Week 14 and 15- 15.1 Workout Review

The Crossfit Open. One of my most favorite/hated events last year. Last year I was signed up on the first day, was able to RX all of the workouts and though I was no regionals competitor, I stood hard in the middle of the pack. It was definitely $20 wasted, however it gave me something to work toward and be excited about each week. My most competitive side came out and that is a feeling I didn't appreciate until today. I missed my competitive side today. It was roaring in my heart, but my mind was smart enough to keep me grounded. I wanted to RX this workout, burn through toes-to-bar and PR on my clean and jerk.  I hated to scaled the Open this year, but I am RXing this baby makin' thing and I think that is pretty remarkable.

What I love about the Open is that it brings all Crossfitters together. Of course we have "the girls" and "hero WODs," but these are workouts we are ALL doing in the same weekend. I love seeing how my friends across the country did and see their improvements. I love the feeling of gathering around an iPad or computer to watch that bushy-eye-browed man tell us how he is about to challenge us for the next 3 days. I love the events gyms have to "celebrate" Crossfitmas. It is just a great time of the year.

Here is how the workout shaped out for me:

My thoughts for Dave Castro may be impartial, but my thoughts for 15.1 were pure joy. I dig toes-to-bar, easy deadlifts and moderate snatches. Pre-pregnant Paige calls them fairly light. However, pregnant Paige thought they were too heavy, so here is how I scaled it:
Toes to Bar for 2 rounds - the last few rounds I did knees to elbows
Dead Lifts- 55#
Snatches- 55#
Total Reps = 155
Clean and Jerk = 105#
 *I probably would have attempted 115#, but I think I was worrying the girl who was counting my reps. My max clean and jerk pre-baby was 125# and I was just on the peak of going over that. The clean and jerks were surprisingly fun. I was so amped up from 15.1 I felt like I could lift for days!

I took one solid minute to rest between 15.1 and 15.1A. This gave me more energy so I took less time between clean and jerk attempts because I wasn't winded.

The thing I struggled with the most was my hands. Oddly enough, I had a hard time gripping the bar for an extended period of time. I think this is what made me scale to knees to elbows. I had to remind myself I was not competing, just trying to get a workout in. If I spent too much time resting my paws, it would defeat the purpose of the light weights and low rep scheme. I didn't want to lose the cardio benefits of this work out. While I believe this WOD does need to be done quickly, keeping a steady pace will help make every second count.

Best of luck with 15.1 everyone!

 

 

A little beach day... I love how slim you look while lying down! I am taking a beach picture once a month to show progress!

 

 

 

Week 12 and 13

Aw, the wonderful bridge from the first trimester to the second. Where my body started changing and my gym performance followed along with it.

The major changes these past two weeks were a difference (negative) in my stamina, my sit-up performance and my mind's ability to allow myself to squat heavy. I caught myself stopping in the middle of WODs a lot this week, as well as dropping down in weight when it came to front squats, back squats and cleans.

According to crossfitmom.com, sit-ups are off limits in the second trimester. I still feel physically able to do them because my mid section has not felt too heavy,  but the owner of my box is the proud father of three babies and his wife is a Crossfit mother, so he is very strict not to allow me to do anything on my back. This is probably a liability issue on his part, too. So, I have been doing a ton of planking and toes to bar. If anyone has any other suggestions on what else to do, I am happy to hear them! Unfortunately, burpees are still in my workouts and I have been doing those whenever they are programmed.

My poor stamina has been conquered as well. We ran an "Insane Inflatable 5K" last weekend and I walked about half of it. I had a good 5-7 minutes in the beginning and after that it was just little spurts of running that I was able to handle. Its like running with a 5 pound kettle bell. Not a HUGE difference, but just enough to slow you down. Long WODs have been exhausting me too. We had a time cap one today with a calorie row buy in, followed by 3 rounds for time, followed by 100 DUs. I made it to 20 DUs. The movements weren't difficult, I just couldn't seem to catch my breath so I stopped a lot during the WOD.

Squatting has been the last big change. I start to feel pressure if I am doing too many weighted or jump squats. We have been working on back squats and cleans these past two weeks. To scale, I will either go down in weight, or do power cleans... or both. For jump squats I obviously just sub in air squats. I truly believe that squats are going to help in the delivery process later on down the road, so I want to be sure to do them. However, I am not going to put myself at risk by trying to show off and go too heavy.

Just general pregnancy news - My belly is starting to make it's debut into pictures. I got my first pair of maternity pants... WHY didn't I have these my whole life for events such as Thanksgiving, the county fair and Superbowl Sunday!? These stretchy God given pants are incredible. Oh, I also got a large body pillow which is also a must have. It makes sleeping on your side much more enjoyable!

This was a challenge that some of my 5AM friends had to do. Technically a 5 person plank... 12 Weeks Pregnant

This is from the finish line at the Insane Inflatable 5K - We had a blast!

 

Week 10 and 11

Week 10 was a teeter-totter for me. One day I am feeling great and doing hand stand push ups, the next day I quit half way through a fairly easy Tabata. There were no major changes in ways I had to scale or in exercises I couldn't do. It is just a matter of listening to my body. If I don't think I should continue, then I quit. Luckily my coaches understand.

I went to the doctor and saw the healthy baby for the first time- Yay! My doctor went on to tell me I can work out just as I was before. I explained to her my routine and she requested I go light on the weights. She then went on to explain to me the relaxin that was taking over my body, weakening my ligaments and muscles.

I passed week 11 and I feel like a whole new woman! My energy came back over night, my belly is starting to pop out a little more, and any sort of nausea I had is completely gone. I feel like I have been able to lift heavier, do more movement and finish WODs in decent times. One of my friends gave me a heart rate monitor and mentioned I needed to keep my heart rate below 150. I used the monitor for one day and it BEEPED the entire time. This was not going to work for me.

I did some research on heart rate and pregnancy. According to the Mayo clinic website, as a healthy, active person previous to the pregnancy, there is not need to worry about heart rate. It used to be women had to keep their rate under 140, but that does not apply anymore. Of course, they suggest talking to your doctor and keeping some precaution. Mainly, try to maintain a level that allows you to carry on a conversation. If you aren't able to do so, you are pushing yourself too hard. Wonderful. Anymore reason to talk is a reason of mine!

More research was done on the benefits of increasing my heart rate while pregnant. Not to be quoted,, but in one study I read, the greater the intensity of the mom's experience, the lower the fetus' heart rate and the greater the variability. In a different study, the benefits extended until 4+ weeks into the baby's life. This was pretty cool. I spoke with my husband about the studies I read. My husband and his younger sister were  long distance runners for the University of Arkansas - Woo Pig Sooie! That's right, I am the wife of a National Champion Track Runner. (Insert husband's eye roll here) He told me that his mother played softball and volleyball up until her final days before delivery. This was pretty encouraging and reassured me I am doing the right thing for my baby and his/her future.

I know this post isn't much about Crossfit, but hopefully encouraging if you are hearing some of the scrutiny I am hearing lately.