I know have been horrible about posting on the blog about my updates with CrossFitting while preggo so let me begin this post with an apology; although I will admit I do post weekly updates on my Instagram and Facebook pages so if you don’t follow me on those social media mediums, YOU SHOULD 🙂 Shameless plug I know, but do you blame me?

So for those of you who have been following me, you might know that I just started my third trimester last week (28 weeks) and it was not until then that I realized I have not posted since I was 16 weeks about my journey of CrossFiting while preggo. So slap me on the hand. In the meantime, let me catch you up.

Again before I start, we all know I am not a doctor, nurse, personal trainer, etc. I am a Certified Level 1 CrossFit Trainer, but honestly that is about it. I have been an average active person for about 6-8 years where I have dabbled in a many slow distance races, a few triathlons and road biking rides and now CrossFit. I am not a natural-born athlete. Whatever sport I take on, it takes me awhile to get the hang of it; I am the first to tell you I have to work and train hard at whatever I try because I does not come easy. So having that said, I am here to share with you how CrossFit has helped me get through this pregnancy. I have been doing Crossfit for over a year and half and did CrossFit for about a year before I got pregnant. It has been my savior and I love it. I know not everyone will have the same experience I do or no two women have the same pregnancies, BUT I honestly believe eating Paleo and working out throughout this pregnancy has tremendously improved my quality of life. I would not have it any other way. If you don’t do CrossFit, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue to read or relate to this post. As long as you did whatever form of exercise you prefer BEFORE you got preggers, there is no reason why you can’t continue to do it while pregnant just at a lower intensity and perhaps less frequently.  I know a lot of women say when they are pregnant, they are over tired and feel sick, etc. I am a Mom like many of you, I also work and I also try to juggle 100 other projects like everyone else, and I am a big believer that starting is half the battle. Once you start your workout, you feel the benefits immediately, OK or at least right after you are done. I get more energy after I workout and feel less tired if I were to skip out on a workout altogether. We all do not have enough hours in the day to do everything, but regardless I still try my hardest to keep moving, even now after being 22lbs heavier and 7 and half months preggo. I owe it to myself and my baby to be the healthiest I can be. So let’s just get to it…

RECAP:

Dictionary: RX in the CrossFit world means you do an exercise as “prescribed” meaning the weight that the coach picks for that day. WOD is “workout of the day.”

First Trimester:

• I felt very tired (no morning sickness thank goodness) just pure exhaustion so I lowered the weight a bit but honestly the days that I went to CrossFit and completed a WOD, I felt more energy than the days I skipped so I stuck through it at my normal weights and intensity.
• I continued to do all movements and exercises as prescribed.
• I took some breaks to keep heart rate from getting too high, but other than that I was able to stick to my normal routine.

Second Trimester:

• I continued to do all movements and exercises as prescribed or RX in the beginning. At the end of the trimester I dropped down significant weight and stopped going anything inverted. Hand Stand Push Ups were a no go. Other than that, I could tell my performance was getting slower, but I stuck through it.

Third Trimester:

• burpees – still do them, just much more controlled. Instead of falling on to my chest, I step down/ kneel one foot at a time and then press into a push up/ plank position. Now that my belly is getting bigger and going all the way down to my chest is almost impossible, I use a medicine ball, stack of weights or parallette bars to elevate my torso enough where I can go below to parallel without my belly getting in the way. You can also use a box (for box jumping) too to get that full range of motion and simulating hitting “chest to deck” push ups.
• box jumps – still doing them, may step down if I get tired but I am still trying to do a controlled slow jump if that makes sense. Also if it is a lot of jumps and it’s hot, I step up.
• broad jumps – still doing them, just more controlled
• deadlifts – still doing them, just scaling back on weight more. This is a great time to strengthen your lower back so don’t skip out on these. I just deadlifted 135lbs for 30 reps the other day and felt great.
• double unders – still can do them, just doing them slower although I prefer doing singles now (don’t want to jump too much and plus TMI I know but they make me pee).
• farmer carry – Not doing them. Sub is just carry weight on a bar or dumbell
• front squat – still doing them, did 105lb the other day and felt good
• goblet squats – still do them RX for now
• handstand pushups – I do not do anything inverted anymore. I do seated dumbbell push press, 20-25lbs per side. See below for example.

