Another week down, closer to D-day, as in Delivery Day! A little over 35 weeks now, fatigue is again the theme, but what woman at 35 weeks pregnant feels super energetic? Still managing the 4 workout per week schedule, even through the Holiday weekend. Had an OB visit today, gained a couple more pounds for a total of 22. Some of my workouts last weeks are as follows:

"Collin" (of course modified for pregnancy) 4 rounds 200m "trot" with a 25# sandbag, 12 step-ups 20" box, 12 push-press 25# dumbbells, 12 sumo deadlift high pulls w/ 35# kettlebell, yes I was the crazy pregnant lady lugging around a 25 lb sandbag at at 8 1/2 months pregnant, I was glad it was dark outside so the general public couldn't see that non-sense. Crossfitters are just not right in the head sometimes. My husband actually asked me if I was subconsciously trying to induce labor with that workout, I told him no but it's a good idea for week 38!

"Jackie" Wow, I did this one as RX'd, 1000m row, 50 thrusters 45#, 30 pull-ups I actually did run the clock and came in at 16:42, my PR is around 10:40 I believe from last February, and this time included a fellow gym member interrupting me mid-thruster for a conversation! I felt good that day though, more energetic than usual.

5 rounds: 25 squats, 10 KBS 35#, 10 push-press 25# dumbbells, 10 push-ups (elevated on a parallete)

3 rounds: 300m row, 10 good-mornings 45# barbell, 8 banded ring-dips

I will admit I felt super worn out during the last 2 workouts of that week, almost felt like my body had had it. Rowing is just plain out hard at this point, with a large abdomen you only get half the range of motion and it becomes so inefficient. But when you can't run anymore or do plyometrics like box-jumps to get your heart rate up, there aren't many options left for us pregnant ladies.

I'll be hitting the gym tonight for workout #1!

Almost there! As of this posting I'm 34 1/2 weeks, so close to the end! I really can't believe how fast it's gone. I still feel good, workouts feel about the same. Still have the nagging shoulder injury, I'm getting that checked out as soon as I have this baby girl. I've pretty much avoided any overhead lifting for almost 3 weeks now, not much improvement in my symptoms which mainly happen at night, not good. As promised the weight gain update as of last weeks 33 week checkup is 20 lbs. That really amazes me. I am certain that this is due to simply staying active and maintaining my Crossfit workouts with a 4 workout per week consistency. I've also maintained a healthy diet as well, but when I've wanted chocolate or sweets I've had them. Just goes to show that anything with moderation is OK. In closing I'm really starting to think about my postpartum return to exercise. In my convoluted mind I'm thinking I'm going to start back around 1-2 weeks (I don't put any pressure on myself or anything!). But I'm starting to recall those early days of having a newborn; the sleep deprivation, constant nursing, and how I'm going to do it this time with a 3 1/2 year old running around! I'm up for it though, very anxious to meet this new little one!

Last weeks workouts:

4 rounds: 400m row, 15 overhead squats 65# (preggo version of "Nancy")

"Helen" 400m row sub, 21 kettlebell swings 35#, 12 pull-ups

7x3 hang power cleans (I used dumbbells, no barbell cleaning for me anymore, belly is too big) 15,20,25,25,35,35,45

3 rounds: 10 front squats 65#, 10 push-ups (on parallette), 10 pull-ups

It's funny, but every time I do pull-ups I get so many comments from fellow gym members, about how they can't believe I'm still doing them. I say why not? Even with my "20 lb vest" on, they are still totally do-able, and remain one of the exercises I can do comfortably. I can't wait to see how many I can crank out consecutively postpartum. One of my goals is to break 20 by Jan 30, 2011!! My max rep pull-ups were 16 before this pregnancy so we'll see. I also plan on a sub 7 min "Fran" time, I haven't even done Fran since Sept of '09 so I hope so.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I know I missed a week updating the blog, my apologies. I actually took off a week from training due to a persistent cold and the nagging injuries I mentioned last post. Funny how being sick while pregnant takes so much out of you, I'm actually still nursing this cold going into week 3, but I decided last week that I wouldn't stop working out just because of an upper respiratory virus. I managed to get in 4 workouts last week, and as of this writing I'm 33 weeks pregnant! I'll have another doctors visit this week so I'll update on weight gain, etc. on my next post. Some of my workouts are as follows:

5 rounds: front squats 65#, 10 kettlebell swings 35#, 10 single-arm clean & press with 15# dumbbells

3 rounds: 30 kettlebell swings 35#, 25 air squats, 15 pull-ups

Overhead squat 5x1 got up to 125# (amazed at that one), front squat 5x1 only did 125# just because of some lower back tightness, back squat 5x1 got up to 135# also because of the back discomfort

5 rounds: 10 Deadlifts 135#, 10 20" step-ups, 8 ring dips (banded)

Felt pretty good throughout all the workouts despite having a stuffy/runny nose and sore throat and feeling overall kinda crappy. I am getting seriously winded these days since my lungs are now shoved up into my upper chest! However, I really can't say enough how staying active and strong has made so much of a difference in the way I feel. My pelvic floor muscles feel very strong. I remember my pregnancy with my son and how towards the end I would cough and either pee myself or feel like I was going to! I think when it comes time to get this baby girl out she's going to shoot across the room!

