Resistance Training & PregnancyResistance Training & Pregnancy by M. Doug McGuff, M.D.
The first thing we must understand is that a pregnancy is, in a biological sense, a parasitic infestation. The fetus occupies the mother's body and takes all it needs to sustain itself at the expense of the mother. There is no physical benefit to the mother to qualify this as a symbiotic relationship. The fetus will have all of its needs met even to the detriment of the mother. Like a parasite, the only biological concern the fetus has for the mother is not to kill its host. The mother can subject herself to all kinds of abuse and the fetus will do just fine. I often laugh at mothers who will not have a single glass of wine for fear of causing neural tube defects. The "crack babies" who we thought were going to have horrible cognitive defects are doing as well or better than their cohorts with normal gestational backgrounds. Any meaningful exercise in and of itself must be considered a negative event physiologically. However, the adaptations as a result of proper exercise have much to offer expectant mothers. In terms of high intensity exercise bringing harm to a fetus...that concept is simply laughable. There are conditions where resistance training would be contraindicated (such as placenta previa, pre-eclampsia, and other high risk conditions), but during a normal pregnancy high intensity exercise should pose no threat.
The physiologic demands of pregnancy on the mother are considerable and labor is probably the most demanding activity a mother will ever go through. If an athlete knew that the most demanding event of their life was approaching in 8 or 9 months don't you think that she would prepare for that event through proper conditioning. During labor a woman will experience high-intensity muscular contractions and extreme exertional discomfort. She will be asked to avoid val-salva, relax her face and ventilate through these intense contractions. The ease of her delivery will be directly proportional to her muscular and metabolic condition. Poor muscular conditioning is the most common cause of non-progressive labor, fetal distress and need for emergent C-section. Sadly, most women do not condition well for pregnancy, in fact most women avoid exertion of any type and become grossly deconditioned during their pregnancy. Such a situation makes labor much more risky for the mother and the neonate and makes it almost impossible for the mother to re-acquire her pre-pregnancy figure.
Resistance training literally has more to offer the expectant mother than it has to offer any other type of athlete. Not only will the mother benefit from the general conditioning that resistance training provides any athlete, she will also acquire some "sport specific skills". The expectant mother will get to experience first hand the exertional discomfort that accompanies high-intensity muscular contraction. Proper instruction will teach her proper breathing technique that will break the Val-Salva/Sync association (the tendency to hold your breath, and push against a closed glottis as muscular contraction becomes severe). Lamaze classes attempt to teach this technique without the accompanying exertional discomfort....this is like trying to practice leg press by breathing hard and fast. With resistance training the expectant mother will have multiple rehearsals at deep concentration, following of instruction and proper breathing in the face of intense muscular contraction and severe exertional discomfort. We as trainers hear many of our female clients proclaim "this is just like labor". Ideally, the expectant father could start his own program and the couple could be taught to instruct each other. This would make the father a much more effective birthing coach. The mother could also be afforded the opportunity to coach the husband, putting him in the throws of exertional discomfort while she attempts to coax proper behavior. Empathy from both sides of the fence will improve cooperation and performance of the husband and wife in the birthing suite.
Resistance training is not only "OK" to perform during pregnancy; in my opinion it is the perfect preparation for pregnancy. It is so well suited to prepare for pregnancy that I feel it should become the "standard of care" for pre-partum and perinatal preparation. In certain exceptions such as pre-eclampsia or preterm labor resistance training would have to be discontinued; but in the vast majority of cases it is neglectful to not do resistance training. To go into pregnancy not availing yourself of this prenatal care, in my opinion, is much worse than having the occasional glass of wine or cup of coffee. The risk to the fetus and mother from a difficult labor as a result of poor muscular condition are much greater than the risks that all mothers currently take much more seriously. Someday I hope it will be considered medically and socially unacceptable to not perform resistance training in preparation for pregnancy and labor.
