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.

Week 24 - getting bigger

This post is from last week:

A year ago I wanted my muscles to get bigger, one year later and I am looking at my tummy to do so. 

I'm not going to lie, being pregnant for the first time teaches you a lot about body image and self perception. I lived through being overweight as a teenager and then being bulimic/anorexic through college until I finally started treatment at the end of 2008. I really started accepting my body once I started crossfit in 2012. It took a while but for the last 2 years I have been pretty comfortable in my body and even wanted to get bigger (muscles):

Well,  now I feel like I'm thrown back to those awful teenage years. I feel like a walrus, and, no, it's not because I'm pregnant and it's normal to gain weight - though I am thankful that's what society keeps telling me - it's because I am allowing myself to eat anything at anytime. Yes, that may be because I am pregnant. I may also have swollen ankles and hands and water retained in every cell. I'm trying to be ok with it. I'm trying to focus on keeping my unborn baby girl healthy. It's the same sentence over and over: It is only temporary. 

Once our little monkey is here I will be able to go 100% at the gym again and beat my PRS but for now I am holding back to protect my baby. It's my instinct and my motherly worries that make me do that. Before I was pregnant I would have never ever even thought about holding back. I would have probably judged (inside my mind) those who allowed themselves to indulge, lose discipline and gain unnecessary weight. 

But I get it now. It's not about me- it's all about the unborn life inside me now. It's not easy to be a pregnant mother, a soon-to-be first-time-mom and a person with past body image, food issues, a sense for competition and love for CrossFit. I know there are things in this world that are far worse but yet my struggles are valid and real - at least to me. 

I guess this post is just a brief reflection of my current state of mind, disorganized and self-absorbed. But I am just being honest about my feelings at 24 weeks pregnant and my painful reality of getting bigger. Truth is, I do not like being big and heavy without the strength and muscle that I used to have. And I am scared I will fall into that trap of giving in and not getting back on my feet. It was so hard as a teenager and I do not want to relive these emotions, yet, I am scared I can't get back to my fit self again. 

But I am working out. 

Today I just did some lifting:

Warm up

500m roe

Iron scap

500m row

Stretching and mobility

3RM OHS worked up to a "what felt heavy" 50kg

Then strength cycle work from MBS:
1. Clean 5 sets of 1 @ 65% of your 1RM Clean & Jerk @100/45. Level load across all 5 sets. Linear progression each week 2.5kg increase

2. Back squat, Start by working to 90% of your 1RM Back Squat which is currently 220/100 (so 200/90). 

Then, 1 drop set of 5 reps. Drop set at 13kg down so at 75kg

3. Deadlift, Work to a 3RM. Then, 1 drop set of 5 reps. Drop set at 30kg down if your 3RM is above 180kg. Drop set at 20kg down if your 3RM is below 180kg. Linear progression each week. Target a 10kg increase each week if your 3RM is above 180kg. Target a 5kg increase each week if your 3RM is below 180kg.

13 weeks pregnant and PRing

Granted, I am not PRing to the degree of my pre-surgery state but yet, I am making progress and feel like calling post-op-PRs...

So, I improved my FGB score from 207 at 4 weeks post surgery to 318 at 12 week post-surgery. Both times I did not do Rx weights to have an actual baseline and comparison score. I used 35# on the bars and 6# on the WB. I am sure he next time I'll do it Rx again and who knows maybe then I'll even beat my previous Rx score. 

I have found any body weight and upperbody strength exercises very challenging. Not only have I lost stamina but also strength in all areas. Yet, my lifts since surgery have been steadily increased even though my pregnancy is progressing. 

A few 3 rep max lift PRS I achieved within the last 7 days:

Deadlift 3RM 107kg

Snatch balance 3RM 35kg

Jerk 3RM 55kg

Backsquat 3RM 84kg

Squat snatch from boxes 3RM 38kg

Squat Clean from boxes 3RM 55kg

It's been challenging to take back on intensity. But then I read this wonderful article 

http://www.birthfit.com/2014/11/12/prs-during-pregnancy/

The problem for many, pregnant or not, is that they don't know what it means or feel like to be listening to your body. 

It's something hat took me a while and sometimes I struggle with the idea of "am I listening to my body or am I being easy on myself today?!" I feel like it's part the process of learning what's body does, can do and will do under certain circumstances and with certain desicions I make. 

Being pregnant, however, does put me at a position of not only listening to my body for my own sake but for that little peach that is growing inside me. 

I have learned to take more frequent breaths but I also try to push myself to a point that makes me feel acomplished. 

I am hoping my second trimester will bring back some energy and who knows maybe some more post-op PRs!

Just another Wednesday Workout

This is day 11 of our 8 week (or approximately 57 days long) nutrition team challenge. I didn't sleep well, had to get up early and didn't get to breakfast before 8am. Had a small snack before I went home and forgot my water... That really showed in cravings around 1.30. I wanted pumpernickel so bad... Haha,but I had a couple of eggs and tuna on greens and olive oil and curbed the cravings. I went to PT and the gym and got tired quickly, had my recovery protein , went home, had a balanced dinner and snack and must say: I better hope this diet is working.... I'm getting tired of the cooking... 

And I start missing some items...

Anyway, working out is going well and I am looking forward to hitting heavy weigts and metcons again soon. 

45' PT

1k row in 4:25

Snatch practice

Up to 75# squat snatch

Up to 85# power snatch

3rds

5Toe to bar

2 banded strict pullups

5 10sec L-sits

5 kb reaches @20#

5 TGUs @20#

Sunday, Sep 21 Workout

Starting to do post-op testing

As part of our 8 Week Team Challenge, I have to log my workouts every day for a week, to get  daily lifestyle points. I usually do so anyway, but will do it on here, to make sure.
So today for my workout I tested some maxes.

Mobi

Iron Scap Sequence

Push Jerk: worked up to 120# 1RM
Push Press: worked up to 95# 1RM
Press: worked up to 85# 1RM
Deadlift: worked up to 230 1RM

Mobi