training myths

What To Expect In the Gym When You’re Expecting Note From TG: This is a re-publication (with updated edits/additions) of an article I wrote a few years ago. I figured since I’m currently working with four women at the moment – three in person, and one distance based – who are pregnant, it was something I felt required a little dusting off. Hope you enjoy it. Okay, I know what some of you may be thinking: What does someone who has succumbed to male pattern baldness, hates The Notebook3, and pees standing up know about the female body, let alone speaking to something that’s arguably the most precious, magical, and delicate time of a woman’s life? (insert shrug emoji here) Close-up pregnant woman doing exercise indoors. What to Expect (In the Gym) When Expecting Well, first off: Not for nothing, I took health class in 9th grade, so I know where babies come from Smarty Pants. For those who don’t know, when a man and a woman love one another they place a note in a bottle and throw it into the sea. Eventually a mermaid reads it, sends her pet seahorse to the Galapagos Islands where he then relays the message to Henry the stork. And wah-lah…a baby arrives nine months later. Don’t argue with me, it’s science. Secondly, in the just over two decades I’ve been a strength coach I’ve worked with and trained a few dozen women through their pregnancies and I thought I’d share some of my own thoughts on the topic because I feel much of the information out there directed towards women is regurgitated, archaic, hogwash. Admittedly I have a strong viewpoint and recognize that not everyone will agree with me (and that’s cool). But it’s my hope that this post at least opens up the conversation and helps encourage people to think outside the box. For me there’s a massive dichotomy between what I do and what most (not all) of the research says we should be doing when working with someone who’s pregnant. Obligatory Disclaimer: Every pregnancy is different; each woman needs to consider her own specific situation. And, to cover your bases, it’s best to consult with your physician. Preferably one that lifts…;0) No one should be made to feel guilty or lazy if they need to take it easy; the health of the baby and mother are paramount. While it always comes down to the individual, their comfort level, their ability to listen to their body, as well as their past training history, I find it somewhat disheartening that there are health professionals out there (both primary and tertiary, as well as many of us in the fitness industry), and even more articles, that suggest “training” should orbit around light walking and what mounts to folding laundry. For me, when I’m working with someone who’s expecting, it’s about preparing them for something a helluva lot more significant than lifting pink dumbbells (or for that matter anything I’ll ever have to do as a member of the Y chromosome club). I mean, I think it’s an accomplishment I can grow chest hair, but if you’re able to grow and push a human being out of your body, that’s next level shit. If that’s the case, you’re also capable of lifting a barbell off the ground. Repeatedly. But let me be clear, and this is going to serve as the proverbial umbrella of the entire conversation: It ALWAYS comes down to the woman’s comfort level. Regardless of one’s experience in the gym, whether they’re a seasoned veteran or a newbie, I always instruct the women I work with to listen to their body. After a few hundred thousand years of evolution, the human body is pretty smart, resilient, and will let you know when it’s pissed off or doesn’t like something. Now, I’m not insinuating that every expecting mother out there should go out and try to hit a deadlift PR on a weekly basis or snatch a mack truck over their head. But I’m certainly in the camp that feels we can offer a lot more than simply telling them to “go walk on the treadmill” or what mounts to playing patty cake for shits and giggles. As an example, here’s one of my former female clients, Whitney, when I was a coach at Cressey Sports Performance performing some heavy(ish) deadlifts at roughly 32 weeks out. And I say “heavy(ish)” because the weight in this video was no where near her best effort.   Because this is a gargantuan topic and because my head is spinning in several different directions – and because it’s something I can’t possibly cover in one simple blog post – I’m just going to shoot from the hip and blurt out some thoughts in random order. Stuff 1. Before I begin I’d be doing a huge disservice to the discussion if I didn’t point people in the direction of Dr. Laura Latham, Julia Ladewski, and Stacey Schaedler all of whom are three very strong (and very smart) women who have written extensively on women training through their pregnancy. Likewise, I’d be remiss not to mention Dr. Sarah Duvall’s excellent Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist Certification – it’s not only THE best resource on the topic of training during pregnancy and postpartum, but, if I’m be honest, its THE best course I’ve ever taken. To rank them: 1. Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist 2. Lightsaber Self-Defense Against the Dark Arts (and fit-fluencers) 3. CPR. To quote the Dr. Duvall herself: “You gotta lift shit to fix shit.” If you’re a trainer, strength coach, physical therapist, or I don’t know, an Orc – it stands to reason this information applies to 50% of your current/potential client roster… …you WILL need to know this stuff. I’d also be remiss not to point to THIS amazing archive on the Girls Gone Strong website – everything from myths about strength training during pregnancy to pelvic floor dysfunction is covered. In addition, HERE is a