Why Are Pregnant Women in Their 3rd Trimester Barbell Snatching?

screen-shot-2016-11-16-at-7-29-18-pmAn athlete achieves success, we celebrate! Our hair raises a little because proper movement is magical.  Watching a member’s face after they land it is inspiring!

So we know when performing a snatch or clean, the barbell is supposed to hit the hips and stay close to the body as you pull yourself under. We’re practicing using our levers efficiently and quickly.

Add a pregnant belly and poof, suddenly mechanics don’t matter? What the f-bomb? Seriously coaches, would you allow any other athlete to make this C-shaped curve with the barbell??

So please tellme why you’re allowing your pregnant clients to do this?

img_1378Here’s the thing, it’s not a matter of weight. It’s not a matter of questioning a woman’s badassery. According to research and real-life experiences, pregnant women can lift heavy without harming the fetus. It’s a matter of inappropriate bar path stressing already stressed muscles and tissue which COULD cause injury now or long term. It’s the risk of the bar hitting the protruding belly and baby. It’s negatively impacting your lift mechanics as you arch around the belly.

We don’t know the outcomes for certain because we don’t have the research to back it up. But you can use common sense right? It’s one of those things where you know the correct form for the movements but you’re letting it slide for the pregnant client. Even though pregnant women are at a cardiovascular advantage, they’re structurally more at risk for weaknesses due to a growing belly and stretching muscles.

According to physiology of pregnancy, the abdominals undergo stretching which puts them under tension. This tension pulls on the hips and spine due to origin and insertion points. With improper bracing and breathing and/or increased load or forces, a woman is at increased risk of splitting her abdominals further, causing Diastasis Recti. pregnancy-diastasisA separation of the linea alba and inadequate rehabilitation of the transverse, obliques, abdominals and pelvic floor puts a woman at increased risk of lower back pain, urinary incontinence, hernia through the linea alba, problems breathing, inability to flatten abdominals.

Add Relaxin, the hormone that flows through the pregnant body (AND postpartum body up to a year postpartum) which increases joint laxity to make birth through the pelvis possible.

Now this pregnant client has tight muscles, loosened ligaments, and we’re directing her to perform complex movements such as the snatch and clean with improper mechanics. She’s stressing already stressed-out systems.

A woman’s core system is robust and intricate. The pelvic floor, transverse, and diaphragm form a canister of stability around the spine against gravity. During pregnancy, this canister is stretched causing abnormalities and with it, increased risk of injury. If a woman doesn’t know how to properly brace, breathe, and engage/relax her pelvic floor, she is at increased risk of prolapse or other long-term damage. If injury does occur, these other structures are stressed further. Not great.

Our goal as coaches is to do no harm. We want to help women achieve great strength, mobility, endurance for the long haul. The scientific evidence only gives us a tiny look at positive outcomes. With the information we do have, it’s our jobs as coaches to put the physiological pieces together to see the whole puzzle. We also need to be humble enough to take a step back or reign the pregnant client back if we don’t know the exact outcomes to ensure safety above prestige, PRs, or egos.

If we know something isn’t safe for the non-pregnant human, it isn’t safe for the pregnant human.

In all my research, my 1000’s of hours of training pregnant women, my hundreds of conversations with women and coaches, I’ve never once heard anyone state the amazing benefits of continued barbell snatch and clean.

What have I heard? “My belly was in the way so I switched to dumb bells instead. It felt safer and more comfortable.”

Take a look at these coaches in our seminar playing with different implements. The coach with the barbell has such an extreme bar path as to not hit his belly. The coach with the dumb bells is having much more success staying within her normal bar path.

If you haven’t tried lifting with a belly, I encourage you to try. If you want to learn more about pregnancy and postpartum training, take our seminar or download our Guide. Contact me if you have questions, concerns, or stories to share!!