Can lifting weights safely help pregnant women with back pain?
Safety and efficacy of supervised strength training adopted in pregnancy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Strength gains were largest in leg extension (+56%)—not in core or back exercises, despite targeting back pain.
People assume back pain relief comes from core work, but the biggest gains were in legs—suggesting leg strength may be the hidden key to reducing pregnancy back strain.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women with back pain should seek supervised strength training twice weekly using machines (leg extension, lumbar extension) with progressive load based on perceived exertion (RPE 10–13).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Strength gains were largest in leg extension (+56%)—not in core or back exercises, despite targeting back pain.
People assume back pain relief comes from core work, but the biggest gains were in legs—suggesting leg strength may be the hidden key to reducing pregnancy back strain.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women with back pain should seek supervised strength training twice weekly using machines (leg extension, lumbar extension) with progressive load based on perceived exertion (RPE 10–13).
Publication
Journal
Journal of physical activity & health
Year
2011
Authors
Patrick J O'Connor, M. Poudevigne, M. E. Cress, R. Motl, James F. Clapp
Related Content
Claims (6)
Pregnant women who've had back pain before can safely do supervised strength training for 12 weeks and get stronger—especially in their legs and lower back—without feeling like they're working any harder than before.
When pregnant women do supervised strength training, they tend to gain less weight than usual, feel less back and sciatic pain, and feel stronger, more energetic, sleep better, and feel more mentally well.
For pregnant women who've had back pain before, doing gentle strength exercises twice a week for 12 weeks might make their legs and lower back stronger and more enduring, without hurting them or raising their blood pressure.
For pregnant women with back pain who are otherwise healthy, doing light to moderate strength training twice a week for 12 weeks seems safe — most women don’t get hurt, and only a tiny number feel a little dizzy or have mild belly or pelvic discomfort.
When pregnant women do supervised strength training, they can do more lower back exercises without getting as tired, which means their back muscles are working more efficiently.