Crossfitting for Two

Blood Results

2012-02-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

I posted last week about gestational diabetes and the oral glucose tolerance test. Here's the update:

My doctor was great about offering an alternative test, so I didn't have to consider a Plan B. Rather than drink the sugar poison, I took a fasting glucose test and HbA1c. All I had to do was have my blood drawn in the morning prior to eating breakfast. What did I eat in preparation??

Mmmmmmm, ribs :)

Here's how my non-medical brain understands these tests --

The HbA1c basically gives a measure of your blood glucose average over the last 3 months. How? Glucose sticks to hemoglobin in red blood cells, creating HbA1c molecules, so the more glucose in the blood stream, the more HbA1c. The test shows a 3 month average because red blood cells live about 3 months (I also read 8-12 weeks). An HbA1c of less than 5.7% is considered normal, 5.7-6.4% is considered pre-diabetic, and greater than 6.5% is diabetic.
The fasting glucose test just measures the amount of glucose in the blood after a period of not eating. 70-99 mg/dL is considered normal, 100-125 mg/dL is considered pre-diabetic, and greater than 125 mg/dL is diabetic.

My results (drum roll) -- HbA1c was 4.7%, which the nurse described as "on the low end of normal," and my fasting glucose was 80 mg/dL, "right in the middle of the normal range." So, good results, and I was told to "keep doing what I'm doing." Like this? Somehow, I don't think they would approve of me putting 105# over my head or eating bacon for breakfast every morning.

More importantly (and something you get asked about 100 times a day when you're pregnant), I'm still feeling great. Bigger, but great. Other than occasionally feeling like something is trying to crawl or pound its way out of my stomach (so weird!), I just feel normal ... but with a big belly.

Big day for the countdown -- double digits :)
99 days left!

Lindsay > Bobby

2012-02-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

Time for the 25 week weigh in results:

Uh oh, Bobby, you lost 2 pounds since the last weigh in 5 weeks ago. What happened?

Bobby: It was a fluke. I was sick that week and woke up vomiting several times the night before. I would estimate I lost about 15 pounds before the weigh in. It will make my win more dramatic.

Sounds like morning sickness. Did you, in fact, get pregnant yourself?

Bobby: I can neither confirm nor deny at this time.

Although Bobby sucks at putting on body weight, he has been putting up some very impressive weight at CrossFit 515 lately: 500# Deadlift, 415# Backsquat, 300# Front Squat, 275# Bench Press, 255# Clean & Jerk, 185# Snatch. Something (-------->) is obviously working. So Bobby, how nervous are you about testing positive during this year's Games season?

Bobby: The only thing I'm worried about testing positive for is too much awesomeness.

Pretty cocky for someone that lost to a pregnant chick in a workout just last week.

Bobby: No comment.

3 rounds

10 deadlifts (Bobby 315#, Lindsay 135#)
Double unders (Bobby 50, Lindsay 30)

Bobby 3:02
Lindsay 2:37

Less than 15 weeks to go. Better step it up, bro.

Enough about Bobby. How is this extra 20 pounds affecting my workouts? Body weight movements, especially pull ups, have gotten a lot harder lately, and my workouts are just a lot slower all around. The longer, light weight, grunt through it type workouts were my strength pre-pregnancy, so it's a little frustrating that those are the workouts I struggle with the most now. But, 25 weeks in and I'm still feeling great and doing most everything rx'd. Hopefully that will continue for at least 6 more weeks through the Open.

102 days left!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUSTIN!!!

Paleo and Gestational Diabetes

2012-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

Pretty much every pregnant woman in the U.S. is tested for gestational diabetes between 24-28 weeks. I was curious about what this would entail, so I did some research. Standard practice (including at my OB's office) is to take a glucose test at the 28 week appointment. The glucose test consists of drinking an artificially colored, artificially flavored drink containing 50g of raw glucose. You aren't supposed to eat within 2 hours of drinking it and are told to finish the drink within 5 minutes. An hour after having the drink, your blood sugar is tested. A blood glucose level of 140mg/dL is "failing," and you would then be told to take the 3 hour oral glucose tolerance test.

Women are often told to eat a high carb diet (150-200g) for at least 3 days prior to the 3 hour test. For the 3 hour test, you are given a drink with 100g of raw glucose. Blood sugar is tested prior to consuming the drink (fasting blood sugar as you not to eat within 12 hours of the test) and every hour for 3 hours after taking the test. If you fail the 3 hour test, you are considered to have gestational diabetes.

Treatment? Most pregnant women with gestational diabetes are able to keep their blood sugar levels in check with a low carb diet and moderate exercise. Sigh, facepalm.

So, we're going to pump me (and the baby) full of sugar to see how my body responds to something I never consume; if my body sucks at processing 50g, we'll see how I do with 100g; and if I fail that test, I'll be told to avoid carbs and sugar and go for walks. Sounds like modern medicine at its finest.

I probably would have just assumed "well, I'm healthy and eat right, so I'll just suck it up and pass the 1 hour test no problem." But I started reading several accounts of paleo-eating, crossfitting moms-to-be failing the glucose tests and being told they have gestational diabetes. Why? Robb Wolf says:

Great, now let’s go to Bizzaro world (ours) and see how a lack of evolutionary understanding on the part of our medical professionals can derail an otherwise good situation. In the example above “paleo mom” has been eating great and if we ran an A1c (a measure of blood glucose over time, much more valuable than the OGTT or blood glucose measure) we’d likely find she has low, BUT HEALTHY blood glucose levels. She is fat adapted, not insulin resistant and can thus run many of her tissues on fat. That folks, is good. But what happens when she is given a bolus of raw sugar, much larger than anything she, or her developing fetus have ever seen? Well, she has trouble clearing all that sugar. This may give people a headache, but some of this mom’s tissues are “insulin resistant” but healthy because they run on fat.

http://www.robbwolf.com/2010/09/06/gestational-diabetes-what-constitutes-low-blood-sugar/

So rather than suck it up, I decided to talk to my doctor about it at my 24 week appointment this week. I was expecting to be told the test is mandatory and maybe be lectured on how I need to be eating whole grains. I was very pleasantly surprised by my doctor's response. She basically agreed that consuming the glucose drink would make me feel like crap, and (based on my diet and lack of other risk factors) she's comfortable with me not taking the glucose test. She has to run it by the other (5) doctors in the practice, but she sounded confident that they could offer an alternative, such as testing my blood sugar a couple hours after a normal meal. Whew!

