Summer 2025
Adapting training for pregnancy and postpartum soldiers
Within the Army, the training and the Army Fitness Test events are designed to be the same for
males and females. They perform the same events, which are: three-rep max, hand release push-up, plank, sprint-drag-carry and the two-mile run. The tools that the soldiers learn can not only be absorbed through these SMEs while on duty, but can also be extended to their lives in civilian life for them and their families.
During my previous employment as a CSCS within the US Army’s H2F program, both men and
women perform the same exercise regimen that their assigned strength coaches prescribe to them, their superior officers or “non-commissioned officers.” Men and women are prescribed the same cardiovascular and resistance-based training. This includes aerobic and anaerobic activity with examples of long-distance runs, sprints, weight-based/resistance-based exercises designed for strength/power, hypertrophy and muscular endurance.
Within the physical training, physiological differences are present, and considerations need to
be implemented based on those differences. Specificity for women may be designed more for certain muscle groups to include the lower body, as well as core, hips, legs and glutes. However, they still effectively train the same upper body with the same exercises as their male counterparts. Women who may consider themselves to have wide hips may choose to implement more training with their hips as compared to their male counterparts.
Some exercises to consider are those in which hip flexion and extension are programmed in and are beneficial for core stability and posture. Exercises using bands, lunges, leg raises, a-skips in place, or banded marches are efficient for developing hip strength if no weights are present. If weights are present, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, hip thrusts and kettlebell swings are great for developing hip strength.
Under the H2F program, women are allowed to take part in an amazing support program entitled “Pregnancy and Postpartum Performance Training,” or more commonly referred to as “P3T.” This program is written and designed to assist women with keeping, maintaining, and preparing them for their overall wellness during pregnancy and postpartum. This program is designed for pregnant women to continue physical activity during an uncomplicated pregnancy.
The physical conditioning included is intended to reduce lower back pain, mitigate possible complications, provide education on proper weight gain and post birth, which all effectively lead to improved sustainability of their physical, mental and spiritual health during pregnancy. The H2F P3T program divides the physical training for women based on the respective trimester that they are in. The first trimester training implements walking, jogging, bike riding, swimming and yoga as cardiovascular options, which would be the same for the general population. The resistance training portion is continued; however, the volume may be less than what it previously was, and the same for the intensity. However, intensity and volume can be increased and/or decreased based on their comfort level. The programming for the second trimester is the same as the first trimester, but once again, comfort level must be an integral component of an individual assessment because of the soldiers’ changing body and additional weight that they are carrying, and once again, hormonal changes.
As far as biomechanics of the positioning of the body during exercise, it is the second semester in which lying flat will be avoided for extended periods, and a narrow squat stance will also be avoided. As the pregnancy becomes more pronounced in physical appearance, the respective female’s foot position would be wider than previously found. In the third trimester, the exercises may be the same but now changed or modified; however, a bigger focus will be on strengthening the pelvic floor, which will play a significant role during pregnancy. However, it is not a one-size-fits-all design; the training can be changed and manipulated based on the respective female self-assessment and observations by the strength coaches with a proper regression of the assigned exercise.
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The postpartum component of the H2F program is designed for those women who need help in regaining their mental and physical health after the birth of the baby or a perinatal loss. Furthermore, the female soldiers who partake in this program are exempt from the US Army’s standards for body composition and their physical fitness tests for one year. Lastly, well-designed strength and conditioning programs are designed for the females in the P3T program to be ready to return to their respective body composition standards and fitness testing after their pregnancy and an additional specified monthly timeframe.
Daniel J. Borowick, MS, CSCS, and founder of DOMEX Strength & Fitness, is a former DEA Special Agent who has over 27 years of tactical experience in federal (DEA) and state (New Jersey State Police). Borowick was previously a strength and conditioning coach serving in the U.S. Army’s (H2F) Holistic Health and Fitness Program. You reach him through their website
www.Domexstrengthandfitness.com, the DOMEX Exercise app @ https://www.bridgeathletic.com/store/preview/domexstrengthfitnessstorefront-56536, via Instagram @domexstrengthandfitness or Domexstrengthandfitness@gmail.com.