CrossFit for Pre-Natal and Post-Natal Training

Exercising during pregnancy is beneficial for both you and your baby. Regular exercise can decrease the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and the need for a C-section. It helps manage common discomforts like backaches and swelling, while also boosting mood, energy levels, and overall outlook.

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Below are some general guidelines for exercising during and after pregnancy. Please keep in mind that every pregnancy is different and one woman’s experience may be vastly different than another. Do not compare yourself to anyone else and listen to your body.

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• Find a qualified coach to help. A coach will ensure you are doing things properly, scaling when needed, and making the most out of your training time.

• Listen to your body AT ALL TIMES. Pregnancy changes daily and only YOU know how you are feeling. Listen to your body and trust your instincts – if something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Women were literally designed to have babies and your body knows what it needs.

• Always warm-up and cool down. The warm-up and cool-down make your session much safer for you and your baby. Always make this part of your session a priority!

• Walk every day! This is one of the most underrated movements for your pelvic floor.

• Pay attention to your posture and alignment. Time spent training is a small part of your over all day. To ensure your body functions properly, good posture and a neutral pelvis position is essential. Enlist the help of a coach, chiro, or therapist to help you.

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Below are movement guidelines for pregnancy. This is just a guide, not medical advice. Remember, everyone is different. What is safe and healthy for one woman, may not be for another. Listen to your body and respect your circumstances.

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Essential Stretches

• Calf stretch – do this multiple times throughout the day

• Hamstring stretch – do this daily; keep your lumbar spine in a neutral position

• Piriformis stretch – you can do this lying on your back or a seated figure four stretch

• Chest and shoulder stretch – use bands or the wall

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Accessory Work

• Crossover symmetry – your shoulders will thank you once your baby is in your arms :)

• Hip band monster walks – be sure to do these correctly, and frequently!

• Calf raise – your posterior chain directly affects your pelvic floor

• Tibialis raise – helps foot control, balance and gait as your center of gravity changes

• Hip hikes – improves gait, pelvic stability, and balance

• Balance work – as your body rapidly changes, this will help you feel stable and safe

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Hip Movements: Hips are essential for a healthy pregnancy. Your hips move in three planes of motion–use them all! Make a point to add a variation of each of these movements in weekly:

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• Lunge – step forward, step back, weighted, walking, etc.

• Step-up – weighted or unweighted at any height you feel comfortable

• Squat – air squats, back squats, front squats, overhead squats, DB squats, etc.

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Lifting: Pregnancy is not the time to PR your lifts. Always go by how you feel for the day and reduce percentages and weights as needed. A risky lift is never worth injuring yourself. Keep in mind that you are automatically adding a heavier “weight vest” to all of your movements each week.

Movement Substitutions: These substitutions avoid movements that can become uncomfortable or unsafe and will also provide specific benefits to your pregnant body. You may not need to modify everything on this list, but don’t hesitate to modify things if you feel you need to.

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Never be afraid to ask a coach for a substitution. We all love helping you find the best version of the workout for YOU!

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A few other topics you may be curious about:

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Your Core: As your baby grows, front loading exercises can put excess pressure on your abdominals and pelvic floor, which can contribute to diastasis recti (a separation of abdominal muscles during pregnancy). Switch any movement where you feel your stomach pushing out (called “doming”) to one that uses your transverse abdominals, which are deep abdominal muscles on the sides of your core and are crucial during childbirth. Some exercises you can use to train these muscles are side planks, kettlebell march, and Pall off press. Also avoid any movements that you feel an intense stretch in your stomach.

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Your Pelvic Floor: Your pelvic floor plays a crucial role in supporting your uterus and other organs, manages urinary continence, and provides core stability. It is extremely important to keep this group of muscles, ligaments, and tissues healthy. Here are a few ways to take care of your pelvic floor:

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• Stretch your glutes, hamstrings and calves. Posterior leg weakness and tightness is a big contributor to pelvic floor weakness. Tight muscles = weak muscles.

• You MUST do squats and locomotion (walking) to keep your pelvic floor healthy.

• Sit in a neutral position to take the pressure off of your tailbone. When you sit on your tail bone, it puts pressure on your sacrum, affecting your pelvis and pelvic floor.

• Don’t wear heels. This creates a forward pelvic tilt, putting pressure on your pelvic floor.

• Consider seeing a pelvic floor therapist starting at 30 weeks.

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What if I Pee My Pants: This is common, however it is NOT normal. If you find yourself leaking urine while exercising during or after pregnancy, it is a sign stop what you are doing. Switch to a movement that has less impact on your pelvic floor and return to those movements at a slower pace. Running, jumping, and heavy lifting commonly cause incontinence. If you continue to struggle with this, hire a coach to help you retrain your core and pelvic floor, and/or find a pelvic floor therapist.

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After the Baby: Your body just went through a major physical event. It needs time to heal. Everyone’s timeline for returning to exercise will be different and will depend on many factors. Listen to your doctor’s recommendations and also make sure that you have at least three days of no bleeding before you start exercising again. When you do, if you notice any increase in bleeding, that is a sign that you did too much too soon. Rest, and wait until you have another three days of no bleeding before starting again at a more modified level. This is also a good time to hire a coach make sure you are doing things properly, check for diastasis recti, and help you relearn how to use your core correctly.

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Lastly, if your pregnancy does not go the way you had hoped - if labor didn’t go well, if you needed a c section, if your pregnancy ends early – it is Not. Your. Fault. Nothing you did or didn’t do was the cause. It was not the run you went on or the deadlift weight you chose. It wasn’t too much exercise, or too little exercise. Please do not blame yourself. We train to give ourselves and our babies the best chance we can, but not everything is within our control.

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TL;DR: Always listen to your body. Do lots of squats and walking. Stretch your calves and hamstrings every day. Move your hips in all the ways. Scale movements as needed. Don’t pee your pants. Get a qualified coach to help. Compare yourself to no one because no one can compare to you.