Category Archives: CrossFit

Pregnancy: Week 16

It was a great week. Back in the swing of everything after our cross-country trip and CrossFit Level 1 Coaches Seminar.

I’m quickly out growing my clothes, even the clothes I saved from my heftier days. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to dress for work everyday. Luckily I’m in a pretty casual workplace where leggings are acceptable.

We had our monthly doctor check up this week. This visit, we met with another doctor in the practice. In the event our doc isn’t available during our delivery, the office recommends we meet with everyone to familiarize ourselves. Lucky for us, we LOVED this doctor and I would feel very comfortable if she ended up as our delivery doctor. She was impressed I haven’t been sick and that I’m still CrossFitting.

We heard Baby L’s heartbeat again – a rate of 155 – nice and steady! I’m tracking where I should be with weight gain and all my vitals are healthy (thank you, CrossFit!).

Week Sixteen WODS

Nov. 10 (second day at CrossFit Level 1 Coaches Seminar)

Strength/skill: The day focused on perfecting the final fundamental moves: the deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull and med ball cleans

Metcon: 8 min AMRAP – 8 push ups, 10 med ball cleans (20/14), 12 sit ups – 6 rounds

Nov. 13 warm up 500m row (150 heart rate)

Strength/skill: strict press 5×5 – got to 75, failed after third rep

Metcon: 3 rounds – 10 power cleans (135/95) – I did 65#, 15 hspu, 20 box jumps (24/20) – I did step ups, 100m run – 10:46 (heart rate reached 170 at height of workout. Was easy to pull back to lower it).

Nov. 14 warm up 2 min row (390m)

Strength/skill: tabata slam balls (25/15), sit ups – didn’t keep track of reps every round

Metcon: 20 min clock. 200m walking lunges. Remaining time: 5 weighted squats (45/25), 10 ring dips, 10 kb sumo deadlift high pulls (2/1.5 pood) – I did 1 pood – made it six rounds. Heart rate hovered around 165, which is my max.

Nov. 16 Family hike almost 3 miles in about 45 minutes. At the peak of the incline, I was breathing pretty heavy and needing water. Otherwise felt great and was awesome to be outside again now that the temps are normal.

Bump - 16 weeks

Bump – 16 weeks

Food: Pretty paleo with some sort of bread at meals. Loving lemonade and ginger ale when not drinking water.

Pregnancy: Week 15

Bump - 15 weeks

Bump – 15 weeks

This was a nutty week for us because we moved my MIL across the country. We’ve driven across the country a number of times, but it definitely wore on me more than ever.

As a result, working out was not a priority. I manged to sneak one in, thanks to the CrossFit Level 1 Coaches Seminar we attended the weekend we returned from the moving trip.

Something I’m struggling with is finding cute, affordable maternity clothes. I obviously know about all the standard stores, but there isn’t much I’m drawn to. Hoping with the holidays fast approaching, the options will improve. I’m most focused on finding work appropriate dresses and pants.

Week Fifteen WODS

Nov. 9 warm up

Strength/skill: The entire day focused on perfecting some of the fundamental moves: the air squat, front squat, overhead squat, press, push press and push jerk.

Metcon: 3 rounds/10 min time cap – 15 thrusters (95/65) – I did 45# + 12 burpees (modified to push ups & jumping jacks) – 8 minutes

Food:  Pretty similar to week 14 (Loving lemonade, iced tea, Popsicles, and eating WAY TOO MUCH Halloween candy. Ugh! Otherwise, fairly back to normal. I am needing carbs/grains to get me through the day). Definitely working in more paleo options, especially for the hubs since he’s being more disciplined.

Pregnancy: Week 13

This was a tough week on a number of levels.

1. I have never had significant body image issues, but I am now. I’m in that weird state between having the tiny pooch and the obvious baby belly. Nothing fits and I feel like a fat kid every time I look in the mirror. It’s been tough mentally because I have worked SO hard the last two years getting into the best shape of my life. And now, all that’s changing. I get that it’s temporary and for the single most important reason in life … but knowing that doesn’t make it easier.

2. This was the first week I couldn’t do a metcon Rx. This was the first week I had to pull back from doing Rx during a metcon. My heart rate was skyrocketing during the first four minutes and I knew it would continue to climb dangerously if I didn’t do something differently. Instead of taking constant breaks (pointless given the workout design), I dropped weight. And I cried. Through the rest of the workout. I am so thankful for my coach and my best workout friend were right there for me. They were in my face telling me of course I could lift the weight, but I was making the responsible decision to pull back.

