pregnant crossfit

Wow, so I have been going to CrossFit for 30 weeks now, and my goal is to keep at it for another 10 weeks in this pregnancy. I was able to work out until 34 weeks with Super Toddler, before going on modified bed rest for my blood pressure. With Super Girl, I ran 3 miles the day before I was told my blood pressure was too high and I needed to be induced (39 weeks). So if I can make it to 34 weeks again- great. If not, I am pretty proud of the progress I have made and am glad that I am doing something to offset my terrible eating habits this pregnancy.

I know that most CrossFit enthusiasts are into the Paleo lifestyle, and I am all for it, in theory. For some reason, this baby just wants CARBS. All. The. Time. At the beginning it was because my morning sickness was so bad, the smell of anything other than bread made me sick to my stomach. Then it became a convenience thing. It is just so easy to eat carbs. But the thing is, it’s really easy to just munch on an apple or banana. So I am not trying to make excuses. I am just a chubby kid at heart and I know I need to be more conscious of how I am fueling my body and the baby. Christmas, New Years, and last week’s (AMAZING) trip to Disney World did nothing for my attempts to eat healthier. But this week I have been craving healthier choices, in addition to continuing to crave Lindor truffles, Cheez-Its, and biscuits. I have cut out my Bojangles runs and pizza, and added in fruit for dessert every night. Baby steps right?

Anyway, enough about food. I’m getting hungry again. At the 30 week CrossFit mark, I have seen decent strength gains. I finally hit a body weight back squat (70 kg- yikes yes, that’s what I weighed two weeks ago). I know that there are a lot of people who can do 2x or more of their body weight but I don’t consume enough protein or lift enough that that is gonna happen any time soon. Also, I’m pregnant. I have no idea what my deadlift one rep max is but tonight we did 7 x 2 and I did 80 kg on my last few sets. So I don’t know if that is any good. My front squat leaves much to be desired but given that I have a large round mass pulling me forward, in addition to the weight sitting on the front of my shoulders, I am not setting my goals too high or trying to push myself too hard. I still HATE snatches. I am fairly certain this is a combination of my not being able to keep the bar close enough to my body and my fear of going to heavy overhead on account of my prior shoulder surgeries. So really, not too concerned there. It’s not like I am trying to compete in any competitions so if I can’t snatch, no biggie.

Pull-ups have been nonexistent. I currently use one green band for high rep sets and one purple band for lower reps. We did clap push-ups during last night’s WOD. Wow, those sucked. I couldn’t figure out why they were so hard, until I realized that every time I try to explode off the ground high enough to clap, I have this giant baby bump pulling me back down toward earth. That’s the reason that I could only do two at a time before breaking right?

Running is really not that bad yet. I am doing it in much shorter spurts than with my other two pregnancies though. My longest run the last month has been 3 miles and I can stay at around an 8:15 pace. I just run around the neighborhood because I am at that point where I need to have access to “facilities” in a moment’s notice. Sorry, TMI. On Saturday, I did the “beep test” during Endurance class. Basically, it’s a 20m shuttle run. The first round you get a lot of time to do the 20m. You can basically speed walk. There are several runs in that first round. Second round is faster, third even faster, etc. etc. We did the test about 10 days earlier but before that, the last time I did the test was when I was pregnant with Super Toddler. I managed to get in 9 rounds and 3 runs on round 10. Only one female in the class beat me. People were looking at me like I was crazy.

Actually, people look at me like I am crazy at almost every class. It felt good to do so well during the bleep test but it was also a little frustrating because I of course had to hold back. When non-pregnant, I go until I want to barf. That is probably not the healthiest approach to exercise. But I am obviously not going to push myself to that point while pregnant. So I really have to listen to my body and stop before I get even remotely close to that point. I may still be red in the face but I pay attention to my breathing and the rest of my body, and pull in the reigns when anything starts feeling off.

I am really so happy with the community I have found at Athletix Lab. The coaches are all really motivating, and the people I work out with are like-minded and supportive of one another. The coaches make sure I am not overdoing it and offer modifications for things I can’t do, like handstands. They also know that pregnant women produce relaxin, which causes the ligaments to loosen and makes you super flexible. But because you feel more flexible, you can overstretch and get injured, or squat too deep and hurt something else. So knowing that I am in good hands every time I step into the gym is a good feeling. Also, with the other two pregnancies, I just kind of felt like the running I was doing was to be able to say that I kept running. It was really uncomfortable at times and I took A LOT of bathroom breaks. With CrossFit, I feel that I am accomplishing something every time I take a class and I leave with a smile on my face. And some major pit stains. I may be singing a different tune when I am as big as Shamu but for now, I am going to savor these last 10 weeks (or longer if possible).

Wow, so I felt like I was just writing about finding out that I was pregnant with Superbaby. Now, we are halfway to my due date. And yesterday, we found out Superbaby is a girl! I was secretly hoping it was a girl because I can’t wait to take newborn pictures with her in a cute pink crocheted hat with a giant pink flower on it. I totally missed that opportunity with Supergirl, so I need to make up for lost Kodak moments.

Anyway, I figured I should update on my progress with Crossfit. I am finding that I am getting stronger and much more comfortable with the exercises every day. I have been Crossfitting four times a week on average. I throw in an endurance workout on one of those days, where we do about 2 miles of running and hill sprints or other anaerobic exercise too. That said, I can see a moment coming in the very near future where I will have to modify a lot more than just pull-ups. I remember a moment when I was pregnant with the other two where I stepped up to a box for a box jump, looked at it, and just said to myself “this is not happening.” It wasn’t like I had to try and fail. I simply knew there was no way I would clear the box. That day is imminent.

I also know that a day is nearing where I will not fit in any of my pants, INCLUDING my maternity pants. The problem is, I am pretty sure I see cellulite and stretch marks on the backs of my legs, so it’s actually more likely that my diet, which I call “Survivor finalist who has returned home and is living out Groundhog Day, feasting on junk food 24/7 every single day,” is making me fat. I know I whine about this to Superdad all the time, but then I do nothing about it. Buying funfetti flavored protein powder and mixing it into pancakes isn’t helping. It’s just making my muscles AND fat bigger. So, I have that working against me. I may be getting stronger, but I am growing exponentially and I probably need to stop the insanity. Does anyone want to send me some healthy and delicious meals that ~~my man chef~~ Superdad can make for me?

Another random musing that is sort of funny: the other week some older lady at Crossfit, who I had only seen a few times before, asked me “so, what kind of restrictions did your doctor put on you during your pregnancy?” I thought it was a very passive aggressive way of saying “back when I was of child bearing age, you basically were on bed rest for 9 months, and I think you’re being irresponsible.” What did she expect me to say? “Oh gee, yeah my doctor said I should just do some light walking and curl 3 pound dumbbells, but I decided to completely ignore him.”

Okay, to wrap up, I thought I would post some of my favorite and least favorite workouts. You will see a pattern here. My favorite workouts inevitably involve kettlebell swings or burpees. I know right? Most people hate burpees. Maybe I like them because I am short so I can get down to the ground faster. Also, my favorite workouts are the ones where I can actually do the prescribed workout.

7 Rounds for time…
10 Super Deload Burpees
15 Plate Thrusters (15kg/10kg)
20 KB Swings (24/16kg)

40 Hurdle Facing Burpees — as in, do a burpee, then jump over a hurdle. These actually really sucked.
40 MB V-Ups (5/4kg)
40 Goblet Squats (24/16kg)
40 MB Catch & Release (5/4kg) — 12 minute timecap

* Total time was 6:50.

3 Rounds For time…
40m Farmer’s Walk (R) (24/16kg)
10 KB Swing (24/16kg)
10 Goblet Squat (24/16kg)
40m Farmer’s Walk (L) (24/16kg)

15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of
Deload Pushups
V-Ups
KB Swings — 15 minute timecap

*This was today’s workout. I finished it in 12:26. Deload (hand release) pushups are not so awesome when your big belly starts hitting the ground, so I will probably have to modify to knee pushups in a few weeks.

Least favorite:

Every Minute on the Minute for 12′
5 Pullups
7 V-Ups
9 Burpees

*Pretty much the worst thing ever. So every minute, you have to do all those exercises. I of course had to use a band for my pullups. So I had to get in and out of that band, jump off the box, then do the v-ups and burpees, then get back on the box and in the band before the next minute came up. I got about 5 seconds of rest each round, but made it through all 12 minutes.

15 minute AMRAP of

40 jump rope contacts (DU or single)

30 plate thrusters (15 kg)

20 medball v-ups (4kg)

10 burpee pullups

*Ok no, this was the worst thing. Mainly because a) I can’t jump rope to save my life and b) I cannot do a pullup. Even though they were jump pullups, where you do one burpee, then jump up to do a pullup, then do that again 9 times. And do as many rounds of all that crap as possible. It was frustrating because I wasn’t really aerobically taxed, as I kept having to stop during my jump roping. I really really need someone to teach me how to jump rope. I am SO BAD. Also, my burpee pullups consisted of a perfectly executed burpee, then me jumping up to the bar and miserably trying to raise my body 2 inches toward the bar. I wanted to cry when I read the workout online the night before, and I wanted to laugh and cry during the workout. But I guess it would have been worse if I had just skipped it because I was afraid of failing?

Well, that’s it for now. It’s taking a bit more out of me to recover from workouts, although I am not getting quite as sore anymore. I have become frenemies with my foam roller again. We hadn’t seen each other after I stopped marathon training, but the foam roller has become just as important to me as stretching and staying hydrated. It’s also super awesome looking now that Supergirl has decided to cover it in princess stickers!

willrunforbiscuits

It's about a woman who likes to eat and run, duh.

30 weeks

Halfway!