Some recent workouts

After a nice week of vacation I had a lot of energy and had three great training days at the gym. 

Sunday 4.28.13 : 5K Row 24:50, 7 Rope climbs to 15ft in 5 Minutes

Monday 4.29.13: 21-15-9 Deads (205#) DB Push Jerk (35#DB) 8:37

Tuesday 4.30.13: Back Squat 175x3, 180x1 - Cash out Team WoD with Paul and Keith about 15:14 for us to complete- 1000M Row, 5 Rope Climbs, 100 Burpees, 100 WallBalls, 200M Farmers Carry, 5 Rope climbs, 1000M Row.

Round 2....

 (week 26)

Where to begin...

I began this blog in 2010 as a reference point for other moms-to-be who were CrossFitting prior to getting pregnant. When I was pregnant with Chloe I found that there was little out there to learn from and base my decisions off of in regards to nutrition, working out, balance, rest and recovery.

Fast forward three years... now there are many more women in the community and through this website I have captured 10 stories from 10 amazing women who were all strong enough mentally and physically to continue working out during their pregnancy. I had the opportunity to train and provide guidance to all these amazing mamas plus a few more not featured here.  I continue to make friends throughout the CrossFit community, both at CrossFit King of Prussia and surrounding affiliates, and help as many pregnant women as I can make healthy decisions for themselves.

I have written far fewer entries then I would have liked and had far less time during this pregnancy (I'm currently 27 weeks) than before but that's what happens when you have your own business and a 2 year old!

For those of you who are not familiar with my story, I gave birth to my daughter Chloe 8 weeks early at 32 weeks 4 days in Delaware.  She spent 3 weeks in the NICU at Christiana Hospital. To this day, besides being small, you would have no clue she was a preemie.  During that time I was strong because I needed to be...there is a mental strength you garner from CrossFit and I was able to use that and wrap it around my situation in those early fall months after Chloe's birth.  That strength coupled with a strong support system from my husband and family allowed me to get through some very tough days!

 To this day no doctors or specialists can tell me why I delivered early. From what I learned the following things can send you into labor: incompetent cervix, low progesterone levels and an infection in the uterus or something wrong with the bag of waters surrounding the baby.  As precautions, this pregnancy I have had ultrasounds bi-weekly from 14-24 weeks to check the length of my cervix (all was great up to 24 weeks!).  From weeks 16-36 I receive progesterone shots to keep the levels high.  I have seen a specialist at UPenn and go to regular visits at my OBGYN but no one is able to provide any concrete opinions on whether I will go early or what the issue was with Chloe's early birth.  So...the next question I get is always well, do you think you worked out too hard?  Based on what the doctors have told me, that plays a minimal role and is actually much healthier for the baby than being sedentary and inactive for 9 months.  The fear of working out is actually for fear of the mother with the increased relaxin in your body and the stretching of ligaments to make room for the baby.

What's different this pregnancy...for one I'm older...obviously. I'm 35 versus 32.  As I mentioned previously, I'm busier (a 2 year old will keep you on your toes).  I'm also in the process of opening another gym (CF Harmony- In Newtown Square). So first of all I have taken more rest days. I have been in a two on one off cycle since November and have taken more/ lest rest as I needed it.  I competed in the CrossFit open from weeks 20-25 and was happy that I was able to complete all workouts as prescribed (that was my goal). I ended up finishing 597 in the region and top 6 in my gym.  Overall I was satisfied with my performance, but this will be the first year since 2009 I'm not making an appearance at Regionals or sending a team...bummed about that but blessed to be pregnant again (for those of you who don't know making another life is hard work too!)

Okay so number 1 - I have taken more Rest. 

I have only avoided or scaled my workouts as I felt uncomfortable or lost the ability to do the exercise. My muscle-up disappeared (please come back in August). My HSPU's remain.  The 20" box Jumps felt funny so I went to 17" and then 13". I can still do Double Unders but only a set of 20 reps...I can no longer string 50 without having to run to the bathroom! I prefer rowing over running, but that's a personal preference.

