It’s been a few months since I talked about doing CrossFit during my pregnancy and since I’m 29 weeks now (can you believe it?), I thought an update was in order. I still can’t believe I have less than three months left in this pregnancy! Really, where did the time go?
If you follow my blog, you probably know that I’ve been doing CrossFit for two years and I haven’t stopped doing it since I became pregnant with baby #2. I continue to do my own wods (workout of the day) and using some from CrossFit Mom four days a week at home (started in my backyard and now in our newly finished garage gym!). I plan to keep working out throughout the rest of my pregnancy and hopefully up until the day this little one decides to make his/her debut! I feel good and even better on the days that I work out!
Now that you are VERY pregnant, how are you able to still do CrossFit?
For one, it’s not about time or intensity anymore. It’s about getting the work done and maintaining my fitness level. I listen to my body more, take breaks when I need to and watch my heart rate. If my heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest, I know I need to rest for a few minutes to get my breathing under control before continuing my workout. Even though I always drink plenty of water, I make sure to stay hydrated by drinking even more water during and after my workout. I am only lifting 65-70% of my maximum weight and definitely not trying to reach any PRs until after the baby is born. My number one goal is to stay fit and healthy throughout this pregnancy and do everything I can to have a healthy baby, safe and speedy delivery.
What type of exercises are you doing?
I row, run, do squats (front, back, overhead and regular non-weighted), lunges, grasshoppers, mountain climbers, kettlebell swings, kettlebell snatches, push presses, strict presses, thrusters, deadlifts, pull ups (with the lightest red resistance band for assistance), dips, ring rows, box step ups (because box jumps are just uncomfortable), medicine ball cleans, sumo deadlift high pulls, push ups, planks, pregnant burpees and bear crawls.
Have you made any modifications?
Absolutely! Once I reached my second trimester, I no longer did ab exercises, such as sit ups, hollow rocks, supermans or see the lights. I switched to only planks for core work. I also stopped doing handstand push ups, as it is not recommended to do any inverted exercises while pregnant. A few weeks ago, I stopped doing double unders because the bouncing put too much pressure on my bladder. I also do step ups instead of box jumps. I don’t do snatches with a barbell, because my belly impedes my bar path. Also, I do hang cleans instead of power cleans, since my belly gets in the way. For all lifts, my stance is a little wider in order to accommodate my growing belly. Lastly, burpees are now pregnant burpees (regular squat followed by a standing push up against a wall).
How soon after the baby arrives do you plan to get back to your normal CrossFit wods/intensity?
It depends on how the delivery goes and how I feel after the baby arrives. I plan to listen to my body and my midwife and take the necessary time to recover. With Keenan, I waited 6 weeks before I went back to my regular workout routine. I took daily walks with him in the meantime, but I didn’t step foot in the gym until after 6 weeks postpartum. Since I’ve had to modify and do things at such a lower level of intensity during my pregnancy, it is going to take a while before I can get my fitness level back to where it was prior to becoming pregnant. I plan to take things slow and gradually work myself up to where I used to be.
CrossFit isn’t for everyone (though I do believe it is one of the best ways to workout!), as there are lots of other forms of exercise that help you stay fit and healthy. Most importantly, find something that you love and stick with it throughout your pregnancy. Stay as active as you can be. Taking daily long walks is better than doing nothing. Exercise minimizes pregnancy symptoms, provides energy, helps you not gain too much weight and preps your body for delivery. I’m a firm believer that those who exercise during pregnancy have an easier and speedier delivery than those who don’t! In addition, I believe exercise during pregnancy helps you get back into your pre-pregnancy shape much easier and much faster (we shall see after this baby is born!).
Questions:
If you have been pregnant, how did you stay active during your pregnancy?
If you stayed active during your pregnancy, do you think it helped with your delivery and getting back into shape after your baby was born?
Have you tried CrossFit?
I worked out the entire time through my pregnancy and I credit all my planking to the very little pushing I had to do 🙂 I did Zumba, Barre, weights elliptical etc. I had to stop running because it was really uncomfortable because of the way baby girl was positioned. Once I had a belly support belt, I could alternate running/walking. I often joke that I walked her out of me: I went for a 2.5 mile walk a few hours before my water broke.
That is awesome! I’m a firm believer of exercise during pregnancy helps with delivery! I’ve heard of a support belt. I was thinking of looking into one for working out, but now that I only have a couple of months left, I don’t know. We’ll see.
Get it girl!!! I ran the day before I had brooklyn and plan on running throughout the whole next pregnancy! You feel SOOO much better working out while pregnant, and it gives you energy…or at least thats what I found to be true!
Thanks! I agree that working out while pregnant helps you feel better and have more energy (which is crucial when you are chasing after a three year old all day!).