Lifting Weights & Pregnancy

Being pregnant doesn't mean you must abandon your weight-training regimen. Lifting weights while pregnant can be healthful for you and the baby, if you are careful not to overdo it.

Significance

• It's important to continue to exercise once you're pregnant. "Moderate physical activity (30 minutes a day) is now considered not only thoroughly safe, but also extremely beneficial for most expectant mothers and their babies," write Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee Hathaway in "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

Considerations

• Pregnant women should get their doctor's approval before beginning or continuing any exercise routine, including weight lifting, regardless of their fitness level.

Warning

• Once you have your doctor's approval, avoid weights more than 25 pounds as holding your breath or grunting "may compromise blood flow to the uterus," write Murkoff, Eisenberg and Hathaway."

  Other risks of exercise during pregnancy include a higher body temperature and possible injury to the mother's abdomen, write Dr. Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler in "Your Pregnancy Week by Week."

Repetitions

• Instead of doing a few repetitions with a heavy weight, do multiple repetitions with lighter weights. It is important to stretch before and after lifting weights, and to warm up and cool down. Curtis and Schuler advise exercising at 80 percent of your pre-pregnancy level and checking your heart rate every 15 minutes to ensure it doesn't exceed 140 beats per minute.

Benefits

• Weight-bearing exercise, done correctly, promotes increased bone density to help avoid osteoporosis. Improved flexibility, coordination and mood are other benefits, write Curtis and Schuler. And a happy, healthy mom can make for a happy, healthy baby.