CrossFit while pregnant?

carawasa

https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/should-pregnant-women-be-weightlifting---200459884.html

I was looking at yahoo this morning and came across this article.  I have never attempted CrossFit but I know it is difficult.  Personally was a little shocked by the picture of her lifting the dumb-bell, it looks pretty heavy!  I assume her doctor okay-ed this...  What are your thoughts?

SweetCFly

Mh was telling me last night about that... Someone being 9months preg and still doing Cross Fit. I am kinda jealous! I have always been avid into exercise but felt so crappy and paralyzed to the couch first tri I took it as my body's way of saying take a break. I worked out a lot second and third tri until I had 30+ hrs of PTL at almost 36 weeks. I am taking a break the rest of pregnancy per my midwives, I miss it!

Hoping to stay active thru my next pregnancy. We don't do Cross Fit but I box and take boot camp classes at our gym. Many women in work out with do continue during their entire pregnancies and I hope to be able to do that next time around. Can't wait to get back post partum.

PongoLePond

I think as long as her doctor has okay-ed it it's awesome that she still has so much energy and determination. Personally getting off the couch to get a bowl of ice cream is a chore for me. I couldn't imagine doing cross fit or any other strenuous form of exercise. I'm a little jealous!

sfshorter

I'll be starting back cross fit after baby comes, assuming no bad complications.  I haven't done it while pregnant though.  Most of the exercises are things I consider to risky to do while pregnant because of the chance of falling.  

Jenball717

CrossFit chick, checking in!
I have done CrossFit for 2 years prior to getting pregnant. I continued throughout my pregnancy. I stopped the past week and a half due to contractions and pelvic pain but since going to the doc last night and getting his approval, I will be starting up again today.

The key here is knowing your body, and CrossFit is an amazing way to do that. Through my training I have felt every kind of muscle pain there is to feel, so when I became pregnant and felt those same pains throughout training, I knew I was working my muscles and not doing any harm to baby. Later I started to feel things I haven't felt before, pulling and stretching along my sides and under my uterus. That is when I knew I needed to cut those moves from my routine.

I am also very familiar with the max amount of weight I can lift as well as the amount I am comfortable with for workouts so I know how to appropriately scale the amounts. And there is always the option of stopping midway and dropping some if the weights or not finishing the workout at all.

Work closely with trainers and be smart and there is no reason why anyone can't workout through their pregnancy with modifications. Any high risk baby stuff excluded, of course.

And my doctor approved EVERYTHING I did, I didn't do it behind his back.

norbert5

Whatever works for her but I do think that pregnancy is a time to slow down. It is the only time in my adult life I have let myself slack off from working out. I walk and hike but everything else is on hold.

Ajoyd

I have a friend who did CrossFit before and during her pregnancy. She looked freaking amazing throughout. 

I'm too lazy for that business.

megs1409

Kudos to all that can do CrossFit BEFORE they are pregnant.  And even more kudos to those that can do it WHILE pregnant.  I have been consistently seeing my trainer 2 days a week throughout my pregnancy, but I have definitely cut back on the exercises and I'm focused now on things that will help relieve symptoms and make labor a bit more bearable (stretching, strength training focused on my lower back, a bit of cardio and light upper body strength training).  I may not be getting "much" out of it, but it makes me feel less lazy. 

frizzydizzy

NRyan55 said:

More power to them! I have pregnant friends still doing crossfit, personally I take time off while KU, but that's because I'm lazy.

This. All of this.

KerCo51

I am amazed by women who work out like that while pregnant, and I don't really understand it.  I consider my walk to the bathroom as a work out these days.  But they will look great after pregnancy, while I will be losing this weight for a year.

MrsKocal

Personally, I wouldn't do Crossfit even when not KTFU--it's not terribly well-respected among biomechanists OR exercise physiologists, and wasn't developed for the masses, but elite athletes. It's a bad idea for most people--and "collapsing from exhaustion" is the least of one's worries. I agree with those who were criticizing her--not smart, even when not pregnant (and she obviously has no idea wtf she is doing--nor do those at her gym--because the first rule to using kettle bells is to do so BAREFOOT). There are plenty of ways to exercise while pregnant while not being stupid about it. 

This!! I'm all for exercising throughout your pregnancy but Crossfit is NOT safe even when you aren't pregnant unless you really know what you are doing (meaning you are an elite athelete training under the supervision of actual fitness professionals with degrees in anatomy and health sciences - not a random person at one of the 10 million cross fit gyms that have popped up everywhere, training under the supervision of someone who went for a weekend of "training" to become a cross fit instructor). My best friend is a chiropractor and he loves Crossfit....because it brings him SO MANY new clients.  It is an injury waiting to happen for a non-pregnant person, I am scared for any pregnant woman who does it. 

allymp13

I was doing something similar to crossfit/strongman up until 12 weeks, but I just couldn't handle it while being sick all the time. Then I decided to just be fat and lazy.

I had a mentor and my trainer was scaling back my workouts a little. So I see no problem with it as long as you were doing it beforehand and your trainer is working with you.

Eta: typos

diamoond17

Another crossfitter here.  Crossfit is an amazing workout and my doctor ok'd it as well.  You're not trying to PR (achieve a personal record) while pregnant but rather keep active.  I did it for 3 years before getting pregnant and once pregnant adjusted workouts as needed, then did crossfitmoms (crossfit for pregnant women) and have felt great throughout my pregnancy.  I can't wait to get back to regular crossfit workouts as soon as I'm cleared. 

CousinVicki

like everyone else said, sooo many people get f'd up from crossfit NOT pregnant, nothankyou.

ETA: all that being said i loveee kettlebell and TRX training, but with a real instructor who starts slowwww.  i am not into that weirdo heavylifting shiz.  

MegN423

I used to do CrossFit. I think it's amazing that anyone could keep up with this while pregnant. Even when I wasn't pregnant I would say it was definitely the most challenging workouts I have ever done. 

shannoncorrin

I'm very into fitness, though not crossfit. The last week I've been exhausted, but other than that I've kept up pretty good. I still lift fairly heavy, but I listen to my body and don't over do it. I'm not trying to achieve any gains, just trying to maintain. I think our bodies do a good job at letting us know how much is too much. We just have to make sure we listen.