Kickboxing Chic’s BodyBlog

I’m now 7 weeks post-partum and I admit my come back has been a bit challenging. Primarily because I’m so sleep-deprived and have reached a point of chronic exhaustion. Everyday I fight the (mental) battle with myself whether or not to power through and get in a workout or make it a rest day. Some days I wish I would have taken the day off, but other days it feels pretty good and energizes me for a portion of the day. Today, for example, felt good. I decided to get up at 5:00am and get my workout in before the kids got up. I was crossing my fingers that my newborn would sleep until 7:00am, like she does on most days. So while I was down in my garage with the baby monitor, I was working through my reps and sets as fast as I could. I wanted to get through as much of my workout as I could before my little one woke up. About 40 minutes into my workout, she started to make some noise so I kicked it into gear even more, keeping rest periods to a minimum. Thankfully, she ended up falling back to sleep and I was able to get through my entire plan. But it was a non-stop 65 minute workout.

Hoping my sleep deprivation doesn’t get the best of me, here is my plan for this week.

Monday: Rest/recovery and planning day.

Tuesday: MMA workout 1 (modified) from Men’s Fitness March 2009

Wednesday: Indoor cycling

Thursday: MMA workout 2 (modified) from Men’s Fitness March 2009

Friday: Rest/recovery day

Saturday: Outdoor boot camp (I’m the Instructor)

Sunday: MMA workout 3/circuit (modified) from Men’s Fitness March 2009

I’ve been wanting to do the MMA workouts in Men’s Fitness. But since I was pregnant, it would have to wait until post-pregnancy. I can’t do them exactly as they are written because I do most of my workouts in my home gym and don’t have all the equipment. So I find alternatives. I also tweak the suggested reps and add a bit more intensity to make my limited hour worth it. This is my 3^rd week doing the MMA workouts in the March 2009 edition. I’ll probably do one more week then change it up. I really enjoy this style of training and it works great for a busy mom with a limited amount of time to workout.

I have not been very happy with my progress pics. They just aren’t what I see when I look in the mirror. Granted, they are just taken by my non-professional photographer husband with our point-and-shoot camera. I also have zero training in how to pose. Still have some saggy skin in the abdominal area, but my weight is a tad less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I’m 123 in this pic taken 6 weeks post-partum. A couple of my husbands buddies made a comment the other day on how good I looked after having a baby just 7 weeks ago. I guess that’s worth more than the pic.

I’m now 4 weeks post-pregnancy (starting week 5) and back at it! I actually started working out again after 2 weeks, but the first two weeks were low key and gradual. Starting this week, I’ll be kicking it up a few notches.  Since I’m still regaining my muscle strength, I’m not lifting too heavy at this point. Instead, I’m doing more cardio-intensive and muscle endurance workouts. My training plan is also very core-focused since I haven’t don’t core work since last August. However, I’m finding I didn’t lose too much core strength and have rebounded quicker than I expected.

Here is my training plan for this week. If you want the details of the actual exercises, just send me a request and I’ll be happy to share. However, I will tell you these workouts are nearly 60 minutes of high intensity. I keep my rest time to a minimum, moving from one exercise to the next. The exercises themselves utilize multiple muscle groups which also pumps up the intensity. My baby is sleeping at this time, so I gotta get it done before she wakes up. That means not wasting a single minute!

Monday: Cardio Circuit and Medicine Ball Workout (upper body and legs)

Tuesday: HIIT Cardio (elliptical) and Medicine Ball Workout (abs and low back)

Wednesday: Rest and Recovery

Thursday: Cardio Circuit and Medicine Ball Workout (upper body and legs) Note – different exercises than Monday.

Friday:  HIIT Cardio (elliptical) and Medicine Ball Workout (abs and low back) Note – different exercises than Tuesday.

Saturday: HIIT Cardio (stair climber) and Leg/Back Supersets

Sunday: Rest and Recovery

As for my nutritional plan… LOTS of fruits and vegetables. Since I’m also on the breast feeding weight loss program, which burns a lot of calories in itself, I’m finding I’m hungry all day long. Even at 2:00am when I’m up for a baby feeding, I’m ravenous myself! So I’m struggling a bit to stay within my nutritional plan because I’m so hungry all the time. In which case, I try to eat just more fruits, veggies, lean meats, and whole grains/complex carbs.

