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!