A full squat exercise is recommended when not pregnant for people with a healthy back. Squatting is a primordial developmental stage for babies and is a precursor to standing and walking, on the other hand, what happens if you are pregnant, what kind of squats you should do and in what range. Many childbirth classes recommend performing a full squat or partner-assisted full squat for natural childbirth. I have studied many fitness articles that indicate avoiding the “deep bend of the knees,” a full squat, during pregnancy. So what should you do during your exercise routine? This article will try to answer this.

As the pregnancy progresses, the pelvis opens and widens almost like a book from the front of the pubic symphysis. This creates more space and allows your growing uterus to house the baby. This growth puts more pressure on the pelvic floor muscles. As you squat down to neutral, where your knees are 90 degrees to the floor, the pressure from your uterus increases on your pelvic floor muscles and your pelvis leans forward. If you were to squat lower, you risk getting into a compromising anterior pelvic tilt position due to the additional frontal load from your protruding belly and relatively inefficient abdominal muscles, this can put undue strain on your back. As your tummy grows, you have to place your feet farther than the distance between your hips to perform a full squat, otherwise you would get stuck and jam your tummy. In a 90 degree squat, the knee ligaments are in their least stable position, and due to relaxation, joint stability can be further compromised. So what can you do? Engaging your back, feeling additional tension on the pelvic floor, or squatting where the knee joint is less stable with your legs 90 degrees off the floor.

Advantages of the full squat

Doing a full squat allows you to use your gluteus maximus (butt) to its full range. During pregnancy, the tone of the gluteal muscles increases in a standing position to allow you to stand. The constant low-grade firing in this limited range causes your glutes to become narrow. Naturally, you would squat at 90 degrees to sit in a chair, which gives you some strength in that range, but it’s still limited. Performing a full squat keeps your glutes strong in their full range and can help counteract tension. Working through the full range of squats will prevent you from stopping at 90 degrees, where the knee joint is also less stable. Performing a full squat during pregnancy helps relax the pelvis and provides pressure for removal from the waist, which can help prevent constipation and hemorrhoids. Using a full squat for a birthing position can reduce the need for an episiotomy or the use of forceps.

Cons of Full Squat

A full squat is very demanding from a metabolic point of view, so be sure to replenish your food reserves after performing it. You may feel dizzy during this movement. Most people have muscle imbalances and cannot maintain a neutral spinal position. Performing a full squat with an imbalance can pull the pelvis further to the side and can exacerbate pelvic shear forces at the symphysis pubis (front pelvic junction) and put pressure on the sacroiliac joint. The tension in the pelvic floor muscles increases, you must be careful not to overload them. Most women in Western culture are not attuned to performing a full squat, so performing this move depends on the athlete’s fitness level. You can perform a full squat with the stability ball against the wall to prevent it from leaning forward.

Conclution

Since you shouldn’t use excessive external weight during the full squat and you are in a controlled environment, knee stability shouldn’t be the main issue on which to base your decision, but a history of knee problems is a key factor. .

Performing a full squat will potentially put stress on your pelvic floor muscles, exacerbate pelvic shear, and could put more strain on your back due to the anterior pelvic tilt and compromised abdominal muscles. These symptoms will increase if your baby’s lump has just gone through a growth spurt. For the small percentage of women who were doing a full squat exercise with a neutral spine prior to getting pregnant, continue to do so throughout the pregnancy, as long as you feel comfortable. This exercise is great if you can do it correctly, but a very small percentage of women could complete this task.

If you are sure that you do not have a muscle imbalance and can keep your spine neutral, do not suffer from any pelvic shear forces, and have particularly strong pelvic floor musculature, you can perform a full squat. This is an ideal exercise to stay in shape and to prepare for childbirth.

A mid-range squat still allows you to exercise, work in your most functional range for sitting in a chair, and will not put undue stress on your pelvis, back, and pelvic muscles. But this squat is not optimal as it does not train you for labor or delivery. This exercise is a good alternative.

The most commonly recommended type of squat for women in Western culture during pregnancy is a full-range stability ball squat. The inability to keep the spine neutral or the lack of full squat practice in Western culture should not be factors in this exercise, as your back is supported by the ball. It will work your glutes through its full range of motion to prevent tonic muscles while standing.

A total stability ball squat places the knee joint in its most stable position, in addition to opening the birth canal and helping with other pregnancy-related problems such as constipation and hemorrhoids. Work yourself up to a full-range stability ball squat by squeezing your pelvic floor during exercise to avoid tensing these muscles.

If your fitness level is moderate and you’ve never done a full squat before, start with a mid-range squat and work your way up to a full squat in time for your delivery.