Another 3rd Trimester Concern

A normal healthy pregnancy only requires an increase of about 300kcal/day. However, during the last trimester, pre-workout meals and/or nutrient intake during the workout may need to be adjusted and increased. The reason for this is because during the last trimester women are more at risk for hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The advanced gestational age leads to more glucose uptake by the fetus and mother, and the mothers liver glycogen stores may be decreased due to altered liver function in pregnancy. Increasing carbohydrate (CHO) intake by 30-50 grams prior to exercise either by food or a sports drink is a good way to prevent any unsafe drops in blood sugar.

Signs/Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar

-dizziness, hand tremors, clamminess or increased sweat, feeling faint, excessive hunger, irritability and fatigue are a few but early signs indicating possible low blood sugar. If you notice any of these signs, STOP exercising and either eat some simple CHO's or preferably drink either juice or a sports drink containing sufficient amounts of CHO. Prevention is truly the best medicine in this case, always have adequate pre-workout nutrient intake and you should be fine (see previous post on Pre-workout nutrition).

Wow, it's been quite a while since my last post! I apologize but I was feverishly preparing to sit for my ACSM exam last weekend, which I am proud to say I passed!! So now I am officially a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine. I really can't say how much achieving this goal means to me, especially taking on the endeavor while pregnant, with a 3 year old, and working! I have many exciting things planned for the future, but I first want to welcome my new baby girl and enjoy my expanded family for a few months.

Despite my lack of postings I have still been getting in my 4 workouts per week and I feel great still. I am now 31 weeks pregnant and weight gain is 18/19 lbs as of Monday! I've had a few bumps along the way in the past couple of weeks which leads me to my topic for this week.

My workouts so far this week:
21-15-9 pull-ups, kettlebell swings 35#, overhead squats 65#

4 rounds 10 Touch & go clean & jerks 65#, 25 air squats

5 rounds 1 clean & jerk 75#, 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats


Third Trimester Words of Caution

As much as I have not wanted to give up performing certain Crossfit movements, minor injuries have made me get smart about listening to my drastically changing body. I have covered these topics before so refer to earlier posts for specifics regarding safe/unsafe movement for pregnancy. Ligament laxity starts to peak in the third trimester as your body prepares for delivery. About 6 weeks or so ago I started to wake up at night with shoulder pain...not good, so I recruited the help of my Physical Therapist husband in my recovery, who determined that I had a subscapularis (one of your rotator cuff muscles) strain. I have pretty much eliminated any power snatches from my workouts and also HEAVY jerks, I have capped my push-jerk weight at 75 lbs since that weight is safe for me as far as injury prevention, and I don't experience any pain with that weight.

I also injured a muscle/ligament in my groin area doing overhead walking lunges about 2 weeks ago. I hadn't done lunges in a while and since my belly had grown so much I noticed way more external rotation in my hip/leg to get around the belly. So I ended up limping and not sleeping well for quite a few days following that one, so no more lunges for me this pregnancy!

Remember, you may need eliminate ALL ballistic movements at this point and that may include the Olympic lifts, since they are considered a ballistic movement. Other items to caution against include box jumps (these shouldn't be done at all in pregnancy), jump roping (highly stressful on knees), possibly running, and kipping pull-ups. I have found no problem with pull-ups but if they feel uncomfortable to you, don't do them. Please always warm-up thouroughly at this point, it's so important for injury prevention.

Now that I'm through with my complaints, what you should take away from this is TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! If a movement doesn't feel quite right to you, just don't do it at all, it's not worth having an injury that lasts until after pregnancy and prevents you from maintaining your fitness and getting back in the saddle postpartum. After all, your pregnancy is really a small time frame in your life (although it may FEEL like forever sometimes!). You should enjoy every single moment of it, injury free!

In closing, I will be updating weekly and I fully intend to document my postpartum return to exercise as well.

Week 27! Whoohoo! This pregnancy seems to be flying by. I guess chasing a 3 year-old, working, and trying to stay active can do that. I had an OB appointment yesterday, everything is great, and I promised I would update on the weight gain so far. 16 lbs which I'm very happy with and is average for 27 weeks. I also got in another 4 workouts last week as follows:

5 rounds-5 Deadlifts 135#, 5 ring push-ups with toes on box (ring height equal with box height) much more challenging than regular push-ups, involved way more core stabilization and upper body strength. Not the hardest workout I've done by any means, probably could have done heavier deadlifts due to the low reps.

