During pregnancy, some women find it difficult to lift objects from the floor, making the feel limited in their ability to train deadlifts the same way as before pregnancy (if we’re being honest, in my pregnancy I had a hard time reaching down to put my pants on some days, much less lifting a barbell). This can be due to a growing belly, discomfort in a forward bent position, nausea related to leaning forward, you name it. There is a simple solution to keep training this movement pattern-bring the floor up to you!
In this example, I am using bumper plates to elevate the bar and decrease the range I have to hinge forward. Other alternatives to elevating the bar are using jerk blocks, or pulling from the rig with the jcups set at an elevated height.
Other modifications to the deadlift movement during pregnancy include widening your stance and performing a sumo deadlift to make room for the baby bump, or performing a trap bar deadlift!
As with any strength movement during pregnancy, I typically recommend not going above 70% of your 1RM, and trying to breathe through the movement rather than performing a valsalva. Exhale as you stand up with the weight, and inhale as you return to the floor.
Did you continue deadlifting during pregnancy? If so, what strategies did you use?