15.2 and 15.3 pregnant modifications

I'm down to one digits now - only 9 weeks to go (hopefully) before my baby girl arrives!! I cannot wait and despite the nausea, heartburn and fatigue that I have gotten used to by now, the third trimester has been the best trimester for me so far.  

Working out has been far from easy but I can tell it has been good for me. 

I surely can't wait to dive back into giving 100% and pushing myself to higher limits and I believe I have said that before, but taking it a bit easier has taught me a lot as well. 

It's always just going to be ME against MYSELF - I don't care about comparing myself to others anymore. It's truly freeing. That does not mean I won't compete or sign up for the opens next year but it means that I will first see my performance in relation to my ability and then in relation to where I am compared to others. It's secondary. I have so many goals I want to reach that only I can work on. "The others "may be a pushing factor to reach these goals but that's really about it. 

In that mindset I did  15.2 and 15.3. I had to modify both WODs and since I did not like the scaled versions I just made my own. 

15.2: I did regular pullups and 55# OHS and got to 139 reps. I honestly did not want to finish that round and was happy to stop there :) my heart rate was getting a little too high as well and I am working on keeping it at bay. 

15.3: Instead of Muscle Ups I again just did regular pull-ups but I kept the wall balls at 14# with 50 reps and the DUs at 100 reps. I got through two rounds plus 8 reps , so a total of 322. Not too bad, considering how slow I went on WB and DUs. I broke WBs into 5's and DUS into 50 and then 25's on the second round. I also had to take breaks to breathe and get my heart rate under control. 

Both wods were fun and I would hope for 15.3 to be the one to be repeated next year so I can see how far I've come since neck surgery and having a baby! 

I'm kind of anxious but also excited to see how my body reacts after having a baby. But I know I will need a plan and set out goals. 

Competing at the Turkey Challenge in November will be one of the things I want to be able to do. And I want to do it well. But the next challenge will be 15.4 and 15.5 and then giving birth. 

30 weeks pregnant, lifting and WODing

Working up to a 80% (190#) 3 rep Backsquat

I am now 30 weeks pregnant and I grow more impatient every single day.
Luckily, I feel a bit better but I am still slow and out of breath after 2 sets of stairs. However, I can still lift weights and the sun started showing her face again!

I worked up to a 80% 3rep Backsquat the other day (190#), as well as to a Deadlift by feel but stopped at 235#. Yesterday, I practiced  split jerks and got to a 3 rep at 135#. I felt fairly strong. Even the WOD afterwards felt pretty good (I got almost 8 rounds of 12' AMRAP  5 G2OH / 10 DL at 95# and 15 BJs [but I did step ups to be safe!]).

Bodyweight movements have become increasingly difficult and, while I can still string 3 kipping pullups together, T2B are down to singles. BUT, that's ok. I am working on a training plan to rebuild core strength after delivery. The idea is to make sure I regain a strong basis of ab and core muscles as well as stamina before even thinking about getting back to 100% working out again. I will run, swim, walk, do light weights and bodyweight exercises.

I might drop out of Crossfit for the month of June when the baby is just a newborn and see how I can manage at-home-exercise first. But until then, I will be hitting the gym at least 5 times a week if at all possible.  Even though I am super tired and usually not motivated to do anything really, it does help me feel good about myself and actually energizes me at least for a short while. This being said, today I won't have time to workout, but I will make sure to see what 15.3 is going to be. I had to mod 15.2, so I am hoping for movements I can do Rx.

15.1 at 28.5 weeks pregnant

I did the first 2015 Open WOD Rx'd. I am not going to submit my score. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. 

A year ago I was in pretty good shape: this year around I could have been in awesome shape and I guess given the circumstance - having had neck surgery barely 6 months ago and entering the 3rd trimester of pregnancy - I still am in good shape. 

I decided not to sign up for the open, however, to not get sucked in to comparing myself. Yet, my competitive mindset is upset about it. I am burning to compete again. Ugh.

