guide posts that we want pregnant women to be aware. These will allow you to make the right decision about exercise for their pregnancy.
 
Reasons why we may modify the squat, bench, or deadlift during pregnancy include pelvic pain in the back or pubic synthesis, peeing during lifting (urinary incontinence) , or feelings of heaviness around the vaginal opening.
 
Modifications include dropping the weight, doing less repetitions, and using less range of motion. Additionally, breathing out on the hardest part of the lift may feel a little easier.

Third trimester considerations

The last trimester is when babies growth starts to take off. The weight and size of your baby bump will dictate how we modify different exercises. Some mamas feel strongest in their third trimester, especially in the dead lift. Considerations for this phase relate to the way you are lifting given the size of your belly. For example, many women bring their squat out a bit wider to make room for baby.
 
One other consideration for the third trimester is birth prep. Especially those who have been strength training for a long time, they are very good at holding their breath and not peeing or pooping. This means that they are tightening their pelvic floor. During delivery, the opposite needs to happen. When we push, we often hold our breath and then need to relax our pelvic floor. For that reason, we get all of our Barbell Mama athletes to do “birth prep”. You can check out our blogs about preparing for birth as a Barbell athlete (here and here).
 

These are some general considerations. Let’s discuss specific modifications for each of the big three powerlifting events.

Potential modifications to the Squat

For the squat, we have guideposts that we are looking for when considering modifying this movement. Some individuals can continue to squat to full depth for the entirety of their pregnancy.
 
The first modification most individuals will use, is to change their breath strategy. Instead of holding their breath while the brace, they will move to an exhale on exertion strategy. For the squat, that’s breathing out as you stand up. This will help the pelvic floor contract at the right time. If your body feels OK holding your breath with squats, we have no research saying that it is bad.
 
The second modification we use is a widening of your stance. If you already have a wide stance, this may not be necessary. If you tend to squat narrow, bringing your feet out to shoulder with or slightly wider may make room for baby.
 
The third modification we often use is to change your depth in the squat. This can be because of pain or leaking in the bottom of the squat. If this is you, try squatting to a target or bench and see if it feels more comfortable.

Potential modifications to the Bench Press

There is a lot of fear about lifting on your back during pregnancy. We have good research to show that for individuals who are asymptomatic, lifting on your back is safe. For some individuals, they will start to feel dizzy, nauseous, or unwell when lifting on their back. This is a condition called Supine Hypotensive Syndrome. This does not happen to every person.
 
If you do feel unwell exercising on their back, lift the head of the bench. This will move you to an incline bench press variation.
 
Again, a change in breath strategy where we breathe out as the bar comes off our chest can feel a bit better.

Potential modifications to the Deadlift

Getting into the bottom position of the dead lift can become harder later in pregnancy. Your baby bump hits your thighs and it can make it difficult to maintain a neutral spine. You start to round your back more in the bottom.
 
If this happens, we can change things up in a couple of ways. One is to move to a sumo deadlift or a wider stance for a conventional deadlift. The other way to modify is to pull from a height. It can be a plate on each side or a small box. You want enough room that you feel comfortable in the bottom of the lift.
 
The breath strategy switch is to breathe out as you stand up.

Want to take the guesswork OUT of your programming?

The Barbell Mamas has a pregnant powerlifting program! This program is designed by a pelvic floor physical therapist. The goal is to give you a program that you can feel safe using during your pregnancy. You can also ask any questions to our team about our programs, or form, or pelvic health issues.
 
Interested?
Check us out!
Picture of Christina Prevett, MSCPT, CSCS, PHD (CANDIDATE)

Christina Prevett, MSCPT, CSCS, PHD (CANDIDATE)

Christina Prevett is a pelvic floor physiotherapist who has a passion for helping women with different life transitions, including postpartum care and menopause.

Share this post with your friends!

Want to learn more about navigating being a pregnant or postpartum athlete? Join our community to get access to free resources!