CrossFit South Bay | Hermosa Beach, CA

Mariessa practicing giving birth to a kettlebell

Many of you have asked questions about training while pregnant, so I will share my thoughts and experiences. Keep in mind that I am not a doctor and I am not offering medical advice. Listen to your doctor and your body. Every woman’s body will react differently to the movements and intensity levels.

General Don’ts:

• Situps, V-ups, and in later trimesters knees to elbows and toes to bar
• Jumping (box jumps, double unders, tuck jumps, jumping pull-ups, broad jumps, leaping burpees)
• Lifting heavy – cut your weights in half the first trimester, drop another 20# in the 2^nd and another 10-20# in the 3^rd.
• Handstands – I am not sure if this is due to the falling danger or if there is another reason. Doctor said, “no”.
• Watch the Clock – intensity should be such that you are able talk throughout the workout
• If a movement is uncomfortable, don’t do it.

My research started with CrossFit Mom (crossfitmom.com). This is a wonderful website that guides pregnant and post partum women through CrossFit WODs. Andrea is a trainer at CrossFit Brand X in Ramona, CA (CrossFit Kids Headquarters) and is willing to answer any questions. She posts a daily workout scaled into 3 levels of difficulty that correlate to your fitness level. Great stuff!

Mariessa with her paleo "weight vest" on

First Trimester:

I was exhausted, and couldn’t get enough sleep. My energy levels were low, but my body needed to move. I was still in progesterone shock, and figuring out what was happening to me. My research was intense and my physical activity relatively low.  I followed workouts from CrossFit Mom. They didn’t feel like I was working hard enough, so I emailed Andrea. She told me that scaled versions of our WODs at CFSB would probably be fine for me considering the length of time I have been CrossFitting. Instead of the heavy “A” WOD, I did lower weight/higher rep versions of the lift or worked on skills. Some days I took more time to warm-up, rollout and stretch. For the “B” WOD I would scale the movement (or switch to a different one) and lower the weight. Occasionally I would up the reps to counter the lighter weights.

Second Trimester:

Energy spark!! My second trimester was great. Lots of energy and couldn’t wait to workout. I continued with my scaled CFSB WOD recipe, and kept the weight and breathing in check. I really enjoyed working out with the 5pm classes, and feeding off of everyone’s intensity. You all are so encouraging! There are a few things I stopped doing: unassisted ring dips (my abdominal muscles decided they were done with that), and some of my demos. I was fine for a long time demonstrating one broad jump or one leaping burpee. Body said, “no more”. Now I ask you to demo for me. You all do such a great job, and I am so appreciative!

The belly started to get in the way. My deadlift stance widened or I performed sumo deadlifts to make room. My rowing technique adjusted a bit for the same reason. Pushups became increasingly harder as my center of gravity shifted. My balance was off when performing some movements due to my new found belly as well.

You can't tell, but every time Mariessa kips, the baby does a burpee.

Third Trimester:

Though I just entered my last three months, I am already slowing down a bit. My joints are noticeably looser, and I get winded faster. My body doesn’t like working out everyday. I find every other day works well. When performing squats and lunges I am much more careful about depth and form, and focus on controlling the movement. Ballistic squatting is dangerous due to the joints loosening. Squat and lunge depth should also be limited to above 90 degrees. For the Olympic lifts, I recommend power catches instead of a full squat. One can argue that wallballs should be modified to a higher squat depth due to their ballistic nature. My squats and lunges feel increasingly different. As my hips widen and loosen, and my center of gravity changes; my body compensates with different muscles supporting the movement. My quads are more engaged now, and I find the ligaments around my knees and hips get sore more often and more easily.  I will not stop doing pull-ups until my body says so.

General Tips:

• Listen to your body.
• Eat paleo – cheating is much worse when pregnant. Your system slows down to make sure the maximum amount of nutrients is absorbed for a growing baby. Crap stays in your system longer and the effects (hangover) last longer as well.
• Support group – surround yourself with great support. I am lucky enough to have all of you wonderful people to help me through the goofy changes of pregnancy. Ladies, you have been amazing. All of you mom’s have given me great advice, share your valuable experience and continue to answer my questions. Those of you in the medical field assure me that all my changes are normal, and help me to understand the science behind the fun. Everyone has been open to listening to me and laughing with me during this amazing process. The guys have surprised me the most. Many of you are protective and oh so caring. You show a sweet curiosity, and cautiously ask questions. The dad’s have offered helpful advice, including some great websites; and share in my delight and excitement. All of you have shared my joy, and continue to offer support and love. I thank each and every one of you from the depths of my uterus, uh, heart. EMO!

WOD 5/18/2010

“Hansen”

5 Rounds
30 Kettlebell swings (2 pood)
30 Burpees
30 V-Ups or sit-ups (Rx’ is GHD sit-ups but we are subbing in v-ups)

Marine Staff Sgt Daniel Hansen died February 14th in Farah Providence, Afghanistan when an IED he was working on detonated. Daniel is survived by his mother Sheryll, his father Delbert, his younger sister Katie, and his twin brother Matthew (also a Marine).