"Michael" (scaled for pregnancy) 3 rounds-600m run, 15 toes to bar, 20 good-mornings. Talk about some hamstring soreness. I was sore for almost a week after those 2 workouts in a row! Toes to bar are still manageable. I hope to be able to do them as long as possible to maintain ab core strength.

Shoulder press-1,1,1,1,1,1,1 45,55,65,70,75,80,85×2 followed by 3rds 10 pull-ups, 10 dumbbell squat cleans 25# for a short metcon. I was really happy with my shoulder press numbers, pretty much the same as pre-pregnancy. My 1 rep max for a strict press was 90# so I hope that's increased. I guess I'll find out post-partum :)

5 rounds-200m run, 8 clean & jerks 75# When I'm out of ideas I tend to do workouts involving runs which is kind of where this one came from. Our gym was doing "2 minute Defense" which involves a short sprint in combination with a clean, front squats & push-jerks. It gave me some inspiration for this workout. My Olympic lifts are still coming along just fine. I haven't found that my belly impedes my cleans or snatches. I'm sure I'm bringing the bar farther out in front of my body to avoid hitting the belly though, but I believe it's pretty minimal.

Energy Systems

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the energy molecule needed by our body to produce mechanical work & fulfill all biological and chemical activities in our bodies. ATP is stored in our muscles and is readily available when a stimulus is provided, but this supply is limited to a few seconds. The need for more ATP must be further provided by the breakdown of carbohydrate (CHO) in the form of glucose or stored muscle glycogen.

Anaerobic Systems
-Creatine phosphate system-very rapid system where ATP is limited and oxygen is not needed. Examples where this system is used are power related: sprints, football line plays, gymnastics routines
-Anaerobic glycolysis-the rapid breakdown of CHO also without involving oxygen. This breakdown leads to lactate/pyruvate (lactic acid) as a byproduct, lending that "burning" sensation to the working muscles. Although considered anaerobic, pyruvate can readily participate in ATP production when oxygen is available, so it can be considered a first step in aerobic metabolism. Examples where this system is used include power/endurance activities like 200-400m sprints or 100m swims. Also short high intensity exercises lasting a few minutes.

Aerobic Metabolism
This system can use CHO, fat and protein to produce abundant supplies of ATP in the presence of oxygen to sustain muscular endurance over long periods of time. This system is primarily used in endurance events lasting longer than an 800m run, or during activities of low-moderate intensity lasting 30 minutes or more.

Although protein can be broken down to form ATP in aerobic exercise, CHO's and fats are the primary sources used in healthy adults. CHO is the fuel of choice at the onset of exercise and high intensity work, but a gradual shift to fats is seen during prolonged exercise of low-moderate intensity lasting 30 minutes or more.

Whew, intentions to blog every week on the week.....well, at least I'm averaging my 4 workouts still which feels great. Oh, and I feel great too, almost 26 weeks along now. I can't believe my 2nd trimester is almost over. It's funny but some days I feel really energetic during workouts, and some days I feel really tired, guess it's par for the course. Like I said, I got in 4 workouts last week as follows.

"The Seven" 7 rounds of 7 reps of each exercise (scaled and subbed out for pregnancy): push-ups (still rockin em' on my toes!), thrusters 55#, toes-to-bar, deadlifts 135#, dips (thin band), kettlebell swings 35#, and pull-ups. This was really challenging even being scaled. My husband and I did it together and it took me about 49 minutes to complete.

4 rounds-10 snatch balance (I love snatches), 10 kettlebell swings, 15 walking lunges. Just a nice short met-con. The snatch balance felt good even without the deep squatting.

3-6-9 reps of 95# push-jerks, pull-ups, push-ups. I can really feel the extra body weight on body-weight exercises/lower body movements. I think it will be a benefit in the long run though, like wearing a weighted vest for workouts. Hopefully it will give me some long-term strength gains.

4 rounds- 400m run, 10 overhead squats 65#. Running still feels good also. Rowing not so much. I've continued to row as part of my warm up routine and as my belly gets bigger, rowing gets harder. I've always disliked running, but now that I'm pregnant, I hate to say I kinda like it!

Well so far I've gotten in 2 workouts this week which I'll post on the weekend, shooting for 2 more. I also go for my next OB appointment Monday so I'll give a status update on my weight gain so far.

Whew, another week down, managed to squeeze in 4 workouts again!

4 rounds 8 Ring dips, 15 kettlebell swings 35#, 50 squats. I actually did 5 unassisted dips, then had to convert to a thin band. Can really feel the excess body weight on the dips now, not sure if I'll be able to do any unassisted with 25-35# eventual of baby weight :)

4 rounds 250 m row, 10 front squats 75#, 15 toes to bar, 20 step-ups. Toes to bar while 6 months pregnant is quite an achievement I must say. I didn't feel so energetic on this particular metcon, and I left the gym feeling mentally crappy.