To conclude, here’s a pic of me 3 weeks post-pregnancy. I’m within a few pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. Hopefully, this is a testament to why women should exercise during pregnancy if the doctor gives the OK. Most people don’t believe I was pregnant!

The time has come… the doctor has put me on minimized activity. This does not mean bed rest, but it does mean no exercise for now and potentially the remaining 4 weeks (if I make it that long). I had an ultrasound on 12/23/2008 to check baby’s size and my amniotic fluid level. Baby is small (25^th percentile), which is not terribly alarming since my son was small. They just conclude that I don’t produce big babies. But my amniotic fluid level is very low, which is of greater concern. So to help get my fluid level up, the doctor advised me to reduce my activity level. Part of me is upset about not being able to exercise… it is such a HUGE part of my life! The other part of me feels guilty for perhaps exercising too much and too hard. It is hard to say if working out caused low amniotic fluid production or a membrane tear that would cause a leakage. Thankfully baby is active and has a good HR, so nothing too worrisome at this stage. But my fluid level needs to increase by next week or that may change. I certainly don’t want to be induced and have to have a pre-term baby. That’s scary stuff and we just aren’t ready for her arrival! So my holiday workout plans are squashed at this point. I had planned to take my time at the gym with long workouts, and not having to get up so early. I’ve contemplated picking up a couple fitness magazines to get my fix that way. But perhaps that would only depress me more. I’ve put my Asics in the closet (I usually just keep them by the door), and my Zune is no longer left near the computer for charging. I will soon start putting together my ‘come back’ plan, but for now I now depend on all of you to keep at it for me!

I did my last workout on 12/23/2008. And here’s what I did:

Cardio
·         Incline treadmill walking (incline level 10; speed 4.0) – 40 minutes

Weight Training
Superset 1: Repeat 3x

·         Lat pull-downs (1.5 reps) x15

·         BB front raises (1.5 reps) x15

Superset 2: Repeat 3x

·         Seated rows (1.5 reps) x15

·         Cable lateral raises x15

Had I known this was my last workout, I would have done delts… my favorite.

Here I am at 36 weeks:

I’ve wrapped up week 34 and now head into week 35. About a 15-16 pound weight gain so far. If I can get up and get my workout in on a given day, then it is a good day. But what I am able to do in the gym is becoming more and more limited. No more jogging on the treadmill… incline walking only. Even the bouncing from that can be a bit much on my poor ligaments and muscles. The various forms of squats and lunges I do for legs are becoming challenging too… need to keep them shallow. For legs this week, I resorted to the leg extension and hamstring curl machines. Despite these growing limitations, I keep plugging away doing what I can. I don’t plan too much and just do what feels good on any given day. At this stage, I’m ok with just doing a long stint of cardio. As long as I get in a good sweat, I’m happy.

My uterus is measuring smaller than where I ideally should be at this stage. I’m thinking ‘how can that be? I feel so huge and maxed out!’ I’m having an ultrasound next week to check baby’s growth. My little one moves a lot and depending on where she decides to position herself, I have more discomfort some days than others. I’m thinking the reason baby may be small is because all that movement she is doing is burning the calories I’m giving her! Like mother, like daughter.

As for a workout to share in this post… here’s one I did on Thanksgiving Day. It was a good, quick, power workout given that I was short on time. My delts were fried. The high reps for legs kept my HR up.

1.       Treadmill warm-up (walking/light jogging) – 15 minutes

2.       Circuit 1:

a.       Step-ups onto a bench x20/side

b.      Rotator cuff/shoulder press combo x15

c.       1-arm DB swings x15/side

d.      Repeat 3x thru

3.       Circuit 2:

a.       Side-step lunges x20/side

b.      Lateral raises with a twist at the top x15

c.       1-arm DB clean/press x12/side

d.      Repeat 3x thru

This workout took me ~1 hour and I burned 425 calories. Not bad considering there was no focused cardio effort involved. I haven’t done delts this week so I may give this one a go again for today’s or tomorrow’s workout.

