Short version: a quick two-minute read
Pregnancy doesn’t automatically mean you need to stop strength training. In fact, Australian physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening exercise at least twice a week during a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy. Yet many women are still told to avoid lifting weights altogether. I think part of the confusion comes from what people imagine strength training involves. It doesn’t have to mean heavy barbells, high-intensity workouts or pushing yourself to exhaustion. Strength training can be as simple as controlled movements on machines, bodyweight exercises or lifting manageable weights. The goal is to maintain physical capacity while adapting to the changes happening throughout pregnancy.
One of the biggest benefits of exercise is often overlooked: how it makes you feel mentally. Having a routine, getting out of the house, seeing familiar faces at the gym and achieving something challenging can make a significant difference to your day. Exercise during pregnancy is associated with better mental health, alongside physical benefits including a reduced risk of gestational diabetes and improvements in some pregnancy-related back and pelvic pain. Maintaining familiar routines can also provide a sense of consistency during a period when so much else is changing.
Think about how physically demanding motherhood can be. You’re carrying a baby in one arm, shopping bags in the other, opening doors, getting up from the floor and navigating everyday life while potentially sleep-deprived. These activities require strength, endurance, balance and coordination. Squatting is a great example. We squat every time we stand up from a chair, get off the toilet or climb out of a car. So why would we automatically stop practising that movement in a controlled gym environment? Strength training gives us an opportunity to build confidence and capacity for activities we’re already doing in everyday life.
Got a few more minutes? Keep reading.
What changes during pregnancy isn’t necessarily the exercise itself, but how we approach it. Someone who has trained consistently for years may be able to continue many familiar movements, while someone new to strength training should start gradually. Intensity, volume, exercise selection and recovery can all be adjusted. Some days you might feel great lifting weights, while other days fatigue or nausea might mean choosing a lighter session or going for a walk instead. Avoid overheating, unnecessary breath-holding and exercises with a significant risk of falling or abdominal impact. The Australian guidelines advise avoiding heavy lifting, so heavier work is something to plan with your physio based on your training history. If you have any pregnancy complications, get advice from your doctor or midwife before starting or continuing exercise.
Pelvic floor awareness, breathing and abdominal coordination are also worth considering. Learning how to contract and relax your pelvic floor can be useful, particularly as pregnancy progresses. However, not everyone needs more strengthening, and symptoms such as pelvic pain, pressure or difficulty relaxing may warrant assessment. Similarly, abdominal exercises don’t automatically need to disappear, but may require modification for comfort and control. If exercise causes concerning abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, dizziness, chest pain or other unusual symptoms, stop and seek appropriate medical advice.
Pregnancy is an incredible period of physical change, but it doesn’t automatically make your body fragile. Rather than viewing these months as a reason to stop everything, consider them an opportunity to maintain the routines that support your physical and mental health. You don’t need to chase personal bests or prove how strong you are. The goal is to remain capable, confident and active in ways that suit your pregnancy, while preparing for the physical demands of life beyond it.
Continue Strength Training With Confidence.
At By Design Physiotherapy & Strength in North Hobart, we help women understand how to approach strength training during pregnancy, with consideration for their training history, symptoms and physical capacity.
Book a physiotherapy appointment to discuss your pregnancy exercise goals.
⸻
About This Article
Author: Marissa Seeley, Physiotherapist and Co-Founder
Clinic: By Design Physiotherapy & Strength, North Hobart, Tasmania
Publication date: 7 November 2026
Last reviewed: 6 November 2026
References
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Recommendations for pregnancy. Australian Physical Activity Guidelines. health.gov.au. Accessed November 2026.
Australian Government Department of Health. Physical activity and exercise during pregnancy guidelines (brochure). Australian Government, 2023.
Mottola MF, Davenport MH, Ruchat SM, et al. (2018). 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(21), 1339–1346. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-100056.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). Exercise During Pregnancy (C-Obs 62). Revised March 2020.
⸻
This is general information only. If you’re managing pain or an injury, speak with your physio about what’s right for you.
