Surfing in Costa Rica at 9 weeks pregnant

Saturday, July 31, 2010

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).

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

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

Monday, July 26, 2010

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.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

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.

Friday, July 23, 2010

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