Here I am at 34 weeks:

I had a solid plan in place for last week, both nutrition-wise and training-wise. I was fully stocked on fruits, veggies, and lean protein ready for lunches and dinners. But I had a hard time digesting pretty much everything last week except oatmeal. I’ve gradually been able to eat less and less in one sitting, but now what I eat is starting to matter. Unfortunately, veggies need to be small portions and ones that are easier to digest. So a lot of the food I had prepped for the week sat in the fridge. It was very frustrating, not to mention the fact that I was uncomfortable. Mornings are usually good, so at least I was still able to get my training in each day. I’m doing more ad hoc workouts these days because what I can do depends on how I feel that day. So far it is working out and I feel like I’m coving all my bases in terms of cardio and hitting all major body parts with weight training. And I’m still training 6 days/week. I relish my one rest/recovery day though.

I’m getting in some good workouts this week too, and so far I’m able to stick to my normal eating habits. I just need to keep portions small and stay away from stuff that I know is problematic. Thanksgiving should be a relatively guilt-free day since I can only eat such small portions. Although, I may have to eat dinner twice since I’m hungry every 1.5-2 hours with such small portions. And I’m already looking forward to Friday’s indoor cycling class.

Here’s a pic of my tummy at 31 weeks. I am all baby. So far I’ve gained about 14 pounds.

And here’s a fun workout I did last week:

·         Warm-up: Walking/light jogging on treadmill for 5 minutes

·         Treadmill speed intervals – increase speed every minute for 7 minutes

·         Super Set: Bulgarian split squats and rear delt lifts w/ cables – 3 sets

·         Treadmill 90/30 second intervals – 90 sec high intensity/30 sec recovery x4

·         Super Set: DB step-ups and lat pull-downs – 3 sets

·         Treadmill incline intervals – increase incline every minute for 5 minutes

·         (Machine) Hamstring curls – Stripping set

·         (Machine) Leg extension – Stripping set

My legs were pretty hosed after this. My reps were in the 12-15 range. It took me about 70 minutes and a burned 460 calories. The constant change up sure makes the time go by fast.

I really enjoyed my first pregnancy, but I’m anxious to get this one wrapped up and get back to my normal self. I want to wear my normal jeans again and get back to higher intensity, challenging workouts. I was watching some Cross Fit videos on YouTube this past weekend, which made me very envious and anxious about getting through the final stretch of pregnancy. Admittedly, I’m already thinking about my post-pregnancy plan. Hopefully my delivery will be uneventful so I can keep my recovery period to about 3 weeks. In the meantime, I keep doing what I can. And yes, I can still do burpees (albeit modified). Here’ my game plan for this week:

Training
Monday: BW/Weight Circuit (similar to what I did last week)
·         Fast step-ups onto a bench step (1 minute/side)

·         Lateral hops over bench (2 minutes)

·         Lunge switches with a DB shoulder press x20 (big HR booster)

·         Curtsy squat/squat x10 sets (curtsy squat on each side with a squat in the middle = 1 set)

·         DB chest press/fly combo x10 sets

·         1-leg deadlifts x15/leg

·         DB Tricep overhead press x15

·         Kneeling kick-backs w/ band x30/leg

·         DB Bicep curls x15

·         Repeat circuit 3x

Tuesday: HIIT Cardio (Elliptical) and Stretching
Wednesday: Treadmill/Superset Intervals

·         Treadmill warm-up followed by speed intervals (increase speed every 1 minute for 5-8 minutes)

·         Bulgarian split squats and rear delt lifts w/ cables – 3 sets

·         Treadmill 90/30 sec intervals x4

·         Step-ups and lat pulldowns – 3 sets

·         Treadmill incline intervals (increase incline every 1 minute for 5 minutes)

·         Hamstring curls and leg extensions – 3 sets

·         Another round on the treadmill if time permits

Thursday: HIIT Cardio (Treadmill) and Stretching
Friday: BW/Weight Circuit
Something similar to Monday, but the upper body work will be more delt focused.