I was craving some serious sweets in the first trimester, which "fortunately" paired well with the holidays. I did let myself have some treats and listened to my body for the most part by still trying to provide a good balance of PRO, CHO and FAT at each meal.  The nutrition piece is so important for the baby, so I got back on track in the second trimester. Am I still "Paleo"?...nope. I have enjoyed the following, pizza, bread, cheerios, cheese, pudding, milk, and a lot of oranges! But unlike when I wasn't pregnant these things don't make me feel sick. It's almost like you are possessed by another human (oh wait! you are!).

 

Point number 2 - I let myself eat what I felt my body was craving - but not to excess.

In your second pregnancy - even though I got my body back to where it was prior to Chloe, everything has expanded more and faster! I am trying to accept this and know that this in only temporary.  I also feel that everyone tries to rush through the pregnancy --"when is the baby due. I'll get my body back once the baby is born, I'm going to do this when the baby is born..." I'm trying to remain present throughout this pregnancy and not look towards the end as much as I try to embrace the day and accept what's going on in my body and mind. I'm also doing a lot of mental preparation and hoping for a full term pregnancy so that I can bring home my baby from the hospital 3 days after he's born.

Point number 3 - Remain present.

We found out what we are having this time versus being surprised with Chloe.  We did a cool reveal party so we could share the experience.  Neither Jason nor I knew the sex of the baby at the time of the party. We invited about 70 of our friends and family and asked them to wear pink or blue depending on what sex they thought the baby was... you can see the sides were just about equal!

Point number 4 - Celebrate!

It's a boy...due July 29!

The most important thing to do is trust yourself.  Stress is one of the worst things for your baby so if something is causing you stress, do everything in your power to eliminate it.  If this means scaling a workout, so be it.  CrossFit, like everything, is different for everyone.  You will have some women that feel comfortable doing muscle-ups at week 39 and you will have some women that want to scale earlier.  There is no right answer.  Do what feels good for you, stay in the moment, and know that you will not get another time to be pregnant with this child, so enjoy it and smile as much as you can. 

CrossFit.com

Did you check out our strong pregnant ladies they were featured on the CrossFit Main Page...

 ...these were a few more great pictures from Chris Plentus taken on the same day of our pregnant ladies and mamas and babies!!

Mel

My name is Melanie and I have been doing Crossfit for over 3 years. I am also a Level 1 trainer and an assistant coach at our box.  I am 38 years old and due with my first baby on the 14^th of November.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was elated by the news! But like any first time mom, I was a little nervous.  Not that I was expecting to qualify for Regionals but we were just starting Open Sectionals at the time I found out.  So many questions go through your head like, how much do I have to slow down? Can I still continue to lift the weights that I have been and not feel strained? Will people notice if I slow down?  I knew that there were several other girls who did CrossFit through their pregnancies which was reassuring but every pregnancy is different and so is everyone’s skill level with CrossFit so I found it hard to compare myself to even them.

What I knew for sure is that I wanted to stay active during my pregnancy. When I first talked to my doctor about becoming pregnant, I told her about CrossFit and when asked about exercising during pregnancy she told me this exact sentence, “when I say exercise during pregnancy, I mean taking a walk around the block”.  So needless to say I was very disappointed.  When my first pre-natal appointment took place at 8 weeks, my doctor surprisingly brought it up and asked me if I was still doing Crossfit. She said she wrote it down because she was so impressed by what I was doing. I told her that I was indeed still going but I was toning things down.  Perhaps time allowed her to think more about it and do her own research because she gave me her blessing and told me to not go crazy, to listen to my body and since I had been doing this for a while; my body was used to this level of activity. I felt a huge sense of relief after that.

