Why Hip and Glute Strength Matter During Pregnancy
One of the coolest parts of pregnancy has been watching my training evolve alongside my changing body.
As our baby girl grows, my center of gravity is gradually shifting forward. I can already feel myself naturally wanting to settle into more of an anterior pelvic tilt. That isn't necessarily a problem to "fix." It's one of the many normal adaptations that can happen as our bodies make room for a growing baby.
But these changes also mean our muscles are being asked to support a body that's moving and carrying weight differently than it did before pregnancy. Rather than trying to prevent my body from changing, my goal has been to build and maintain the strength that helps me adapt to those changes well.
For me, that has meant making my hips, glutes, and posterior chain a major priority throughout pregnancy.
Why I Prioritize My Posterior Chain During Pregnancy
When I talk about the posterior chain, I'm referring to the muscles along the back side of the body, including the glutes, hamstrings, upper back, and lower back.
These muscles play an important role in how we stand, walk, lift, hinge, carry, and stabilize our bodies. During pregnancy, those same functions don't disappear, but the environment they're happening in changes.
As the belly grows, our center of mass shifts. Our posture may naturally adapt, and everyday movements can begin to feel different. Pregnancy hormones also contribute to changes in joint and ligament laxity as the body prepares for birth.
We can't—and don't need to—strength train those normal pregnancy adaptations away. But we can continue strengthening the muscles responsible for supporting and controlling our movement within them.
That's where strong glutes and hips can be especially valuable.
Strong Glutes Are About More Than Hip Thrusts
When people hear "glute training," it's easy to think only about building bigger or stronger glute muscles through exercises like squats, deadlifts, and hip thrusts. But our glutes have several important jobs.
They help extend the hips, stabilize the pelvis, control movement of the femur, and support us during walking, climbing stairs, getting off the floor, and standing on one leg. Different portions of the glutes also help control side-to-side and rotational movement at the hip.
Life doesn't happen with both feet perfectly planted underneath us. We walk, step over things, climb stairs, shift our weight, carry objects on one side, and balance on one leg while putting on a shoe.
Eventually, I'll be doing many of those things while carrying a baby.
That's why I don't want my pregnancy strength training to focus solely on traditional bilateral exercises. I want to maintain strength and control in multiple positions and directions.
Hip Stability Matters Too
As pregnancy progresses, I think it's helpful to distinguish between mobility and control.
More mobility isn't always what we need. Pregnancy itself can bring increased laxity, so alongside the mobility work that feels good for my body, I want to maintain the muscular strength and coordination to control the ranges of motion I already have.
That's one reason exercises targeting the glutes, lateral hips, and single-leg stability continue to have a place in my program.
When I perform a single-leg RDL, step-up, lateral band walk, or side plank, I'm not just thinking about strengthening one muscle. I'm asking my hips, pelvis, core, and surrounding musculature to work together to keep me stable while I move.
That ability carries over into so many everyday movements.
The Hip and Glute Exercises I'm Using During Pregnancy
The exact exercises I choose have evolved as my pregnancy has progressed, but the underlying training principles haven't changed much.
Some of the movements I'm continuing to prioritize include:
Sumo deadlifts
Romanian deadlifts
Single-leg RDLs
Hip thrusts
Step-ups
Lateral band walks
Clamshells
Side planks
These exercises don't all accomplish the exact same thing, which is part of why I like using a combination of them.
Deadlift and hinge variations help me maintain posterior-chain strength. Hip thrusts train hip extension. Step-ups and single-leg RDLs challenge unilateral strength and stability. Lateral band walks and clamshells target the muscles responsible for controlling the hip in a different direction. Side planks challenge the lateral core and hip musculature to work together.
Together, they give me a more well-rounded approach than simply trying to "strengthen my glutes."
Training to Support a Changing Body
My posture may change. My movement may change. My exercise selection and training intensity may need to change. As pregnancy progresses, there may be exercises that no longer feel right for me and others that become more useful.
The goal isn't to maintain my pre-pregnancy body or training at all costs.
The goal is to continue giving my body the strength and movement options that serve me in the season I'm currently in.
Keeping my hips, glutes, hamstrings, back, and core strong can support the physical demands of pregnancy and everyday movement as my body changes. And these are muscles and movement patterns that will continue to matter well beyond pregnancy, too.
I'm not trying to stop my body from changing. I'm trying to build and maintain the strength to support those changes well.
The female body is constantly adapting throughout pregnancy. Rather than viewing those changes as something to fight against, we can meet them with thoughtful, intentional training that helps us stay strong, capable, and confident in the bodies carrying us through this season.