3. I started a new job on Monday and worked almost 20 hours at my part time job. Phew that was exhausting!

Week Thirteen WODS

Oct. 21 Warm up – row 400m row (148 heart rate)

Strength/skill: split squat with 1 pood KB – 5 sets of 7 each leg – ring dips 5 sets (157 heart rate)

Metcon: 12 min amrap – 7 sumo deadlift high pull (95/65), 7 burpees (I modified with 1 push up + 1 jumping jack = 1 burpee), 7 push ups – 5+19 (169 heart rate max)

Oct. 22 Warm up

Strength/skill: back squat 5×6. Did 80% of PR – 125#

Metcon:

  • 5 kbs (1.5/1 pood) + 5 thrusters (95/65) – 4 min amrap – 25 (this is where I lost my sh*t since my heart rate jumped so high)
  • 2 min rest
  • 5 cleans (95/65) + 5 weighted sit ups (45/25) – 4 min amrap – 50, but dropped to 45# & eliminated weight during sit ups
  • 2 min rest
  • 5 push press (95/65) + 5 t2b – 4 min amrap – 50, but did 45#

Oct 26 Ran 2.5 miles with the dog (164 heart rate)

Food: I’ve evened out a bit, but still need carbs to get through the day. I also need coffee since I’m worn out from all that’s going on!

Pregnancy: Week 12

YAY! Second trimester has officially started. We had a doctor appointment early in the week and heard the heartbeat. We both swooned. It was a crazy experience to hear that rapid pitter-patter coming from inside me.

Because we had such a successful appointment, we started sharing our news with more family and friends. We’ve enjoyed sharing our joy and hearing everyone’s reaction; however, nothing beats telling people in person or via FaceTime. With sharing our news, we’ve also received some great advice. There are some days I’m feeling lost … most specifically with attire. In addition to my boobs being huge and uncomfortable, my waist is expanding. Luckily, most of my pants still fit and I have a few pairs from my fat days tucked away that I can use.

I did ask the hubs after our appointment if I was being too nonchalant about our pregnancy. I felt like the doctor expected us to ask more questions or have more to say. The hubs said, “I feel like you’re approaching this like you did planning our wedding; you’re focused on things that you can control and that are important to you and aren’t worried about the things outside our control.” Excellent point.

I’ve had so many friends and family trail blaze this pregnancy chapter in life and I’ve learned a lot from them. Because of everything I’ve seen and heard:

  • I know we want a hospital birth;
  • I’m not opposed to drugs;
  • I want to avoid a c-section, if possible;
  • I would love to breastfeed, if it works out;
  • I am confident in my husband’s ability to coach me through labor;
  • I don’t want a cast of thousands in the delivery room (let’s be honest, just the hubs);
  • I want to transition the pooch comfortably so he loves and protects the baby instead of feeling replaced;
  • I want to be healthy and continue my workout regime.

I honestly believe the final bullet – the fact that we are typically paleo and CrossFit 3-4x a week allowed us easy conception and first trimester. I’ve been in touch with some amazing women who either CrossFitted during their pregnancy or are currently CrossFitting and pregnant. I can’t wait to share their stories with you. I’ll reveal a bit more about myself in the coming week (still need to broach some job hurdles) and then will start sharing the stories of others. Thanks for staying tuned!

Week Twelve WODS: So stoked I made it back to the box three times this week. In previous weeks, we were traveling and I had such extreme exhaustion, I really struggled. However, I have realized my exhaustion isn’t as extreme when I workout. Go figure!

Oct. 14 Warm up

Strength/skill: Push Press 3×5 Made it to 90# (about 80% of my PR)

Metcon: For time: 150 push ups; every fail or break, do 40 double unders or 120 singles – 20:21 I SUCK at double unders, so 720 singles it was! Average heart rate: 155 (surprised my coach it was lower than my normal days).

Oct. 15 Warm up

Strength/skill: Clean & Jerk 2×5 95# (about 15 pounds less than my pr)

Metcon: Two rounds for time – 40 russian kbs (1.5/1 pood), 30 box jumps (24’/20′), 20 hspu – 9:23. I do step ups instead of jumps on the box. Heart rate: 168

Oct. 17 Warm up

Metcon: Partner WOD for time – 40 snatches (135/95), 400m run, 40 muscle ups (3 ring dips + 3 pull ups = 1 mu), 800m run. Alternate reps with partner for snatches and muscle ups; run together. We did 65# on snatches and did the modified muscle ups (that took a lot of time!). Time: 39:51. Heart rate: 165

Food: Cooking during the week was easy and paleo focused. I did our favorite short rib recipe, spaghetti squash with meat sauce and a shepard’s pie. Lots of leftovers, which always makes the hubs happy. Thursday night I craved Boston Market’s sides (SO random considering I haven’t had Boston Market in 15+ years), so I went carb crazy with the cornbread, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and mac n’ cheese; chicken, too! It was so tasty!