The key message I have followed throughout my pregnancy is that I continue to listen to my body. I am in that box for me AND my baby, and nobody else. I want to get in a good workout but I go in with no expectations knowing that I have to tone down the intensity. Because I have been pregnant through the summer months, I drink LOTS of water, work-out near a fan, rest when I need to and am careful to not get too out of breath or overheat.  I have also scaled the length of workouts on those super-hot days.  I scale other movements by using common sense and when that little voice would tell me I should scale to an alternative exercise instead. For example, when I was still able to, I did toes to bar instead of GHD sit ups, I stopped doing HSPU and did push press instead, I did step-ups instead of box jumps and when my bladder finally had enough torture, I switched to rowing instead of running. The beauty of CrossFit is that there is a scale for everything. One thing that has surprised me the most is how my strength has gone up exponentially. Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT trying to hit PR’s on every strength day. As with any WOD, I set goals for myself, pay close attention to my form, pay attention to how I am feeling throughout and go from there. If my body feels ok, I continue until I hit a point where it is challenging but I am not struggling or straining in any way. I stop when I would normally try for one more set but do not push myself further because I am happy with the progress I made.

Overall, my goals have been different and I approach my work-outs with a different frame of mind. So many people strive for that Rx and right now, I could care less. The Rx will be there waiting for me in a few months! I have truly been lucky and I credit my healthy pregnancy to doing Crossfit. It actually makes my body feel better than sitting home, resting on the couch and has allowed me to maintain a level of energy that is often lost during pregnancy.

PR’s during pregnancy:

Hang clean 115# (pre-pregnancy 110#)

Clean 120# (pre-pregnancy 115#)

Clean and Jerk 120# (pre-pregnancy 115#)

Split Jerk 145# (pre-pregnancy 125#)

Shoulder Press 102.5# (pre-pregnancy 90#)

Snatch 100# (pre-pregnancy 85#)

Back Squat 170# (pre-pregnancy 150#)

Post pregnancy note:

I gave birth via c-section to a healthy baby girl on Halloween, exactly 2 weeks early. My last workout was the Saturday before and even then, I felt great. I was bummed about the c-section only because of the recovery time. The c-section definitely affected my overall condition and I wasn’t able to start working out as quickly as I had hoped. Even so, I did lose the baby weight very fast and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight (by 2#) in less than a month.  I feel refreshed at this point and feel that I am not at square 1, but am at a new baseline. I will have to work hard to not compare myself to before but I will try to remember to celebrate the progress that I make now. Eventually, I hope to build back my core and my strength and rebuild my lungs. It has been an amazing journey becoming a mother. One of my fondest memories will be the workouts, the competitions and the support that I received through CrossFit and our community at KOP!

Eva Corinne

 

Becca

My name is Becca and I am 38 weeks pregnant with my first baby.  I have been CrossFitting for one and a half years and have loved every moment of it.  Although some moments are more love-hate than pure love, for instance the exact moment a coach yells, "you're halfway there", the love has certainly overpowered the hate since I keep going back.  By the time I found out I was pregnant, I was already CrossFitting for ten months.  I continued for the first month of pregnancy but took a break until the first trimester was over, not because of CrossFit, but because of my morning sickness.

When I returned to the box, it was the height of the summer heat and humidity.  I quickly found out that I could not perform at the same level I had previously known.  The first thing to "go" were my lungs.  It seemed to take forever to catch my breath during a workout.  From there on, I began scaling everything.  I capped all my WODs to fifteen minutes, chose weights that were comfortable and took breaks for catching my breath as needed.  Very soon I became acquainted with scales that were not necessarily easier, but more suited for my changing body and needs.  Try doing parallete push-ups; they are a bear and certainly not easy.  When it came to strength days, I found myself hitting PRs on nearly every lift.  I was not necessarily aiming for each PR, they seemed to just happen.  I was told the added oxygen and blood flow are the reason for this added strength.  I still consider them achievements and know I will have to work even harder to reach them again after I have my baby.   

With only two weeks left, I still workout three days a week.  Everyone continues to support, encourage and check-in on me.  While I know I will have to take a break from CrossFit once the baby arrives, I am already looking forward to the day I can get back.  I am also looking forward to the day Aimee plans a Pregnant-Simulation WOD.  How great would it be for everyone else to wear forty-pound weight vests, oxygen deprivation masks and use all the scales my fellow pregnant CrossFitters and I used?!