Overhead squats 3,3,3,3,3- 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, and 125 x1 just to see if I still had it :). I initially wasn't even going to do this workout, since OHS are one of my favorite lifts and not squatting below 90 degrees takes out a big strength component of the movement and I didn't want to feel again mentally defeated after another workout. I was really glad I did it, just jerking 125# overhead at this stage and maintaining in the overhead position made me feel like I haven't lost too much. I achieved the benchmark bodyweight OHS x1 of 145# last Spring and hope to get back to that OHS weight post-partum.

"Helton" scaled for pregnancy-3 rounds 400m run, 20 dumbbell hang squat cleans 50#, 15 push-ups. Yep, still doing regular push-ups and feeling good. I just feel it in different places, especially in my lats since I can only get to belly depth these days, no more chest to ground! This workout left me feeling great, the weather was cooler, running felt really good. Got an awesome Under Armor bra for running, which I HIGHLY recommend.

I have noticed that my workouts are getting longer, but I think I'm more comfortable now doing more but really pacing myself, which I think is key. I did an insane workout today, but I'll save that one for my next blog update.

Have a Great Week!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I have mixed feelings about the coming end of summer. I generally love warm weather but I'm glad to be entering into a period of cooler, more favorable workout weather. So today I'm super sore, sore traps, legs, back...ugh. Even my abs (which have slowly disappeared) are really sore, I'm guessing from doing Fran yesterday...but I'll get to that.

I did 3 workouts in a row, cause that's all my schedule would allow, which is also why I'm so sore:

5 rounds 10 squat cleans 65#, 10 push-ups, still doing regular push-ups but now my belly touches before my chest so that's as deep as I get (but my core is staying strong!). The squat cleans where hard not going below parallel as well.

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of sumo deadlift high-pulls and push-jerks. Prescribed weight was 55# but I did 60# only because I was going at a slower pace and push-jerks that light don't really challenge me that much. It was a total suckfest though, I used to like sumos, not sure I like them at 23 weeks pregnant.

"Fran", need I say more?? 21-15-9 reps of 65# thrusters and pull-ups. My husband guided and timed me for support, not that I was doing it for time but I kinda wanted to know how I was doing. I was SLOW, that's all I'll say (about as fast as the first time I did it rx'd over 18 mos ago). I COMPLETELY recovered after every 7 reps the 1st round of 21, then every 5 reps thereafter. I haven't even done thrusters since I've been pregnant, and they were totally inefficient since my squat was limited to parallel. I'll not do Fran again until after this baby comes :).

Flexibility

Since I've been pregnant I've been reflecting on my own fitness deficits and goals for the future. I identified flexibility as a definite area of improvement in myself and I'm sure many other people neglect this important area of fitness. Having adequate flexibility ensures that good range of motion can occur in the joints, thereby enhancing optimal performance. Pregnant women really need to be careful with stretching exercises due to the increased laxity of the ligaments and tendons associated with the hormone relaxin.

Static stretching is best suited for pregnancy since the risk for injury is low and requires minimal if no assistance. Static stretching involves slowly stretching a muscle to the end of the range of motion, to the point of mild discomfort. The stretch should be held in that position for at least 15-30 seconds. Only 2-4 stretches need to be done for any given muscle group a minimum of 2-3 days/weeks. If stretching prior to working out, it should be done after an active warm-up. I recommend stretching following the cool-down phase, research has shown that stretching prior to a workout has no benefit in enhancing performance.

Dynamic stretching, where repetitive bouncing movements produce the muscle stretch should never be done in pregnancy since the risk for injury is so high, even in the general population.

Stretches to avoid during pregnancy include standing toe touch, Barre stretch, Hurdler's stretch, neck circles, knee hyperflexion, and the Yoga plow.

Another busy, stressful week, but managed to squeeze in a few workouts.

I focused on strength last weekend, did push-jerks/split-jerks @95#x5, 105x5, 115x5 and made up a weighted pull-up workout starting out with 10 lbs, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 60. Each was one kipping pull-up with the added weight including the 9 lbs of pregnancy weight I've finally gained at just about 22 weeks pregnant.

21-15-9 step-ups, push-ups, and overhead squats @ 65#

4 rounds 10 pull-ups, 10 deadlifts 125#, 10 overhead walking lunges with 25# plate

3 rounds 300m run, 10 push-jerks 75#, 10 kettlebell swings 35#

Overall I'm feeling really good still. Have definitely noticed some mechanical changes as my abdomen has grown and my center of gravity has shifted. My deadlift stance has widened and I compensated by dropping the weight by 10lbs just to make sure I did it safely. I lost my push-press a long time ago! I feel a lot of strain in my extreme lower abdominals on the push-press so I mainly do push-jerks now. It really feels different when you lose the extra hip force. Step-ups on the 20" box are interesting as well, I can't lift my leg straight in front of me so I have to be careful to watch the lower back while externally rotating my hip outward to step onto the box.

Maintaining Core Strength During Pregnancy

Probably the most weakness you'll notice while pregnant and post-partum will be in the abdomen and core. The reasons are obvious, a growing uterus causing the abdominal muscles to expand and thus weaken. Some women will even experience a diastasis, or separation in the vertical rectus abdominis muscles. Continuing weight training will still keep your core fairly strong, especially doing Crossfit. Some exercises that I have continued with and recommend are as follows:

Planks- Planks are great for maintaining core strength, even if you can't do them on your toes. Make sure to always maintain even breathing, since it can be tempting to want to hold your breath during the hold which is a big no-no while pregnant. If you can do side planks, do them as well. You don't need to overachieve and go for an all-out 60 sec hold, though certainly do it if you can. 15-30 sec is fine and just build up from there, do 2-3 sets.

Reverse crunches- You'll start out on all fours (on knees and hands) facing downward with head, neck & spine in alignment, next round your back (like a cat arching it's back) while tucking your chin and pelvis (almost like bringing them in to meet each other) focusing on exhaling through the movement. Repeat the movement slowly in multiple reps of 10-12 in sets of 2-3.

Opposite arm/leg lifts- starts in the same position as reverse crunches, reaching out with left arm/right leg simultaneously and holding for about 2-3 sec, repeating with opposite side, maintaing even alignment of the leg/spine/neck/arm. Again do about 10-12 reps in 2-3 sets.

Again, just keep working out, keep doing strict push-ups, push-ups with you toes elevated on a box, knee push-ups, good-mornings, kettlebell swings, olympic lifting (with scaled weight if necessary), deadlifts, toes-to-bar, knees to elbows. All are good for keeping core strength.

Just keep exercising ladies!! The human body was made to move, even while pregnant! Your body will thank you for it!

Wow it's Thursday and I've gotten in 3 workouts already, it's like a miracle! So far I've done:

-3 rounds: 400m run, 50 squats

-"Nate"- a Crossfit Hero Workout which as prescribed is as many rounds as possible in 20 min of 2 muscle -ups, 4 hand-stand push ups, 8 kettlebell swings @ 55lbs. My scaling was 3 rounds of banded muscle ups, then 2 rounds of 4 pull-ups and 4 banded dips, push-ups I did with my toes elevated on our small box (body NOT inverted) and I used a 35# KB. I ended up with a pretty uncomfortable pec strain so today I omitted any upper body work.

-5 rounds 300m run, 10 back squats @ 95#

I am feeling great still, was super excited to have done banded muscle-ups in a workout again, especially given my weaker core these days.

Post-Workout Nutrition

Since I recently discussed pre-workout nutrition, thought it was logical to go into the post-workout phase. I'll mainly stick to the first 30 minutes following exercise, after that it's up to you whatever diet you want to follow, whether it's Zone, Paleo (my preference), or what works best for your training needs.

The 30 minute window is key to replace muscle glycogen lost during exercise. What you eat now can be key in how well you perform during your next workout. A liquid meal replacement is best during the immediate workout stage, since it's more easily digested by the body. The liquid should be a mix of carbohydrate (CHO), protein, and some electrolytes. The CHO component should be about 1G CHO per kilogram of body weight (1kg=2.2lbs). Muscle repair is better facilitated when protein is consumed in the immediate post-workout window, which is why you need to have protein in the mix as well (whey protein being of the best quality). The CHO to protein ratio should be about 4:1, for every 4 G CHO/1 G protein. There should be some electrolyte added, but this is also dependent upon length of workout, intensity, and temperature. A good guide is if you're sweating heavily,working out for a long period of time, or in extreme heat, you would need to replace lost electrolytes.

What type of drink is again up to you. Commercially prepared drinks like Gatorade are certainly fine. I believe Gatorade makes a new series which includes a post-workout beverage containing protein, which they didn't previously have. I just buy plain old Wal-Mart single sport drink powder packs containing plain old sugar and electrolytes, drink immediately after, then focus more on my protein intake when I get home. You could also make up your own drink using the ratios listed above, using fruit puree or juice and protein powder, adding a little salt if you need the electrolyte replacement.

I managed to squeeze in a couple of good workout so far this week. I'm feeling good, almost 20 weeks pregnant! I can't believe I'm at the half-way mark already!

One workout consisted of max laps running around our building (approx 300m/lap) while carrying a 20 lb med ball with 5 slam balls on the minute for 15 minutes. It was pretty hard running and carrying a 20# ball on your shoulder. I guess I more waddled than ran :)

Yesterday I did 4 rounds of 10 overhead squats(65#), 10 pull-ups, 10 good mornings 30#. I felt really strong with unbroken reps on the overheads and good mornings throughout and my first round of pull-ups unbroken, which leads me to today's blog subject.

Growth Hormone, Pregnancy, & Strength

I've commented to my husband many times through this pregnancy that I've felt incredibly strong (aside from the normal pregnancy fatigue/tiredness, which has made my aerobic capacity suffer). Not that I've been able to measure this theory by any means, as you simply can't just go all out on a lift while pregnant. But we speculated on the role of Growth Hormone (GH) and it's effects during pregnancy.

GH supplementing has been used for decades as a strength and performance enhancer by anyone from the casual body-builder to elite professional athletes. It's use has been banned in professional sports since it can obviously put the user at an unfair advantage in competition. GH causes increased lean body mass with increased muscle size, increased insulin uptake with higher protein synthesis, possibly resulting in increased strength. It also can cause connective tissues to recover from injury faster.

With all that being said, how does it impact pregnancy? GH is routinely used in fertility treatments to induce ovulation in women with pituitary dysfunction. The placenta usually produces GH starting at 8 weeks gestation, and levels continue to rise through pregnancy and peak between 35-36 weeks. GH production continues into the postpartum period but I couldn't find a reliable answer as to how long.

So could pregnant women (who were previously pretty fit) be able to notice strength gains? Anecdotaly, yes. But we would not be able to measure it reliably or safely. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out in my postpartum period, when I can safely attempt 1 rep-max lifts again. If I miraculously increase my 1 rep max #'s after not having attempted them in 10 or 11 months I guess we'll know why! I'll keep you posted.....come January.

I'm off to a sports medicine course for the entire weekend and I'm excited to bring back more information and knowledge to help all my mommies (and non-mommies) in thier fitness endeavors!

So I know it's been a while, crazy week is all I can say. A couple of my workouts from last week:

3 rounds: 300m run, 5 power cleans 95#, 5 push jerks 95# (prescribed weight was 105#)

"Dirty 30" (sub for filthy 50) 30 reps of each: Step-ups, jumping pull-ups, kettlebell swings 35#, walking lunges, toes-to-bar (sub for knees to elbows), push-press 45#, good-mornings 30# (sub for back extensions), wall balls 14#, push-ups (sub for burpees), 90 jump rope singles (sub for double unders).

I didn't feel so hot after the Dirty 30, it was around 90F or so with high humidity. As always I was super hydrated (drank about 5 liters of water before, during, and after), and took it pretty slow. I think it had a lot to do with being on my feet at work all day combined with working out in the heat. From this point forward I'll limit my workouts to days I am off work.

Pre-workout Nutrition

I find this subject to be a knowledge deficit among the casual work-out crowd. Do you drive your car on an empty gas tank? Well you shouldn't exercise without putting gas in your "tank" either (epspecillay when exercising for two). One could seriously write a book (and many have) on exercise nutrition in general. I will keep it as simple and straight forward as possible.

Performance is greatly enhanced when you have proper pre-exercise nutrient intake. The ACSM states the pre-workout meal should have sufficient fluid, be low in fat and fiber, be relatively high carb, and have moderate protein. You should eat NO LESS than 2 hours prior to working out.

The glycemic index (GI) of the meal needs to be fairly low. Why? Because higher GI foods contain carbohydrates which realease sugar into the blood quickly, causing a rapid release of insulin into the blood, thereby leading to a blood sugar crash, you feeling hungry and generally like crap. Low GI foods are more slowly digested and lead to more stable blood glucose levels throughout your workout. You'll also see that all of the meal suggestions have added protein. This lowers the GI of the carbohydrate it is taken with, also stablizing glucose levels (along with stimulating post-workout protein synthesis)

Some meal examples:
-A fruit with eggs-make sure the fruit is low fiber like bananas, peaches, nectarines, and melons like cantaloupe or watermelon. Avoid apples, raisins, grapes, pineapple, pears or mango (high fiber).

-applesauce or baby food mixed with protein powder

-liquid meal-make a smoothie out of the fruits listed above mixed with protein powder, you could add yogurt but that's up to you. Personally I have found no problems with the addition of dairy prior to working out.

-sports/protein bar-I do this quite frequently since they can be so appealing to those on the go. But always drink a lot of water with them.

Again HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!!

So I did a team workout yesterday with my husband (he promised not to push me) of 400 M run while partner goes for max reps of push-press, sumo-deadlift high pulls, and kettlebell swings 35# (total of 3 400m runs). I scaled down to 300m and did push jerks instead of PP @ 65lbs (both PJ & SDHP). My husband runs crazy fast, so I felt like I didn't get a lot of rest time during my max rep efforts. I have found that push press seems to exert a lot of pressure on my extreme lower abdomen, so I've been doing a lot more push jerks as a sub (more efficient, less core). Not sure about anymore team workouts for me....

Today I practiced banded muscle -ups for my skill, then did 10 Turkish get-ups (10# :( ), 20 hang power cleans 75#, 35 slam balls (20#), 35 step-ups, 30 toes to bar. Turkish get-ups were really difficult with a compromised core, prescribed weight was 25#, so I did 10#. I was super fatigued after banded muscle-ups so I also scaled the HPC weight from 95# down to 75#. Just felt really weak today, woke up at 0530 and was just plain tired. Hopefully I'll perk up next go round!

WARM-UPS

One of my biggest pet peeves in fitness training is seeing people not do a proper warm-up. It drives me insane to see people come in cold-cocked and start an intense workout. A 400m run does not make for a sufficient warm-up either. A proper warm-up brings your body from a rest state to one which is ready for exercise. Postural muscles are stretched, blood flow to the working muscles is enhanced, oxygen distribution begins, joints become lubricated, and body temperature & hear rate elevate. Warm-ups can prevent injury by increasing joint range of motion, aiding in connective tissue flexibility, and enhance performance of muscles. Some studies have shown that a warm-up performed at 60% of max effort can result in a 6% improvement in aerobic performance and a 7% improvement in anaerobic performance (for the Crossfitters, since most of Crossfit is anaerobic).

So what should one do for a warm-up? First off, you should spend a minimum of 5 minutes in the warm-up phase. Usually begin with some type of light, progressive activity to elevate the heart rate. I'll row 500m or run 400m. Then do some movements to prepare your nervous system for the movements you plan to do in your work-out. I mainly do the same thing every workout, but it can change depending on the specific movements. I do very light dumbell shoulder presses, but with high reps (up to 30). Then I will do some movement to engage the posterior chain muscles (hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, traps, and deltoids), like kettlebell swings at a lighter weight, but again with high reps. I'll then get into legs with air squats or lunges. When doing any deadlifts I ALWAYS prepare with either good-mornings or lighter deadlifts, just to get the lower back and glutes adequately prepared for what is usually a heavy load.

A warm-up should get you sweating lightly, never fatigue yourself during a warm-up to the point that it will take away from your performance. Also don't do the exact same movements during your warm-up that you'll be doing for the workout. Like doing a bunch of pull-ups before a heavy pull-up workout. You can certainly do a few just to prepare the neuromuscular system, especially for highly technical movements (snatches, squat snatches).

Another interesting workout today, 3 rounds of 15 weighted pull-ups (15#) and 9 front squats (75#), I wore a weighted vest the whole time so the front squat weight was close (90#) to the prescribed weight of 95#. The gym workout was actually 5 rounds which I thought was a bit much in the heat, so another pregnant member and I scaled it down. I've been wanting to see how weighted pull-ups felt since at some point I'll have a lot more weight on me. I was pleasantly surprised that it felt the same as before as I'm accustomed to doing weighted pull-ups during workouts. I would never recommend doing weighted pull-ups if you haven't done them pre-pregnancy, now is not the time to be a hero!

Eliminated Movements

Some of the movements that should be eliminated during pregnancy:

• box jumps-too high impact, too much of a ballistic movement, stick to step-ups
• handstand push-ups- just not safe, who knows what inversion does to uterine blood-flow, just not worth the risk, practice your strict press, do regular push-ups
• double-unders-high impact and your heart rate can get way too high
• squats below 90 degrees- I mentioned this yesterday and today realized I could no longer squat clean according to this rule. You can certainly keep squatting as long as you feel comfortable and your thighs don't pass parallel to the floor. Not being able to squat below 90 takes a lot of efficiency out of Crossfit movements, you lose the hamstring/glute action on wall-balls, thrusters, front squats, etc. So keep that in mind and scale accordingly.
• rope climbs-no pregnant woman should climb a rope, seriously.
• burpees-slamming your abdomen on the ground repeatedly is not a good idea. I have modified them to be done on a tire (push-up on the tire, instead of flat on the ground).
• 1 rep max days-since you tend to Valsalva (bear down) during a 1 RM day, just save it for post-pregnancy, still focus on your strength on these days, just don't go all-out.
• AMRAPS, team work-outs-this is simply a matter of personal preference. It will be hard not to push yourself during either one so that's why I bring them up. You can certainly do an AMRAP if you feel you'll get enough out of the time limit pacing yourself. It all depends on the time limit, exercises and reps. It may work to pick x-amount of rounds and do it that way. Team WODs are fine as long as you have a partner that doesn't push you and doesn't mind going slow themselves, which may be hard to find in Crossfit:)

If there's anything anyone notices that I forgot please let me know!

JB

For today's workout I did 12 deadlifts (135#), 10 wall balls (14#), 9 DL's, 10 WB's, 6 DL's, 10 WB's, 3 DL's, 10 WB's. This was a modified version of the gyms WOD which had a total of 100 wall balls. Another pregnant gym member and I did it together, and it wasn't too bad, sub 10 minutes. I usually try to shoot for a 15-20 minute workout not including a good warm-up.

Early in pregnancy I found myself questioning the safety of deadlifts. I was very comfortable with the prescribed weights of 155# & 185# for women prior to pregnancy, but 155# can get a little heavy with high reps and you tend to start "bearing down" to pull the weight. So I tried 135# in a workout and it felt great so I hope to stay at this weight throughout using more of a sumo-like stance as my abdomen gets bigger. The wall balls were interesting today as well. Since you're not supposed to go below a 90 degree squat in the second trimester, it made it way less efficient. I placed a small box with an abmat under my bottom as a guide.

Safety

I wanted to go over some safety considerations in pregnancy. Heart rate control: a lot of conflicting information is out there. Most literature will recommend keeping your heart rate below 140 to avoid diverting blood flow from the uterus. You can certainly wear a heart rate monitor to accomplish this, but I find perceived exertion (PE) or the talk-test to be a good indication. You should be able to talk through any part of your workout, the run, the lifts, etc. If you can't talk, REST and SLOW DOWN!! Also avoid lying flat on your back after the second trimester as the uterus becomes large enough to block the great vessels in the abdomen and diminish blood flow to the uterus. Avoid ballistic/high impact movements. Your body starts producing the hormone relaxin sometime in the second trimester to help the pelvic joints to soften and allow for childbirth. Relaxin can affect all joints so the potential for injury is greater during exercise. Don't do any exercise that involves a lot of balancing as your center of gravity changes as your belly grows. Again, avoid lifting weight that is so heavy it causes you to bear down, it not only decreases blood flow to the baby but can also cause you to pass-out, not good for you or baby. Avoid squatting with the thighs below parallel, it puts too much pressure on the pelvic floor muscles.

So today was my first day back in the gym after almost a week off tending to a sick little one. I made up a fairly light workout of 3 rounds: 10 push jerks 75#, 15 good mornings w/ 25# plate (cause I didn't want to hog 2 barbells), and 10 pull-ups. I felt pretty good, paced my self well. Before the workout I did some skill work trying to master the butterfly kip. Right now I'm almost 17 weeks pregnant and feeling much more energetic during the workouts, so we'll see where it goes from here.

OVERHEATING/Temperature Regulation

Exercise in the heat presents some concerns for pregnant women. Having an elevated core body temperature of 102F has been correlated with certain birth defects and/or miscarriage. Exact outcomes are influenced by exactly how high (of temperature), duration of, etc. The activity of muscle during exercise can increase body heat levels up to 20 times than when at rest. Overheating during pregnancy should be avoided all together.

Prevention of overheating is crucial. Try to workout at cooler times of day, mostly morning. Wear loose fitting, moisture wicking fabrics. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I cannot stress it enough, start out your workout being adequately hydrated. Pace yourself, take rest breaks, and if you feel like it's too hot to workout outdoors, then take the day off. It's just not worth the risk to you or your unborn baby.

Some of my personal strategies to beat the heat include hydration (see previous post), I also carry a water bottle to mist myself during the workout just to aid my body in dissipating heat more easily. I also try to position myself by a fan if possible. I really pace myself, there's no sense in rushing through a workout during pregnancy anyway, and the faster you go, the hotter you get. Recently it's been VERY hot where I live, and if I can't make the morning workout, then I'll take that day off. As many of us know, Crossfit gyms are not climate controlled and many workouts occur outdoors.

1st post!!

Finally my first post! I had the idea for this blog since there's not a lot of information out there for women who follow a fairly intense workout regimen prior to becoming pregnant and want to maintain their fitness during pregnancy. I currently do Crossfit as my training method at an affiliate in my town. I have been training for approximately 18 months and don't want to lose all the fitness gains that I've made during this time. As many of us know, Physicians highly encourage a physically active pregnancy but the guidelines for such are not clear. I laughed when I read not to lift over 25 pounds! Now that would certainly apply to those who engage in light exercise but you have to apply some rules to what YOUR body is used to. My goal for this blog is to post my weekly workouts, how they felt, how I paced myself, etc. I will also post some educational tidbits as well.

HYDRATION

Since we're in the thick of the Dog Days of Summer I thought it was important to discuss hydration. It's always important to maintain adequate hydration regardless of being pregnant, but pregnancy is a special circumstance. Dehydration in pregnancy can bring on pre-term contractions and can also cause pre-term labor. Some physiology for the nerds: when the body senses a fluid deficit, the posterior pituitary gland releases ADH (antidiuretic hormone). What does that do? Makes you retain fluid. Well ADH is also similar to another pregnancy hormone known as Oxytocin. Oxytocin cause uterine contractions and possibly cervical changes, in effect leading to pre-term contractions/labor. So you want to start out your workout being adequately hydrated. A good rule of thumb is to drink enough to make your urine pretty much look clear like water.

What I do in the hour or so prior to a workout is drink 1 liter of water, drink 1 liter during my warm-up, and 1 liter during/post-workout usually mixed with a powdered sport drink preparation.

Happy Hydrating! JB