Pregnancy: Week 11

So, I’m finally caught up to myself on the blog! Yippee! And I’m heading into my second trimester which will bring more of a reveal to who I am. While we’ve enjoyed sharing our special news with family and friends in person, it’s just not possible for everyone in our lives given the great geographic differences. Once we’ve shared with everyone, I’ll share more about me with you. Thanks for your patience!

This was a really tough week for exhaustion and pain. Especially the pain. Eleven years ago, I had a breast reduction, going from an almost E cup size to a B. I am so happy with that decision because it brought me much relief in back pain, trips to the chiropractor and the ability to shed my ugly, huge, expensive bras for the much cuter and more economical alternatives. However, in these 11 weeks, my chest has grown rapidly in preparation. My bras are barely fitting and there are days where the tenderness is overwhelming. To top it off, this week, my back felt the brunt of the growth. And it was very uncomfortable to sleep, hence the exhaustion.

I got a chiropractor appointment on Friday morning. Not only did that provide me instant relief, she also gave me a few tips for sleeping and a scapula brace to help with my posture. After my appointment, I napped most of the day!

My stomach is also beginning to pooch, but instead of the cute bump, I just look like a fat kid. Looking forward to the cute bump! This is not a fun phase since I  have worked so hard to not have a tummy the last 3+ years.

As a result of the back pain, I laid off CrossFit so I wouldn’t hurt myself further. I did make it to one WOD, but the rest of the week, I just took our dog on really long walks.

Week Eleven WODS:

Oct. 8 Warm up row for 3 minutes

Strength/skill: 400 m run (2:18/166 rpm for heart rate) + 500m row (2:13/163 rpm)

Metcon: Three Rounds for time – weighted run (45/25), 30 weighted sit ups, 20 ground to overhead, 15 box jumps (24/20) – 16:55/168 rpm. I ditched the weights for the first two movements because of my back + pregnancy. I really had to slow myself down with everything to better keep my heart rate in check. Wasn’t easy since I’m so stinking competitive!

Oct. 13 2.15 mile run with the pooch. Took about 25 minutes (had some potty stops with pooch) and heart rate reached 164 rpm. Felt great to have running weather again!

Food: This week was much easier to get back into cooking. The hubs was praising Jesus and all that’s holy. While I managed some cooking, I also had some crazy cravings – Cheez Its, Fruity Peebles (yes, seriously!), Barbara’s peanut butter Puffins and popsicles.

Breakfast has been really difficult and making sure I’m getting enough veggies is equally challenging. Today I made ham and egg cups to help the both problems. Super simple and paleo –  preheat oven to 350 degrees; saute 1/2 cup of onion and 1/2 cup of mushrooms; spray muffin tin with olive oil spray and place ham slices in cups; spoon in mushroom and onion mix; crack individual eggs into ham cups; bake for 15 minutes or until ham edges are crisp. Enjoy!

Balanced breakfast

Balanced breakfast

Pregnancy: Week 9

We had yet another appointment at the doctor’s office this week to get on their routine schedule. The appointment came equipped with a bossy, argumentative nurse practitioner, who decided my timeline from the M.D. wasn’t accurate. Whatever! Needless to say, not smart to argue with a hormonal pregnant woman.

Baby L - 9 weeks

Baby L – 9 weeks

The joy of the week was starting to share our secret! We decided to wait until I was almost through my first trimester in the event of a miscarriage. Since we’ve seen a healthy, rapid heartbeat, we’re feeling pretty good about sharing the news.

We sent care packages to our parents, the hubs grandparents and my sister. Each received a brag book with sonograms from six and eight weeks. We also sent little boxes with Hershey’s hugs & kisses. Our parents also received journals for them to write about their life to give to the baby in nine months (we’ll see who wins that!). They all thought we were sending wedding pictures – fooled them!

We also traveled to San Diego for a long weekend and were able to share our news with some friends and extended family. It’s so much more fun creating this life with joy from the people you love.

While there, both my aunts made delicious, healthy meals for us. I was in heaven eating food I didn’t have to prepare or that didn’t come from a fast food spot (while this ends up being all I can eat, it totally turns me off mentally!). The hubs was beyond ecstatic to have real, good food and lots of it! Friday night we enjoyed salmon, rice, salad and ice cream (of course!). Saturday was some delicious Mexican chicken creation. Sunday was a surf and turf spread with shrimp fresh from Galveston, Texas, gorgeous filets, caesar salad with my aunt’s secret recipe and two loafs of bread – sourdough or olive loaf. YUM! For dessert, we had apple cherry cobbler fresh from Julian with … you guessed it … ice cream! Good thing I’m getting my calcium covered!