Leila

Lindsey

My name is Lindsey, and I am currently 35 weeks pregnant.  This is my first child, who is expected to arrive October 29, 2012.  Oddly enough, one of the first signs of my pregnancy appeared during a CrossFit WOD.  It was the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and I was partnered with my husband, Chris.  Boy, does that workout test a relationship!  Anyway, we were finally nearing the end and just had to get through the sit ups and squats.  These are two of my favorite movements.  So, although I was tired, I thought the rest of the workout would be all downhill from there.  Wow, was I wrong.  During the sit ups, I started feeling nauseous, but I was able to just push through that.  The squats were another story.  I will never forget having about 20 squats to go until the end and trying not to throw up almost every time I stood up out of the squat while Chris yelled, “Go faster.  Don’t stop.  I can’t hold this plate any more.  Just finish!”  He didn’t know I wasn’t feeling well.  I made it through those last squats and ran straight to the bathroom.  This was the first sign of my pregnancy, even before I knew I was pregnant.  See, I began CrossFitting about 2 ½ years ago and very rarely got nauseous during any workout.  Then, twice in one week I very quickly got nauseous.  Surprise, surprise...not long after, I found out I was pregnant.

I have continued CrossFitting throughout my entire pregnancy.  I didn’t really tell anyone at the box until I was out of my first trimester, but I began being more careful during workouts.  My doctor told me, “You shouldn’t be lifting heavy stuff...no more than 35 pounds, but it’s important to keep exercising during pregnancy.  When I say exercise during pregnancy, I mean walking.  However, whatever you were doing before you were pregnant, you should be fine to continue with during your pregnancy.  Do NOT start a new exercise routine.  Just be careful about what you are doing and take it easier than you did before.”  So, I lifted lighter weights than I normally would, and I didn’t push myself as much as I had before I was pregnant.  

I told Aimee about the pregnancy around my 13th week.  
She was so excited for Chris and me and so supportive.  She has helped me scale WODs appropriately...right down to giving me a special pregnancy WOD if I texted her the day of because I couldn’t figure out how to modify whatever was programmed for that day!  Instead of focusing on setting personal records and improving my numbers in the gym, she has helped me focus on scaling workouts, improving my form, and fitting in a healthy workout for me and the baby.  All of the other coaches at the box have been so supportive as well.  Many of them allow me to create my own warm-up that’s more pregnancy friendly, and they will all help me scale when I’m not sure about something.  They also check in with me to make sure I’m feeling alright while still encouraging me to find inner strength and keep going.   During the hotter days this summer, they all made sure I got the prime location in front of the fan – one of the perks of pregnancy ☺.

I have been lucky throughout this pregnancy.  I truly believe that without CrossFit, it would have been much, much more difficult, and I would have likely put on way more weight than I have.  CrossFit has helped me stay active and healthy during these past few months.  My hope is that it will help make labor and delivery that much more manageable as well!    

 Natalie

Kim

Hi!  My name is Kim, and I am currently a 16-week-pregnant KOP Crossfitter.  Deemed a "healthy patient" by my doctor, and encouraged to continue my already-developed level of fitness (at about 75%-80% intensity), I've been continuing my pre-pregnancy CrossFit journey, with just a few tweaks.  And, so far, it's been great (except for the whole "I CAN'T BREATHE!" feeling...or as Aimee calls it, "the elephant sitting on my chest.)!  Essentially, I'm no longer trying for my fastest times, or heaviest weights (although preggo hormones sure make weight go up easier!).  I do every WOD as intensely as I can, normally hogging all of the fan space from everyone else, and taking frequent water and breathing breaks.  Just recently, I stopped doing exercises that over-extend my torso, so I'm subbing in dead hang pull-ups (so hard!) for kipping pull-ups, partial range of motion kettle bell swings, and no more GHD sit-ups.  I also transitioned into doing paralette burpees, and step-ups instead of box jumps.  The last change for me so far is the frequency of wodding.  Pre-pregnancy I wodded 5 days a week, back to back.  Now, I get much more sore, so I normally do two days on, one or two days off.  I'll keep you posted as I get further along, but for now, all is well, in my CrossFit life and beyond.

Brady Cole