Saturday: Boot Camp
Sunday: Rest, recovery, plan, and prep day
Nutrition
Rather than plan a full week in advance, here are some things I’ve done to prepare for the week.

·         Cut up lots of carrots, celery, and bell peppers for snacks

·         Made a flaxseed oil based dressing for salads

·         Threw some turkey breasts on the grill Sunday night while we were grilling steaks for dinner

·         Made a 3-4 serving batch of quinoa

·         Made turkey meatballs on Monday for spaghetti with meatballs; the leftover meatballs can be used for lunches and snacks throughout the week

·         Stocked up on apples from the fruit stand (lots of good ones on sale) and salad stuff so I can have salads for lunches and dinners

·         Chopped up mushrooms, zucchini, and bell peppers for egg while omelets

As you can see, I am well stocked with healthy options for the week. Easy to just grab and go.

Now it is just time for execution… so far so good! What your game plan for this week?

I’m almost 30 weeks along, which means only about 10 to go!  I’m still trying to keep up my “fit” lifestyle as much as possible. But mentally, I’ve decided to give myself a break during pregnancy and not be so hard core. I know I can get back to my normal strict, regimented routine, so I’m not too worried about it. I weighed in at 139 today. Which means I’ve gained about 13 lbs so far. I want to keep my weight gain around 20-23 lbs by the end, so still need to keep up many of my good habits. Here is my game plan for the coming week:

Training
Monday and Wednesday: Cardio/Weight Training Circuit
A mix of upper body exercises w/DBs, lower body exercises w/DBs, and BW cardio exercises (i.e. burpees, jumping jacks) for a HR boost. These types of workouts make the time go by so fast! These will be at-home workouts.

Tuesday and Thursday: HIIT Cardio and Stretching
30-40 minutes of high intensity interval training using my elliptical; followed by a good 10-15 minutes of stretching. These will be at-home workouts.

Friday: Indoor Cycling and Weight Training
My favorite workout of the week. A 60 minute indoor cycling class (easy 400-500 calorie burner); followed by some upper body work. I’ll be going to the gym this day so will do exercises I can’t do at home.

Saturday: Boot Camp
Sunday: Rest, recovery, plan, and prep day.
Nutrition
Monday
·         Breakfast: egg white, veggie omelet; oatmeal w/ half scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 tbsp walnuts, and ¼ cup blueberries

·         AM Snack: 1 cup plain yogurt w/ half scoop of protein powder; apple w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter

·         Lunch: turkey tenderloin, mashed yams, and sautéed collard greens

·         PM Snack: ½ can tuna mixed with a little mayo and curry powder; 5 flax seed crackers; celery and carrots; 1 wedge of lite Laughing Cow cheese (these things are only 35 calories!!)

·         Dinner: Chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, roasted garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes; large salad

·         Evening Snack: ½ cup cottage cheese with Splenda, a few slices of banana and a sprinkle of oatmeal

Tuesday
·         Same for all meals except dinner

·         Dinner: Tofu tacos

Wednesday
·         Breakfast: Same

·         AM Snack: 1 cup plain yogurt w/ half scoop of protein powder; red grapes; raw nuts

·         Lunch: We have a lunch meeting this day with lunch being provided. Depending on what it is, I may just eat the salad portion and supplement with something from home. In which case, I still have turkey tenderloin, mashed yams, and the collard greens on hand.

·         PM Snack: Salmon burger and some instant grits

·         Dinner: Grill night; not sure if I’ll have chicken or lean steak; large salad regardless

·         Evening Snack: Same

Thursday
·         Breakfast: Same

·         AM Snack: Light yogurt, rice cake w/ peanut butter

·         Lunch: TBD – Will depend on what I have for leftovers from dinners during the week.

