Ahhh pregnancy, such a beautiful time. But boy oh boy, does it come with some challenges. And with nausea, fatigue, and an ever growing belly exercise, might seem like the last thing on your mind during pregnancy. But exercise throughout pregnancy has numerous benefits for mom and baby. You can read my previous post about Exercise & Pregnancy to learn why it is so important to stay physically active during pregnancy. With pregnancy comes a whole slew of physical changes. Between a growing uterus, increasing weight gain, loosening ligaments, and other physiological changes, pregnancy can be a lot on the body. A great way to manage these changes and to continue to stay active during pregnancy is to strengthen several main muscle groups. If you’re looking to feel better throughout your pregnancy and even help prepare your body for childbirth and postpartum you definitely want to incorporate strengthening or stabilization exercises into your routine. So what muscles are important to strengthen and why?
Physical Changes During Pregnancy
When you stop and think about it, pregnancy is crazy. In a matter of 9-10 months a woman’s body grows another 6, 7, 8 (maybe even 10) pound human. That’s insane. During this time the body releases a hormone known as relaxin to loosen the ligaments and help the pelvis make room for a growing baby. Unfortunately this leads to joint laxity and instability which can cause discomfort and pain, especially in the back, hips, and pelvic region.
Speaking of this growing baby, a pregnant woman tends to gain a decent amount of weight in a short amount of time. Between the increase in fluid, blood volume, placenta, and the baby itself a pregnant woman gains on average 25-35 lbs. Most of this weight is in the midsection which can cause further stress and pressure on the abdomen, hips, pelvis, and pelvic floor.
Some of the common musculoskeletal related complaints experienced by pregnant women include:
- Low Back Pain
- Tailbone Pain
- Hip Pain
- Pelvic Pain
- Sciatica
- Pubic Symphysis pain
- Core Weakness/Instability
Remember this post if for informational purposes only and should not substitute medical advice. If you are experiencing pain during pregnancy you should always speak with the appropriate health care provider. But a good place to start when experiencing muscle aches, pain, “tightness” sensations, or feelings of instability is to strengthen your muscles.
Why Muscle Strength Is So Important When Pregnant
Muscles are responsible for holding our body in place. The muscles do most of the work of keeping us upright and functional. When muscles are weak and not performing their particular responsibilities the body suffers. Weakness leads to tightness or over fatigue of other muscles, ligamentous strains, or joint inflammation. A particular pain is likely to persist if you don’t address what’s causing the problem in the first place. And most often there is some type of muscle weakness or imbalance occurring in the body.
Pregnancy is a prefect opportunity for problem areas to reveal themselves. As ligaments become more lax the muscles have to work overtime. And with added weight, pressure, and lengthening of some muscle groups the muscles of the abdomen, hips, and pelvis really need to be carrying their weight (pun intended).
As the belly grows it can stretch out the muscles of the abdomen. This creates a problem with the length/tension relationship of the muscle making it have to work even harder to contract and relax appropriately. Likewise, a pregnant woman’s posture also changes. Her feet may turn out and she may began to lean backwards to counter balance the weight of the belly. Again this puts the muscles of the hips, core, and butt in an unfavorable position preventing them from working effectively. So let’s strengthen those muscle up to allow them to hold and support mama’s growing body.
4 Important Muscles To Strengthen In Pregnancy
Hip Flexors
The hip flexors are the muscles that lie on the front of the hip. They play important roles in both core stability and gait. These muscles help support the low back and hips. The hip flexors connect the low back to the legs and counterbalance muscles that run along your backside. They assist you in taking forward steps. Due to changing postures and core weakness these muscles often become tight and weak during pregnancy. This can lead to pain or compensations made by other muscles. One of the best ways to prevent these changes is to strengthen the hip flexors.
Gluteus Maximus
The body is chain and all muscles groups are working together to keep the body balanced and functional. Along with the hip flexors you want to strengthen the opposing muscle group of the glutes, aka your butt. The gluteus maximus is a very large muscle that plays a big role in supporting your hips and low back. This muscle definitely needs to be strong and “turned on” to maintain good posture, movement, and stability. A strong gluteus maximus can aid in prevention of low back, hip, and knee pain.
Gluteus Medius
The gluteus medius is another glute muscle. This one is slightly smaller than the maximus and lies more on the side aspect of your butt. The gluteus medius is a very important muscle for lateral stability. It aids in stabilizing your pelvis, especially during any activities that require standing on one leg. Similar to the gluteus maximus this muscle can help prevent pain and discomfort in the low back, pelvis, and lower extremities. Core/Abdomen
The core is one area of the body that will inevitably go through significant change before and after pregnancy. A diastasis recti, or separation of the abdominals, happens in most pregnancies. Nevertheless, continuing to strengthen the muscles of the core and work the abdominal muscles and fascia throughout pregnancy’s will keep these tissues healthy and strong. This is not an all inclusive list. There are numerous other muscles that should be strengthened for a strong healthy body. Muscles of the neck, shoulders, mid back, lower back, pelvic floor, legs, and feet are all important. These four areas are just a nice place to start for some global stabilization.
Other Important Tips About Exercise During Pregnancy
Repeat for 3 sets
- Shuffle with squat
- Straight leg raise with one knee bent
- Straight leg raise with both knees straight
- Fire hydrants
- Donkey Kicks
- Slow Sumo Squats
Perform each exercise slow and with good quality movement. Ensure your core is braced and you’re breathing throughout the exercise.
For glute or pelvic strengthening check out my posts:
- Total Body Pregnancy Routine (in Pregnancy & Exercise Post)
- 5 Core Exercises for a Better Belly (some moves are suitable for only 1st or 2nd trimester)
- or try these abdominal bracing exercises in my Mommy Pooch post
2. Laying down butterfly stretch: