Pregnancy Training Myths - Why Outdated Advice Is Creating More Fear - Not Safety

January 01, 2026•5 min read

If you’ve ever been told or heard:

“Don’t lift heavy while pregnant”
“Never hold your breath during pregnancy exercise”
“Planks are unsafe during pregnancy”
“Just walk or do yoga to be safe”

You’re not alone.

But here’s the truth many women are only just starting to hear:

Much of the exercise advice given to pregnant women is outdated, poorly evidenced, or taken wildly out of context.

And instead of keeping women safe, this outdated advice often does the opposite — creating fear, confusion, and, even worse, inactivity.

How Did Pregnancy Training Become So Restrictive?

Most pregnancy exercise guidelines were originally created with good intentions — at a time when:

Research involving pregnant women was limited
Risk avoidance was prioritised over individual capacity
Pregnancy was viewed as a fragile medical condition rather than a normal physiological state

Over time, suggestions became rules, nuance was lost, and context disappeared.

More recently, educators such as Sheridan Skye have been instrumental in highlighting how pregnancy fitness has become over-medicalised and under-trusted, particularly when it comes to strength training.

The result?

Women are often told to do less, avoid more, and be careful — without being shown meaningful evidence.

So let’s bust some of the most common pregnancy exercise myths still floating around and creating unnecessary fear.

Myth #1: “Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Lift Heavy”

This is one of the most common — and most damaging — myths.

Firstly, there is no strong evidence showing that lifting “heavy” (relative to the individual) is unsafe for healthy pregnancies.

What actually matters is:

Training history and experience
Load management appropriate to the individual
Fatigue and recovery
Individual response

Secondly — “heavy” is relative.

What’s heavy for one woman may be completely different for another.

Rather than saying “no pregnant woman should lift beyond a 20kg barbell”, it’s far more important to consider her individuality and training background.

A 20kg barbell deadlift might be heavy for a woman who has never lifted before pregnancy.
But for a woman who previously deadlifted 90kg for comfortable reps, 20kg might simply be a warm-up.

For women who lifted before pregnancy, continuing to lift their usual loads — with appropriate adjustments (often later in pregnancy, if needed) — is often not only safe, but beneficial.

Likewise, women who are new to strength training during pregnancy can still lift — simply starting conservatively and progressing gradually over time.

Fear-based strength training restrictions frequently lead women to stop training altogether, reducing strength, confidence, and physical resilience.

And we do know that inactivity is one of the strongest contributors to adverse health outcomes during pregnancy.

Myth #2: “You Should Never Hold Your Breath”

Intentional breath holding during exertion — also known as the Valsalva manoeuvre — is commonly used in heavy lifting to create trunk stability and intra-abdominal pressure.

This increase in abdominal pressure has historically been labelled as dangerous for pregnant women or blamed for worsening abdominal separation.

However, there is an important difference between:

Prolonged, forced breath-holding under maximal strain, and
Brief, instinctive breath holding or natural bracing during effort (such as during a heavy lift)

Current evidence does not show that short, instinctive bracing during strength training is harmful in healthy pregnancies, nor does it automatically worsen abdominal separation.

The key to safe heavy lifting during pregnancy is managing intensity and avoiding prolonged or sustained strain, not eliminating bracing altogether.

In short — it is okay to hold your breath briefly when required, provided it’s not excessive or prolonged and you don't feel faint or dizzy during or after.

Myth #3: “Planks Are Dangerous in Pregnancy”

Despite old advice still floating around, planks are not inherently unsafe during pregnancy.

There is no solid evidence-based recommendation where planks suddenly become harmful at a certain gestational age — during pregnancy or postpartum.

What actually matters is:

Comfort while performing the exercise
Symptoms (pressure, pain, excessive coning or doming of the abdomen)
Individual capacity and tolerance

If you feel fine doing a plank during your entire pregnancy, you can continue doing so.

If you notice coning or doming, try adjusting your breathing and core engagement, or modify the exercise — for example:

Plank on knees
Elevated plank on a bench or wall

The Real Risk: Over-Caution

When women are repeatedly told they are fragile or “high risk,” several things often happen:

They lose trust in their bodies
They disengage from exercise altogether (increasing health risks)
They feel weaker — not safer
Returning to movement later becomes harder, both physically and mentally

Ironically, over-restriction often increases risk by reducing physical capacity, confidence, and autonomy.

What the Evidence Actually Supports

Modern guidelines from organisations such as:

support:

✔ Ongoing physical activity throughout pregnancy
✔ Strength training as part of regular prenatal exercise
✔ Individualised programming
✔ Listening to your own body rather than rigid rules

A healthy, strong pregnancy does not require fear or restriction— it requires education, nuance, and above all, self-trust.

A More Empowering Way to Think About Pregnancy Training

Instead of asking:
❌ “Is this exercise allowed?”

Try asking:
✔ “How does my body respond to this right now?”
✔ “Am I managing my fatigue appropriately?”
✔ “Do I feel confident and supported in my choices and movements?”

This approach places autonomy back where it belongs — with the woman.

How Strong Fams Approaches Pregnancy Training

At Strong Fams, we specialise in evidence-based pre- and postnatal coaching.

We actively move away from fear-based messaging and outdated dogma, helping mothers and mothers-to-be feel strong, healthy, and confident throughout pregnancy and postpartum.

Our approach is: