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!