Doing strength exercises during pregnancy as part of a broader workout plan doesn't seem to lower the chances of needing a C-section, forceps, or tearing during birth—so the benefits are probably more about how your body uses energy than about making delivery easier physically.

46

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

46

Community contributions welcome

46

Resistance training in pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis of pregnancy, delivery, fetal and pelvic floor outcomes and call to action

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2025 Jul 31

This study found that lifting weights during pregnancy doesn’t make it easier to give birth or prevent tearing, but it does help lower the risk of pregnancy-related health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes — so its real benefits are about improving overall health, not changing how the body delivers the baby.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Resistance training in pregnancy: systematic review and meta-analysis of pregnancy, delivery, fetal and pelvic floor outcomes and call to action

Score: 46

DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-109123

Similar Assertions

When pregnant women do strength training, it's usually part of a mix of exercises, but most studies don't clearly say how hard, how often, or how much weight to use — so we can't figure out the best way to make moms healthier.

46

0

83%

Working out with weights while pregnant doesn't harm the mom or the baby — it's safe.

46

0

81%

Working out with weights or resistance exercises while pregnant may help lower the chances of developing high blood pressure, diabetes during pregnancy, mood problems, and needing a C-section.

46

0

80%

Some pregnant women did strength training during the middle and later parts of their pregnancy, and nothing bad happened — so it might be safe, but we don't know for sure yet.

20

0

80%

Working out with weights while pregnant may lower the chance of having a baby that's much heavier than normal.

46

0

78%