Women who have never practiced bodybuilding and decide to start these exercises during pregnancy can harm the baby because in these cases there is a risk of:
- Injuries and strong impacts on the mother’s belly,
- Decrease in the amount of oxygen to the baby,
- Decreased fetal growth,
- Low birth weight and
- Part premature.
The best way to know if exercise is safe during pregnancy is to talk to your doctor and gym instructor before starting exercise. If the woman did not do any exercise before pregnancy, she should opt for lighter exercises with less impact. .
However, even pregnant women who were already used to weight training before becoming pregnant need to be careful, not doing very intense training, nor training more than 3 times a week. Each workout should last 30 minutes to 1 hour, with sets of 8 to 10 repetitions per exercise. Another important precaution is to choose low-impact exercises, without straining the pelvic region, abdomen and back, which should be guided by a physical education professional.
Pregnant women can do weight training
Who can’t do weight training during pregnancy
Women who did not exercise should rest during the first trimester and begin activity only in the second trimester, when the risk of miscarriage decreases.
In addition to being contraindicated for women who did not practice weight training before becoming pregnant, this type of activity is especially contraindicated for pregnant women who have:
- Heart disease;
- Increased risk of thrombosis;
- Recent pulmonary embolism;
- Acute infectious disease;
- Risk of premature birth;
- Uterine bleeding;
- Severe isoimmunization;
- Morbid obesity;
- Anemia;
- Diabetes;
- Hypertension;
- Suspected fetal stress;
- Patient without prenatal care.
The ideal is to always go to the doctor before starting any physical exercise, to assess the health of the pregnancy and ask for permission to exercise, in addition to being accompanied by a physical educator to do everything safely. See when to stop physical activity during pregnancy.
Recommended exercises for sedentary pregnant women
For women who did not practice bodybuilding before pregnancy, the ideal is to do low-impact physical activity for the spine and joints, such as Pilates, swimming, water aerobics, Yoga, aerobics, walking and cycling on an exercise bike.
Furthermore, doing small exercises throughout the day also brings benefits to the body as long as they complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity together. Thus, a woman can do 10 minutes of walking three times a day, for example, which will already have positive results for pregnancy.
Benefits of physical activity during pregnancy
Light or moderate physical activity during pregnancy brings the following benefits:
- Less weight gain in the mother;
- Prevent gestational diabetes;
- Lower risk of premature birth;
- Shorter duration of labor;
- Lower risk of birth complications for mother and baby;
- Reduce the risk of having a cesarean section;
- Increase the physical capacity and disposition of pregnant women;
- Prevent varicose veins;
- Reduce back pain;
- Help control blood pressure;
- Increase flexibility;
- Facilitate recovery after childbirth.
In addition to the benefits for the body and the baby, exercise also helps to increase a woman’s self-esteem and reduce stress, anxiety and the risk of postpartum depression.
Benefits of Physical Activity
Exercises not recommended for pregnant women
Exercises that are not recommended include sit-ups, push-ups, jumping and exercises that require balance, as they impact the belly or increase the risk of falls, which could harm the baby.
Therefore, exercises or sports such as volleyball, basketball, horse riding, high-impact gymnastics and diving should be completely avoided during pregnancy, even by women who already practiced these activities before becoming pregnant.
In addition to weight training, see other exercises that facilitate natural birth.