Week Nine WODS:

Sept. 24 Warm up

Strength/skill: hang cleans got to 105#

Metcon: Four rounds for time – 200m run, 20 wall balls, 20 squats 20 over head weighted lunges (45/25) – 16:57 for 3 rounds; was feeling spent from the running and wall balls. Heart rate hovered around 164 rpm.

Food: This week is about the same as last. Craving lots of carbs and ice cream. Aversion to cooking/handling meat.

Sadly, my box in San Diego was closed for the weekend while the coaches were at a training camp. Wish I could have squeezed in another WOD or two.

Pregnancy: Week Ten

This week took me on another adventure to see family and friends in Wisconsin. I was able to share our joy in person with a handful of family and friends … and even bump bellies with another dear friend who’s just a few weeks ahead of us. So fun!

The first thing out of many people’s mouths in the great state of Wisco was, “I hope you’ve stopped lifting weights.” “Um, NOPE!” Most of my cousins haven’t had a baby in 10+ years, so times are probably a bit different.

One cousin, who is an occupational therapist, told me when she was pregnant her three times, she continued lifting pediatric patients during therapy, but now the women she works with who are currently pregnant won’t lift the kids at all. I said to her, “that’s just weak women trying to shirk responsibility.” I couldn’t believe it; I understand wanting to be cautious, but to avoid things your job requires seems over the top.

The best conversation was with a close family friend who is a retired OB-GYN. When I mentioned the fuss I was receiving about CrossFitting, he said he recalled sitting in a training class years ago that told the doctors to tell their patients to stop any sort of physical exercise/strain throughout the nine months. After that class, he returned home to his patients, who by majority were farming women, “working seven days a week shoveling sh*t, hauling grain bags, driving tractors, dealing with cattle, and I was supposed to tell them to stop?! Those were my healthiest patients.” After that realization, he stopped telling women what they couldn’t do and instead advised them to “listen to their bodies as maternal instinct kicks in early and often.” He was glad I was working closely with my coach and monitoring my heart rate, but told me to otherwise keep it up.

Being able to CrossFit and workout has kept me feeling normal. I know my body is no longer mine, but by exercising, I am maintaining strength and health for myself and our baby. Taking that away from me could be much worse.

Week Ten WODS:

Oct. 1 Warm up

Strength/skill: 5 rounds (not for time) – 5 deadlift, 1 hang squat clean, 3 front squat, 1 thruster Rx: 135/95 5 burpee penalty for dropping the bar Heart rate: 155; rpm the thruster didn’t feel right so I omitted that.

Metcon: Three rounds – 1 min. max rep push ups, rest 30 seconds, 1 min max rep wall balls (20/14) rest 30 seconds – total reps 133 Killer after the strength portion!

Oct. 2 Warm up – 3min row

Strength/skill: Front squats 10×5, build up weight to fail. Made it to 105#, failed after 5 reps Heart rate around 150 rpm

Metcon: Partner WOD, 15 min AMRAP, alternate every 5 reps – 10 shoulder to overhead (115/75), 25 deadlifts (115/75), 50 box jumps (24/20) – we managed 3 rounds + 73 reps. I felt great during lifts, but do step-ups instead of jumps on the box.

Food: About the same, but fruits and veggies are much more appealing this week. Enjoyed some raw veggies with Greek yogurt dip one day, lots of honeycrisp apples and veggie soups. Still not paleo, but trying not to beat myself up. My body is definitely craving carbs of all kinds and dairy (preferably ice cream!).

 

Pregnany: Week Seven

My weekly goal is to CrossFit at least three times a week. During week seven, I met that goal. Overall, I’m feeling great. I have days of extreme exhaustion, but that’s easily cured with a nap or some mindless t.v. I have been very lucky to have had no morning sickness or nausea; I really think that has to do with CrossFit and constantly moving.

The hubs did buy me a Polar heart rate monitor this week. The nurse told me to keep my rate around 140, but according to Fit Pregnancy:

For a more precise heart-rate measurement, the Fit Pregnancy website recommends pregnant women use target heart ranges. Unfit, sedentary or overweight women ages 20 to 29 should aim for 129 to 144 beats per minute; those 30 to 39 should stay within 128 to 144. Active women ages 20 to 29 should aim for 132 to 152 BPM; those 30 to 39, 129 to 148 BPM. A range of 145 to 160 BPM is recommended for fit women ages 20 to 29, and 140 to 156 for ages 30 to 39.

