Upper Back Strength: Importance during Pregnancy

As your breasts and uterus grow throughout your pregnancy, your centre of gravity shifts forward and it is important to strengthen the muscles of your upper back to help counteract that shift.

You may find yourself leaning back in order to stay balanced and this puts a strain on your lower back.

Strengthening your upper back as early as you can help to make you stronger and more able to handle the extra stress placed on these muscles.

Focus on exercises that target:

• Muscles between your shoulder blades (traps, rhomboids)

• External rotator cuff muscles

• Core stabiliser

Exercises that might work well for you are:

• Seated banded rows & facepulls,

• Single-arm dumbbell rows,

• TRX Rows,

• Band pull aparts,

• Cban rotations, lateral raises, etc.

Why does it matter postnatally?

Strengthening the upper back muscles, along with the muscles of your shoulders (think overhead pressing and lateral delt raises), prepares you for the lifting, carrying and holding that you will do as a new mum.