Here is the alternative for HSPUs…dumbbell press. I use 20-25lbs in each arm and move both arms as one movement like a press

• kettle bell Swings – still doing the kettle bell swings RX, 26 to 35lbs.
• lunges – still feel good and doing them
• overhead squats – still do them RX depending on the workout weight will vary 45 to 65 lbs
• power clean – I just stopped doing them with a bar, my belly is getting in the way and I found myself “curling” around my belly instead of the shrugging and keeping the bar close to my body. I now use dumbbells instead. I still won’t clean more than 85 or 75lbs these days
• pullups – It is getting much harder to pull my body with an extra 20lbs+. I feel MUCH weaker, but I can still do a few at a time. Up until a week ago, I was still doing the number of repetitions for WODs that called for pull ups as prescribed; it just might take me longer to complete. Last week during a WOD, I had to switch in the middle and use the bands. I say doing pull ups now is like doing weighted pull ups. It is no joke.
• push press/shoulder press – still do, again I won’t do more than 75 or 85 lbs
• pushups – I no longer do hand release push ups. I do regular military push ups, but as mentioned above I usually balance my hands on a medicine ball or a few stacked weights so my chest can go all the way down now
• ring dips – I was always bad at dips so definitely scaling now more than ever and using bands
• row – still do
• run – still do, just slower. I call it “wogging,” running so slow I could walk but it is still running in my eyes
• situps – No more situps or GHD machine for me. I started the trimester doing all knees to elbows but lately I have been doing knees to chest now that my belly is growing. Other alternatives for core workouts are Russian twists and L Sits.
  

  Doing L-sits for abs on parallette bars; these get really hard really quickly. Try to keep that core tight and legs extended. I do them for 3 seconds holds.

  

  Here I am demonstrating Good Mornings in place of back extensions on the GHD which are an awesome alternative exercise. You can use a bar or PVC pipe

   

• snatches – Did them until this week. Now will do single kettlebell snatches
• sumo deadlift high pull – still doing them, scale eventually will be to use a kettlebell
• supermans – do not do them anymore, do good mornings instead with a 45lb bar or PVC depending on the workout
• toes to bar – stopped doing them this past month and do knees to chest
• wall balls – still do them as prescribed, anywhere from 14-18lbs

Goals for CrossFitting preggo is to relax of course and not push myself. As I type that I know it will be easier said than done. I still want to work up a sweat.  I  know many of you will think I am crazy and will post 100 negative comments about how I don’t care about my baby, but I will say I still hope to do at least ONE pull up without bands at 9 months preggo AND still do weighted exercises (just not that much weight).

Here are just a few pictures adventures in the last 3 months. Again, I am not posting them to brag because there really isn’t much to brag about. Hello, did you not watch the amazing specimens we call humans competete in the CrossFit Games two weeks ago? They are brag worthy, I on the other hand, am posting pictures to show you YOU CAN WORKOUT when you are preggo, especially if you were doing it before you got preggo. I usually am tired before I start a workout but I promise you, in most cases than not, I love how much more energy I have the rest of the day after being active. Showing up is half the battle. Just keep moving and enlist friends and family to help you. It will make your pregnancy that much more, I really believe it.

5 months and running. Again I am not running at Kenyan speed, just enough to keep moving

Here I was 6 months preggo and completed a 3 rep max back squat PR at 130lbs. It was not my intention to PR but it happened!

Enlisting friends and family is very important, and that goes for even when you are not pregnant. I had to go for a 2 week work trip and I was so lucky my great CrossFit friend, Sonya, who is also “with child” came and we pushed ourselves working out.

Here is where I realized I could no longer do snatches with the bar at 7 months preggo. Look at Sonya on the left when she is doing her snatches, she is exploding and opening up those hips. I on the otherhand, am curling.

And finally my motivation, I want my kids to be active and I sure as hell want to be throwing down some weight when I am old and grey. What are your goals?

So what are your goals? What are your frustrations? Are you or did you workout when you were pregnant? Did you feel better?