I’ve been watching all your livestreams on working out while pregnant. I’m currently doing your 7-Week Hypertrophy and want to keep lifting throughout my whole pregnancy unless a doctor advises otherwise.
Does bench pressing while pregnant (lying on back) put pressure on the vena cava? Is this a cause for concern or more personal comfort? If there is cause, will the short duration of a set make the concern obsolete, or do you recommend another variation ie. Incline? If there is cause for concern is there a particular week of pregnancy you’d recommend the variation?
It is possible to compress the vena cava while lying on one’s back. However, it is currently unknown whether, and at what gestational age, pregnant women should be advised to sleep on their side.
The duration of a bench press set is likely negligible when it comes to this. If you were still uncomfortable with the flat bench option and wanted a variation, a small incline would be reasonable as well.
Update: lying flat, from a newly published review