As with every aspect of pregnancy, breathing is very important to your weightlifting routine. You must always keep in mind that as you breathe, you are taking in clean air for your baby. This oxygen nourishes your little one. It also helps make for a better workout for you. As you exhale, you actually detoxify your body. This is done by exhaling carbon dioxide from your body. You also take in air for your body to use to feel good.

Breath Holding

When exercising and lifting weights, you might have a picture in your mind of a typical weight lifter. This weight lifter might be holding her breath and turning red as she strains. This is absolutely not appropriate during pregnancy. This breath holding can be problematic in that it can cause problems with blood flow and oxygenation of your body and, therefore, your baby's body as well. It can also cause increased abdominal pressure. This is particularly true of prolonged breath holding.

Valsalva Maneuver

Another breathing technique you should not use when pregnant is called the Valsalva maneuver. This involves forcefully exhaling air while not releasing air from your lungs. This is much like breathing during a bowel movement. It can change your intra-abdominal pressure and cause problems for your pregnancy. So while lifting, remember to inhale and exhale on a regular basis.

Breathing Consciously

The key to breathing during weight or strength training is to breathe consciously. Eventually, you will not have to focus on your breathing as much as you will in the beginning. Always exhale on exertion. That's easy to remember because you will E (exhale) on E (exertion). Inhale as you lower the weights or return to a neutral pose.

Your breathing for relaxation may work really well. In addition, it teaches your body and reinforces that physical exertion can be accompanied by slow-paced breathing. It also helps oxygenate your body appropriately for the workout.