Lifting heavy and trying to conceive

Care76
Care76 Posts: 556 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am going in to a couple gyms next week to see what kind of equipment they have and costs, etc. The only reason I would be going is because I am interested in learning to lift heavy. I would like to try the SL5x5 and get some training on form. Then hopefully in another year I can buy some of my own equipment.

But I was thinking about what would happen if I was lifting and was just barely pregnant so I didn't know. Do any of you ladies actively try to conceive and still lift? It took my husband and I over a dozen years and fertility treatments to have our beautiful son. Ideally I would like to wait until he is almost a year older and I am in better shape. But we know that our best chances of succeeding naturally are too try sooner rather than later. I just had my cycle come back so this is why I started wondering about my plans.

Replies

  • VetGirl13
    VetGirl13 Posts: 73
    I would check this through with your doctor before doing anything, however I can't think of any real reason as to why lifting would be a danger to your conceiving and being able to maintain a pregnancy. If you google women lifting (I actually saw this stuff on pinterest) you will find plenty pics of pregnant ladies lifting some impressive weights.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Thanks. I would love to ask my doctor but he has been away forever. There is another doctor filling in, but he doesn't know my history. I am pretty sure I definitely would not lift once I found out I was pregnant. I would never want to take the chance and I was told to lift nothing over 10 pounds after I got pregnant with my son. But I don't know that I will even get pregnant again so I wouldn't want to put it off either.

    Maybe when I go into the gym the trainers can give me some idea.
  • Alliwan
    Alliwan Posts: 1,245 Member
    when you are ttc, you take pregnancy tests like a mad woman, so you'd know pretty early you were pregnant. So if you start lifting you wouldnt have much time for it to be a problem before you knew you were pregnant.

    but those ladies on the interwebz that are lifting when pregnant have been doing it for awhile so their bodies are used to it. when you get pregnant they tell you not to start a new or high intensity workout but if you've already been doing it, its usually ok to continue.

    baby dust to you and your ttc. lifting might just get you there naturally :)
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Hahaha, true about the pregnancy tests. I did try to tell myself I wouldn't take them every month this time. But I will probably cave.

    That is my Hope, that lifting and getting healthy and stronger will help me to get pregnant naturally and also strengthen my muscles so I don't get SPD again.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I think it's fine to lift while TTC, and even after your pregnant as long as you get into the routine before and take it easy on yourself.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    I actually had a conversation with an obstetrics nurse at my doctors office last week because I'm going in next month for a pre-TTC appointment. She told to absolutely keep lifting and running while I TTC because it can take awhile to get pregnant sometimes and there was no reason not to use that time to get my body healthier and better prepared for the pregnancy, plus it would make it easier to work out and stay fit WHILE pregnant because the more your body is accustomed to beforehand, the more it can handle while pregnant.

    Once I DO get pregnant, I'll work with my doctor to figure out any risk factors specific to me and we'll decide how much to decrease and modify the workout load.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    I actually had a conversation with an obstetrics nurse at my doctors office last week because I'm going in next month for a pre-TTC appointment. She told to absolutely keep lifting and running while I TTC because it can take awhile to get pregnant sometimes and there was no reason not to use that time to get my body healthier and better prepared for the pregnancy, plus it would make it easier to work out and stay fit WHILE pregnant because the more your body is accustomed to beforehand, the more it can handle while pregnant.

    Once I DO get pregnant, I'll work with my doctor to figure out any risk factors specific to me and we'll decide how much to decrease and modify the workout load.

    Thank you! This was what I was thinking, but my husband and I are very paranoid because of our past.
  • phatguerilla
    phatguerilla Posts: 188 Member
    There are plenty of pictures and reports of crossfitters training heavy as possible, doing lifts like kipping chins and snatches while heavily (as in a few days prior to birth) pregnant, so I can't see why the first few months would be dangerous at all. Obviously some people have differing opinions of what can/should be done late in the third trimester but the main point is its more than possible to continue to weight train throughout pregnancy.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    Yep, I'd definitely take the advice of random strangers on the internet over that of a medical professional when it comes to something like this.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    There are plenty of pictures and reports of crossfitters training heavy as possible, doing lifts like kipping chins and snatches while heavily (as in a few days prior to birth) pregnant, so I can't see why the first few months would be dangerous at all. Obviously some people have differing opinions of what can/should be done late in the third trimester but the main point is its more than possible to continue to weight train throughout pregnancy.

    I am not asking about during pregnancy because I will not risk it. I am just wondering if women trying to conceive still lift heavy.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Yep, I'd definitely take the advice of random strangers on the internet over that of a medical professional when it comes to something like this.

    I am not taking anybody's advice, I am just wondering of those that lift heavy still do when trying to conceive. I am still going to my doctor when he returns.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    There are plenty of pictures and reports of crossfitters training heavy as possible, doing lifts like kipping chins and snatches while heavily (as in a few days prior to birth) pregnant, so I can't see why the first few months would be dangerous at all. Obviously some people have differing opinions of what can/should be done late in the third trimester but the main point is its more than possible to continue to weight train throughout pregnancy.

    This advice is way off base. The general rule of thumb is that a woman can continue doing the type of exercise that she was used to doing before she was pregnant and the pictures you're talking about are of hyper-fit women doing things they have done before that happen to be preggers, not a woman that's new to working out that is trying to up her intensity and has a history of complicated pregnancies.