·         PM Snack: TBD – Will depend on what leftovers I have

·         Dinner: TBD – Leftovers or an egg white omelet; large salad

·         Evening Snack – Same

Friday
·         Pre-workout: 1 piece of Ezekiel toast w/ cashew butter

·         Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ one full scoop vanilla protein powder, walnuts, and mixed berries

·         AM Snack: Yogurt and fruit

·         Lunch: Sandwich with grilled chicken, mustard, and lots of veggies

·         PM Snack: TBD – Will depend on what leftovers I have

·         Dinner: BBQ chicken pita pizzas

I can plan the first 2-3 days pretty good, but the rest of the week is subject to whatever is available for leftovers. I always cook extra so my meals are pretty similar throughout the week. Whenever we grill (usually 1-3 nights a week), we always throw on a bunch of stuff to use for lunches and dinners the rest of the week. If I don’t have any leftover protein (chicken, turkey, salmon, etc), I always have canned tuna and eggs on hand as a fall back plan. The cottage cheese w/ Splenda and a little banana at night takes care of my sweet cravings; sounds like a weird combo, but I love it! Since I’m pregnant, I incorporate more dairy than usual, which is another reason why I have cottage cheese in my plan.

It’s week 29 and I’m still trying to keep up training regime. Although, I debated to start scaling back more this month. This pregnancy is wearing me out more than my first. And I have more aches and pains than I did the first time around. Mentally, it has been difficult to scale back from my usual training methods. But it makes me excited for my post-pregnancy training & nutrition plan. Scary that I’m already thinking about it!

Here’s a workout I created for my October program. I did it every other week since stripping sets are pretty intense and should only be done every once in a while (pregnant or not).

HIIT Cardio
I used my elliptical for this and the resistance levels are 1-10.

·         Warm-up – 7 minutes

·         1 min max effort/30 sec recovery – Level 8

·         2 min max effort/30 sec recovery – Level 8

·         3 min max effort/30 sec recover– Level 8

·         Repeat this same interval sequence on Levels 9 and 10

·         Total ~30 minutes

Weight Training
I did this routine using stripping sets, which works like this:

1.       Start each exercise with a warm-up set of 25 reps

2.       Go heavy and do 10-15 reps, no rest

3.       Strip off some weight and immediately do 10-15 more, no rest

4.       Strip off more weight and do a third set of 10-15 reps

5.       If you want to do a fourth set, go for it. But 3 is good.

Here’s the upper body routine I did using the stripping set method:

1.       DB Shoulder Press

2.       DB Chest Flies (you can also do chest press)

3.       DB Lateral Raises

4.       DB Tricep Overhead Press

My arms were hosed after doing this routine. And were still a bit fatigued even a few hours later. With the HIIT cardio and weight training, I got this workout done in about 1 hour and burned 420 calories. Not bad! I like the stripping set method because the warm-up is part of the set. I normally don’t do that extensive of a warm-up. It is also quick because there is no rest in between sets. I’m always on a schedule so this is an efficient, yet effective workout. Maybe it will work for you too. Enjoy!

No doubt about it now… this bulging tummy is clearly not due to big time slacking in my nutrition and exercise habits. People can clearly see it’s a pregnancy tummy. Although my 23 week picture doesn’t show it as well, I’ve got a nice, round bowling ball. I’m now around 134 lbs; pre-pregnancy I was around 124/125 lbs. However, I’m proud to say I’m still wearing my normal jeans. Still feeling really good and able to keep my workouts going. Although, I’m realizing it’s time to take it down a few notches with some things. Sprinting has now been reduced to fast jogging. Box jumps are now fast step-ups. Burpees are now stepping back one leg at a time into a push-up position. The higher intensity versions were just putting too much pressure in my pelvic region and the muscles in my pelvic area would be so sore for 1-2 days. Just wasn’t worth it. Surprisingly, the baby and the placenta are developing perfectly. It’s just my body that can’t take it. What I’ve really learned with this pregnancy is that once you’ve trained yourself to use your muscles properly and to engage your core in any form of exercise you do, you really can’t untrain yourself doing those things. As a result, the muscles in my abdominal area, pelvic region, and inner thighs are causing me a bit of grief.

This kid, a girl BTW, is as active as her mom. If I’m not moving, she is. Like I say, training starts in the womb.

