Safe Weight Lifting During Pregnancy: Leg Press & Form

Question
I am 5'7 and my current weight is around 170
I
am just about 5 months pregnant and have always worked out since my teens
My current age is 41.

When doing the seated leg press what is a safe amount of weight to press
75 pounds with 30 times 2-3 reps works well for me is this to much weight ?

Thank you

Answer
The correct amount of weight for you to lift is the amount (reps and sets) that you can do with perfect form.
Adjust the back of the machine so that your spine in on a 30 degree angle, this is the safest for your spine. Make sure that when your legs are flexed, that you have a 90 degree angle at the knees. Thighs should be vertical (or close to it) and your shin bones parallel to the floor.
Right now you are doing 2 to 3 sets with 30 reps. This is a lot of reps. Most weight training protocols use 15 to 20 reps for beginners, 10 to 12 reps for most conditioned people, 6 to 8 reps for athletic training, and 4 to 6 reps for body builders.
You cold try slowly increasing your resistance a bit each workout, to get to where you feel fatigue at about 15 reps. This should be safe for you.
BUT...
For some women, ligament laxity in the last half of pregnancy makes certain moves unadvisable.
In a move like leg press, the ecentric contraction phase, (when your thighs are being stretched) will place the most strain on your ligaments. If you ever feel pain during or after a workout, then this tells you that your ligaments are not longer providing enough functional stability, and that you should decrease your resistance. If joint pain, discomfort, or inability to fully flex the joint continues, then you should stop that particular move.
Make sure that ALL of your ecentric phases of all your exercise selections are done slowly, smoothly, and with perfect form.
While it can be hard for women who love to workout give up some of their favorite activities in the last half of pregnancy, it is also the perfect time to cross train and try something like aqua aerobics, swimming, yoga, non/low weight bearing aerobics such as recumbent bike or elliptical.
Also in the last half of pregnancy, you should start testing for diastasis recti, and make exercise modifications if your mid line gets too wide. If not part of your regular workout yet, start doing abdominal compressions daily, or on most days of the week, to isolate and strengthen your Transverse Abdominis.
More info about weight training during pregnancy can be found at:
http://befitmom.com/strength_training.html
More info about diastasis recti during pregnancy can be found at:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html