So doing the first WOD of the open was quite interesting. My belly was in the way on T2B and I had been doing them on the rings recently. So, doing the WOD Rx'd basically meant being no-repped almost on every T2B. The deads and snatches at 75# were easy and quick. But I also only got through 3 rounds plus a couple of T2B. 

Yet, the clean and jerk was a fun event. I opened with 115, did one at 135, and 155. Not too bad. 

Obviously, I didn't push myself, and that's where the dilemma starts in my head: how could I have performed not being pregnant?! I will never know. Comparison is the thief of joy. I need to tell myself that.

In fact, at our gym the competiveness between some athletes is ridiculous! What happened to empowering one another? What happened to mutual support? Instead, they all try to our beat each other by doing the workout 2 or 3 times... I'd probably do it twice but

To beat my own score! Not somebody else's! I did not train the way they did, I did not prepare mentally or eat the way they did! How can I compare my physical state to theirs when t should be only about my own? Ugh. I hope when I do the open next year I will remind myself of this. 

This year, while it is frustrating not to go all out, I am observing the craziness of what is called the crossfit open!

Measurements and Baseline

Baseline WOD


400m Run
40 Air Squats
30 Situps
20 Push-Ups
10 Pull-Ups

Time: 4 minutes 51 seconds

May 1 before working out, I had my measurements taken.

Weight: 142Ibs / 64.5kg

Chest: 35.5in / 90cm
Waist: 28.5in / 72.5cm
Hips: 38.5in / 98cm
Thigh: 21in / 53.5cm

BodyFat%: 18.8

So, I guess I should be setting a goal.
I want to improve in one month.
If I could do the WOD in 3 minutes, that would be great. I am better on 10min+ WODs but that's ok. I am already doing RX on most WODs though. inch-wise I think I can lose around the hips, possibly thigh and waist but I think my chest is not goign to get smaller, rather bigger. Similarly, I am barely in the athletic range for body fat, but 15% would be pretty awesome. Weight-wise I have no idea. But 135 would be great, yet, I really don't care about my weight.

I have no idea if any of these are realistic but let's say these are my goals:

Performance Time: 3 minutes (1minute 50 seconds)

Chest: 35in / 90cm (0.5in)
Waist: 25.5in / 65cm (3in)
Hips: 35in / 90cm (3.5in)
Thigh: 19in / 48.5cm (2in)

BodyFat%: 15

Weight: 135Ibs / 61.5kg

The Beginning

I did my CrossFit Elements course in  May 2012 and had no idea how much I would like playing with barbells, kettlebells and all until the beginning of 2013. My husband had been telling me about CrossFit many times before but I think I never really understood what he meant, I guess. I even booked us in for a bootcamp, which he did not enjoy at all, and I just didn't experience pushing myself. Eventually I came across a living social deal for CrossFit Cedar Park which was conveniently located close by. The vouchers were bought and the first step towards a better more healthy lifestyle was set.
We didn't go regularly at first, had to put it on hold every now and then because of travel, but towards the end of 2012 I began to establish a routine. We participated in CFCP's  Holly Jolly Challenge, a 6-week team challenge that included to stick to paleo eating, recorded in daily logs with an allowance of 1 cheat meal per week and  3 team challenges and working out (of course). The eating was the hardest part for me and my husband, but we definitely learned a lot about what difference it makes to not only watch what you eat but to actually making a true effort to change habits and feeling better about your daily choices.
In January, we decided to go unlimited, and I settled for 4 times of CrossFit classes a week. I started to see results after just a month, hitting new PRs and finally being able of completing most WODs RX (as prescribed). I think I got my first real pull-up in February and was talked into participating in the CrossFit Games Opens just for fun. And it was fun: I beat my husband on all but one of the 5 WODs :)
So, here I am now, enjoying CrossFit and feeling much better about myself, even though I have gained about 15Ibs since I have started a year ago. I am still having trouble with the nutrition aspect of it but hopefully time and effort will make that better as well.