Here is a full-body circuit I came up with a couple weeks ago and it kicks my pregnant butt. It was more challenging than I expected, so would even be a good one for the non-pregnant. I burned ~450 calories and didn’t even step on a piece of cardio equipment. I was able to maintain a HR between 120-150 the entire time. The 70 minutes also flew by.

Warm-up w/ body weight exercises and jumping rope – 10 minutes

The Circuit – Repeat 3x

1.       Fast step-ups onto a step bench (w/ 6 risers) – 2 minutes

2.       Lateral hops over a step bench (w/ 6 risers) – 2 minutes

3.       T-lunge with DB row x15/leg

4.       Close-grip chest press/fly combo on stability ball x10-15 reps

5.       DB tricep overhead press x12-15 reps

6.       Alternating curtsy squat with a squat in the middle x10/side

7.       Bicep curls (front, side, hammer) x6 sets (18 reps total)

8.       Burpee push-ups x12

I’m nearly halfway and still most people don’t know I’m pregnant unless I tell them. But I sure feel like it and my pictures show it for sure. I weighed myself the other day and I’ve gained about 6-7 pounds so far. I gained 22 lbs with my first, so I hope I end up around the same with this one. I’m now reaching the point where I’ll need to start breaking out the maternity pants… at least the early stage ones with a wide-stretching waistband. Since low-rise pants/jeans have been the fashion over the past few years, I’ve been able to make my regular pants last longer since they ride below my baby bump. As for gym attire, I’ve given up on tank-style tops as they don’t cover my belly and just ride up (very uncomfortable). And since I don’t complete a workout without being drench with sweat, baggy cotton t-shirts are not my thing either. I just go with sports bra style tops and let my protruding mid-riff show. In the gym, it is more obvious that I’m pregnant and I often get double-takes (mostly from guys) because people can’t believe this pregnant girl is doing bench press, BB deadlifts, squats, sprints on the treadmill, etc. I’m like ‘hey, I’m not disabled… just pregnant!’ It will be even more amusing when I’m closer to 7 months and still doing steps-ups w/ DBs.

Speaking of training… it is time for more modifications. I’ve transitioned to doing push-ups on my knees for the most part. It is also probably time to either maintain or lower the amount of weight I use for most exercises and work within a 12-15 rep range. When I use heavier weights and work in an 8-10 rep range, I engage too much core. Which contradicts with what I should be doing… relaxing my core so this kid doesn’t have to fight for space with hard abdominal muscles. Other than kneeling push-ups and lighter weights, I’m still following my usual routine while watching my intensity and not doing things that just don’t feel right.

I don’t have any new, good routines to share this time, except for some cardio intervals. Since I can’t push my HR into the 85%+ zone, I’m doing longer bouts of cardio. Here’s a couple I’ve come up with:

Treadmill – Jogging/Incline Walking
·         Warm-up with walking, light jogging, or a combination of both – 5-7 minutes

·         Incline walking @ 4 mph w/ the grade set to the max level or close to it – 5 minutes

·         Jogging @ 6 mph w/ a flat or low grade – 5 minutes

·         Repeat the incline walking/jogging interval 3 or 4 times for a total workout time of 35-45 minutes (including warm-up)

·         Cool-down

·         Note: You’ll find the incline walking more challenging and increases your HR more than the jogging. At least, that’s the case for me.

Elliptical – Pyramid
(Note: I used a resistance scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult. Since resistance levels vary by machine, just use the 1-10 scale as a guide.)

·         Warm-up at a moderate pace/resistance – 5 minutes

·         Max effort on L7 – 1 minutes

·         Active recovery – 30 seconds

·         Max effort on L8 – 2 minutes

·         Active recovery – 30 seconds

·         Max effort on L9 – 3 minutes

·         Active recovery – 30 seconds or 1 minute if needed

·         Max effort on L9 – 4 minutes

·         Active recovery – 1 minute

·         Go back down the pyramid starting with max effort for 4 minutes

·         Cool-down

Be sure to have your music player of choice loaded with high energy tunes and a well-charged battery. I personally have been enjoying Disturbed, Seether, and Buckcherry during my cardio sessions lately. Enjoy!