Strong Through Pregnancy: Why Safe Resistance Training May Be One of the Most Underused “Super Tools” for Pain Relief, Energy and Birth Health

Written by Dr Julian Simpson — Chiropractor with 15+ years of experience, Board Member of the Chiropractic Australia Research Foundation, and author/reviewer of 800+ health articles.

Strong Through Pregnancy: Why Safe Resistance Training May Be One of the Most Underused “Super Tools” for Pain Relief, Energy and Birth Health

The Hook: when everyday life already feels like a workout

If you’re pregnant (or supporting someone who is), you’ll know how quickly everyday tasks start to feel heavier — long drives along the Calder or Western Highway between Sunbury and Melbourne, sitting at a desk that suddenly feels uncomfortable, or even lifting groceries or a toddler can leave your back and pelvis feeling strained.

At Health Wise Chiropractic in Sunbury and Melton, we see this pattern often: women don’t necessarily become “less capable” during pregnancy — their bodies are simply under more load, with less targeted strength support than they need.

And here’s the key insight from the latest research: the issue isn’t that exercise is unsafe — it’s that resistance training is massively underused, under-dosed, and under-guided during pregnancy.

The Evidence: what 66,000+ women in PubMed research actually show

A large 2025 systematic review examining 117 studies and 66,133 pregnant participants across 29 countries provides one of the clearest pictures yet of resistance training during pregnancy.

What it found about participation

• Only 10–20% of pregnant women engage in resistance training

• Despite strong evidence of benefit, it remains significantly underutilised

What resistance training is actually doing in pregnancy

Across the research, resistance training was linked with:

• Reduced excessive gestational weight gain

• Lower rates of pregnancy-related low back pain and pelvic girdle pain

• Improved mood and quality of life

• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension

• Lower risk of pre-eclampsia

• Improved fetal outcomes including reduced risk of:

  • preterm birth

  • low birth weight

  • macrosomia

Perhaps most strikingly, one large observational study found:

• Women performing heavy resistance training (>80% 1RM) had a 13% caesarean rate vs 21.1% global average

And another controlled study found:

• No adverse fetal effects even when women trained at 70–90% of 10RM

• Maternal heart rate, perceived exertion, and fetal blood flow remained within normal ranges

The Real Problem: not safety — but poor guidance

One of the most important findings wasn’t about exercise itself — it was about how poorly it’s prescribed in the real world of research and healthcare guidelines.

Across studies:

• Only 61% reported training intensity

• Only 38% reported external load

• Only 52% reported progression (how exercise was advanced over time)

• Only 50% clearly described exercises used

This creates a major gap:

Women are being told to “exercise safely during pregnancy” — but not given enough detail to do it effectively or confidently.

That lack of clarity is one of the biggest barriers to participation, alongside fatigue, time constraints, and uncertainty about safety.

Why this matters for Sunbury and Melton mums-to-be

In local clinics, we often see the downstream effects of under-trained strength systems during pregnancy:

• Lower back pain from increased spinal loading

• Pelvic girdle discomfort when walking or climbing stairs

• Fatigue from reduced muscular efficiency

• Difficulty adapting to postural changes during desk work or driving

Resistance training isn’t about “gym performance” — it’s about building capacity so the body can tolerate the real-world demands of pregnancy and early motherhood.

What a safe, evidence-informed pregnancy resistance program looks like

Based on the patterns in the research (including supervised clinical trials and international guidelines), an effective framework includes:

Frequency

• 2–3 sessions per week

Intensity

• Moderate effort progressing toward moderate–high as tolerated

• Use RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) 5–7/10 as a simple guide

Session structure (20–40 minutes)

Focus on full-body, functional movement patterns:

Lower body strength

• Squats (bodyweight → goblet squat)

• Sit-to-stand from chair

• Step-ups (low step height)

Posterior chain (back + glutes)

• Glute bridges

• Romanian deadlift pattern (light weights or bands)

• Hip hinge drills

Upper body

• Seated row (bands or machine)

• Wall or incline push-ups

• Light dumbbell press

Core stability (safe pregnancy-focused)

• Bird-dog

• Side-lying core activation

• Pallof press (anti-rotation with band)

Sets and reps (typical ranges in research)

• 2–3 sets

• 8–12 repetitions

• Controlled tempo, avoiding breath-holding

Progression

• Gradually increase resistance or reps every 1–2 weeks

• Adjust based on fatigue, trimester changes, and comfort

Key safety modifications used in studies

• Avoid prolonged supine (lying flat on back later in pregnancy)

• Avoid breath-holding (Valsalva manoeuvre)

• Avoid high-impact or ballistic movements

• Prioritise control over load

🟦 Clinical Insight: why resistance training works so well in pregnancy Resistance training strengthens the exact systems under strain during pregnancy — the deep spinal stabilisers, glutes, pelvic control muscles, and postural endurance system. When these systems are stronger, the body distributes load more efficiently, which may reduce pain, improve mobility, and support better functional tolerance to daily life changes — from standing longer at work to walking comfortably through late pregnancy.

The chiropractic connection

At Health Wise Chiropractic, we don’t see resistance training and chiropractic care as separate conversations.

They complement each other:

• Chiropractic care can help improve joint mobility and reduce mechanical stress

• Resistance training builds the strength to maintain those improvements between visits

• Together, they support spinal load management during pregnancy changes

This is especially relevant for women commuting long distances through Sunbury, Melton, and surrounding growth corridors, where sitting time and spinal loading can add up quickly.

The bottom line from the research

• Resistance training in pregnancy is safe in appropriately guided settings

• It is associated with significant maternal and fetal benefits

• But it is still poorly prescribed and underutilised

• The biggest barrier isn’t risk — it’s lack of clear, practical guidance

How Chiropractic Care May Help

At Health Wise Chiropractic, we take a comprehensive approach to posture-related care.

Treatment may include:

• Chiropractic adjustments

• Postural assessment

• Soft tissue therapy

• Corrective exercises

• Ergonomic advice

• Laser therapy

• Shockwave therapy

• Spinal decompression therapy

We focus on addressing both the symptoms and the underlying biomechanical stress contributing to neck dysfunction.

About the Author

Dr Julian Simpson is an Australian chiropractor with over 15 years of experience in musculoskeletal healthcare and rehabilitation.

He is a Board Member of the Chiropractic Australia Research Foundation and has reviewed and written more than 800 evidence-based health articles focused on spinal health, rehabilitation, sports injuries and conservative care approaches.

His treatment focus includes:

• Chiropractic adjustments

• Sports chiropractic

• Massage therapy

• Shockwave therapy

• Laser therapy

• Non-surgical spinal decompression

Dr Simpson provides patient care through Healthwise Chiropractic, serving communities including Sunbury, Melton, Diggers Rest and surrounding regions.

Reference

Geard A, Doering TM, Carron MA, Hayman M. The missing pieces: A systematic review of the reporting of resistance training variables in studies of pregnant women. J Sci Med Sport. 2026 Mar 3:S1440-2440(26)00092-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2026.02.017. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41963142.