I’ve been focusing more on how I feel during the WODs and the heart rate monitor helps me determine where I’m at during the workouts.

Week Seven WODs:

Sept. 9 Warm up

Strength/skill: 3 rep max OHS: 70# PR

Metcon: “Jess” 28 reps of: pullups, thrusters (75/45), KBS, box jumps, weighted sit ups (45/25 – I did without the weights), walking lunges (45/25) – 10:27

Sept. 10 Warm up: 500m row

Strength/skill: snatch balance 3×6, worked up to 75#

Metcon: 16 min amrap 10 reps of: slam balls, push press (95/65), air squats – 7 + 10

Sept. 11 Warm up

Strength/skill: 1 rep max of bench (110# not a PR) / back squat (145# PR!) / deadlift (200# PR!)

Metcon: 8 min amrap, 4 reps of: pull ups, burpees, box jumps – 11 rounds with modified burpees; subbed in push ups and jumping jacks instead of burpees. I tend to slam my belly on burpees, so it’s not worth the risk!

Food: eating whatever sounds good. Paleo-shmaleo is the mindset right now. Mac & cheese and ice cream? Yes, please!

Pregnancy: Week Six

We got an appointment this week to confirm the pregnancy. According to the nurse practitioner, I’m six weeks along. After seeing the baby on the ultrasound, she gave me a bunch of advice – amount of water to drink, what to eat, vitamins to take, medicines to take/avoid, and exercise. With exercise, her advice was, “exercise for 20 minutes, three days a week.” I had to refrain from snorting in laughter.

I said, “I’m a CrossFitter and am used to lifting significant weight.”

Her response sent me into a tizzy …

“Well, you shouldn’t be lifting more than 25#.”

Um, lady, you have no idea what I’m capable of, I thought to myself.

Online, I was reading all sorts of great articles about women CrossFitting while pregnant, but nothing was really adding up. That’s when this blog dawned on me. Maybe if I started documenting my experiences, it would help others. Worth a shot.

Week Six WODs:

So, I was feeling the first trimester exhaustion and squeaked in one measly WOD:

Sept. 4 Warm up

Strength/skill: double unders; 15 minute time cap; increase reps by 5 every minute. So, I suck at double unders and haven’t mastered even one. I did a ton of singles and broke a sweat.

Metcon: 6 rounds for time – 200m run, 10 deadlift (225/155; I did 135), 10 wall balls, 10 ground to overhead (45/25 plates) Time: 25:27, which was consistent with the athletes I workout with regularly. Felt good during and after.

Food: craving salty foods this week. Our box is in the final weeks of a six week paleo challenge, so all week, I ate some salami with cucumbers and added banana peppers to just about everything.

Hotshots 19 WOD

The next WOD I tackled was the Hotshots 19 WOD in Prescott, Ariz. We had traveled to Prescott after my power yoga session, giving ourselves time to adjust to the elevation and figure out the lay of the land.

The official “Hotshots 19″ WOD: Six rounds (6 rounds because they died in June) for time of:

  • 30 Squats (to commemorate June 30, the day the Hotshots died)
  • 135/95 pound Power clean, 19 reps (19 reps for the 19 fallen)
  • 7 Strict Pull-ups (7 in honor of Fire Station 7, the Hotshots 19 station)
  • Run 400 meters (400 because the fire turned its course around 4 p.m. on June 30)

At 5,400 feet elevation, the 400 meter run was the most lung-sucking part. The hubs did an amazing job, finishing 5 rounds + 30 air squats and 10 power cleans in round six (5+40). He scaled the weight to 95#, but did the strict pull-ups unassisted (a first for him!). I was very proud! I was in Heat 4, finishing 5 rounds + 30 air squats. I scaled the power cleans to 65#, but also did unassisted strict pull-ups for the first time.

Strict pull-ups

Strict pull-ups

Smiling through the pain of running

Smiling through the pain of running

And I felt great before, during and after the event. The elevation (other than during the run) didn’t phase me and I was really proud of my pull-ups. And the babe’s “first competition” was one of meaning and emotion. It hit close to home for us, as one of our CrossFit friends was related to one of the Hotshots.

I’m even more proud of the CrossFit community, who participated in the WOD world-wide. It was inspiring to track photos on social media of people doing it around the globe. And the generosity for the families continues to be impressive. More than $300K has been raised online and more than $21K was raised at the event in Prescott. To help the families of the 19, CrossFit has established a trust fund through its CrossFit Kids Foundation. To donate, visit https://hotshots19.crossfit.com/

More pictures here.