    To the OP, you've heard this already (and hopefully will hear it a bunch more) but this is a doctor question. Yes, women can successfully conceive while heavy lifting, or running marathons, or farming, or soldiering or whatever manner of intense activity you can think of. But those women are not you and don't have the same history and risk factors that you have.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.
  • parys1
    parys1 Posts: 2,072 Member
    There are plenty of pictures and reports of crossfitters training heavy as possible, doing lifts like kipping chins and snatches while heavily (as in a few days prior to birth) pregnant, so I can't see why the first few months would be dangerous at all. Obviously some people have differing opinions of what can/should be done late in the third trimester but the main point is its more than possible to continue to weight train throughout pregnancy.

    This advice is way off base. The general rule of thumb is that a woman can continue doing the type of exercise that she was used to doing before she was pregnant and the pictures you're talking about are of hyper-fit women doing things they have done before that happen to be preggers, not a woman that's new to working out that is trying to up her intensity and has a history of complicated pregnancies.

    To the OP, you've heard this already (and hopefully will hear it a bunch more) but this is a doctor question. Yes, women can successfully conceive while heavy lifting, or running marathons, or farming, or soldiering or whatever manner of intense activity you can think of. But those women are not you and don't have the same history and risk factors that you have.

    Just what Dave said. :flowerforyou:
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    ..but, but not literally right? Like not at the same time, right?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    There are plenty of pictures and reports of crossfitters training heavy as possible, doing lifts like kipping chins and snatches while heavily (as in a few days prior to birth) pregnant, so I can't see why the first few months would be dangerous at all. Obviously some people have differing opinions of what can/should be done late in the third trimester but the main point is its more than possible to continue to weight train throughout pregnancy.

    This advice is way off base. The general rule of thumb is that a woman can continue doing the type of exercise that she was used to doing before she was pregnant and the pictures you're talking about are of hyper-fit women doing things they have done before that happen to be preggers, not a woman that's new to working out that is trying to up her intensity and has a history of complicated pregnancies.

    To the OP, you've heard this already (and hopefully will hear it a bunch more) but this is a doctor question. Yes, women can successfully conceive while heavy lifting, or running marathons, or farming, or soldiering or whatever manner of intense activity you can think of. But those women are not you and don't have the same history and risk factors that you have.

    ^this. During my first pregnancy I previously worked out heavily and sustained that until shortly before birth. Second pregnancy I was inactive prior due to recovering from surgery that healed an injury. For this reason I waited until after giving birth to resume a workout program. I wasn't about to complicate an already precarious pregnancy by also adding in working up into a vigorous workout plan. I cringe whenever I think someone is misinterpreting this too briefly quoted workout during pregnancy rule. "It's okay to workout while pregnant.." with caveats. It's case specific.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    BTW...lifting a heavy thing is precisely HOW I conceived. :wink:
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    ..but, but not literally right? Like not at the same time, right?

    Maybe, lol.
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.

    I think that was a joke. Like that when your fit you get a lot of "action"....no?
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    I guess that went right over my head, lol. But it is a myth that some believe.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.

    My definition of fit includes a normal period and some body fat :flowerforyou:

    Eta: I wasn't joking, but making a generalization. There's always exceptions :grumble: I'm a fertile female, but have always been 'fit' and been lifting a long time. Most people that get fit conceive easier than when not, don't they?

    I lol'd because just like brides wanting to get fit just for the big day seems like preg chicks wanna do it just to bounce back quick. **** don't work like that. Apologies if it seemed insensitive, but not laughing at infertility.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    BTW...lifting a heavy thing is precisely HOW I conceived. :wink:

    WHY ARE YOU TELLING OUR SECRETS?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.

    ........... Ummmm............ If........ Ummmmmmmm.... If you work in a fertility center why are you asking for fertility advice from a bunch of Internet randoms?
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.

    ........... Ummmm............ If........ Ummmmmmmm.... If you work in a fertility center why are you asking for fertility advice from a bunch of Internet randoms?

    The doctor I work with thinks it's fine, but he is not my doctor so I still need to ask my doctor. Basically I am asking because you can be told things are OK to do and still worry about it. I worry about it, I try not to but the worry creeps in. If there are other women out there that understand where I am coming from and tell me they did our didn't I just feel it might make me relax more. Maybe it doesn't make sense to anybody but myself.

    Maybe TMI, but... It's like, you know it is fine to have sex when pregnant (actually we weren't given the go ahead for months :( ), but for those that suffer with infertility they are usually totally scared. It might be irrational, but sometimes taking to others helps. :-)
  • Care76
    Care76 Posts: 556 Member
    Fit people conceive without effort, lol. I agree if you're already lifting heavy, then get preggers, you can continue. I've done it.

    I I'm sorry, but this is absolutely not true. Yes, if you are obese, your egg quality diminishes so it is harder to get pregnant. But I work at a fertility center and there are many fit women who have problems trying to conceive. Fertility has many sides.

    My definition of fit includes a normal period and some body fat :flowerforyou:

    Eta: I wasn't joking, but making a generalization. There's always exceptions :grumble: I'm a fertile female, but have always been 'fit' and been lifting a long time. Most people that get fit conceive easier than when not, don't they?

    I lol'd because just like brides wanting to get fit just for the big day seems like preg chicks wanna do it just to bounce back quick. **** don't work like that. Apologies if it seemed insensitive, but not laughing at infertility.

    I understand. Unfortunately, there is a very high rate of unexplained infertility. Normal cycles, all tests look good, very healthy couples. I always was regular and when we started TTC I was 23 and healthy weight. I wasn't thin and I wasn't overweight at all. I was going to the gym then, but mostly doing cardio and machines.

    Anyway, yes, to be healthier does help with fertility. I am not at a good weight now (or percentage of BF) so I want to get into shape. I would love to make my body stronger. Yes, the ultimate goal is to be healthier for pregnancy, but even if we didn't conceive I still want to be stronger than I am now. :-)

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