[Update: I'll be going in Monday (2/13) morning for a fasting glucose test and HbA1c.]

Considering the typical pregnant American's diet and that as many as 10% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, I can see why this method of testing makes some sense. However, in my common sense view, it is extremely stupid when applied to someone that eats paleo. I found this analogy funny:

"Miss, could you step up here," asked the seemingly nice and caring doc. "I want to test you. It's for your baby."

"Test me for what," asked the girl rather innocently.

"Dear, that's really not for you to understand. ...I want to ensure that you're sensitive and fully responsive to bee sting anti-venom."

"...Sensitive...? ...Anti...??? ...But I stay away from bees; I had my experiences when I was a silly girl; and now I keep away...no matter the honey."

"Didn't you read the literature? We told you to get 4-5 bee stings per day," the doc admonished; showing signs of impatience.

"But bee stings hurt! And worse, they make me feel bad for days. They itch; they hurt. It seemed the right thing to do to just avoid them."

"WELL HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE THEM, THEN!?"

And with that, the doc ushered her into the enclosure to get not the 4-5 stings she's recommended to get in a day, but 4-5 in the space of a few minutes, just to see how sensitive she'd be to the anti-venom; in the space of an hour.

"You didn't do too well," said the doc, conclusively. "I'm afraid we're going to have to re-run the test."

"Re-run the test!!!? ...You mean 4-5 more stings," asked the girl, pleading 'no!' by implication.

"Oh, no," replied the doc. "See, we're wondering if this was just a fluke, so here's what we're gonna do: over the next week, I want you to get stung 1-2 times per day, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 and so on...for a week. Got it; understood!?"

"Oh no!"

"Yes, and then we'll see if you can handle 10 bee stings in a hour!" (he tried, but could couldn't resist letting off a tinge of excitement, at this point).

"And if I fail?" she whimpered.

"Oh, missy; you do not want to fail."

http://freetheanimal.com/2010/11/gestational-diabetes-and-paleo-you-horny-women-you.html

Some other helpful links on the issue:

http://www.robbwolf.com/2008/06/25/gestational-diabetes/
http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/1835/44-dr-mary-vernon-on-gestational-diabetes-its-causes-prevention-treatments

107 days to go!

Baby Weight Throwdown WOD

2012-02-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Last week, Bobby apparently wanted to empathize with me and challenged me to a workout:

30 second handstand hold
100 double unders
20 wallballs (Bobby 25 / Lindsay 14)
75 double unders
15 wallballs
50 double unders
10 wallballs
25 double unders
5 wallballs
20 (Bobby GHD sit ups / Lindsay toes to bar)

Bobby -- 30 lb vest, 8:50
Lindsay -- 23 weeks pregnant, 11:06

Things were looking pretty good for me until about 1 minute into the workout. Maybe if the handstand hold had to be unbroken I would have had a shot. Bet it felt pretty good to take that weight vest off, huh, Bobby?

There have been a lot of tough workouts that last couple weeks, but I'm still doing most of them rx'd. Some movements that have come up lately -- like strict pull-ups, chest to bar pull-ups, rope climbs, and (kipping) handstand push ups -- are much harder, but I can still do them.

Other Recent Workouts:
3 rounds of Jackie -- 34:45 (regular Jackie PR - 7:38 on 7/26/11)
7 rounds, 7 front squats at 115#, 7 C2B pull ups -- 15:55
Back Squat (50-40-30-20-10 @ 55#) and rope climb (5-4-3-2-1) wod -- 18:43

Our precious dog, Bandit

Desforges -- 37:24

24 weeks, Baby Facts:

- The baby can hear, taste, and perceive light and dark. Good to know he/she is already getting used to our barky dog acting like a psychopath.
- Baby weighs over a pound now and will gain about 6 ounces each week (that's almost an ounce per day -- crazy!).
- 24 weeks is usually used as the point of viability. If Baby were born right now, he/she would have about a 40% chance of survival. Over the next 2 weeks, the chance of survival increases by 2-3% each day. Hoping he/she stays put for at least the next 14 weeks though!

113 days to go!

23 weeks ... PR, Baby!

2012-01-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

My morning went something like this:

23 weeks

9:00-11:00 a.m. - I switched offices at work from the 4th floor to the 1st floor. Several 40-50+ year old women, most of them quite out of shape, offered to help with the oh-so strenuous task of moving some books, notepads, and stacks of paper onto a cart, wheeling the cart onto the elevator and to my new office, and removing those items from the cart. I assured them that, although I know I look extremely fragile, I could handle it on my own, to which I was told "your back will hurt enough during pregnancy, you don't need to be lifting and moving a bunch of heavy things," and "you really shouldn't be bending down and picking things up." Shockingly, I was able manage the move on my own, and just to prove how badass I am, at one point I even picked up 4 books off the shelf AT THE SAME TIME.

12:00 p.m. - Noon class at CrossFit 515. Max Clean & Jerk - 140# (PR by 5#). I had cleaned 145# (on 8/28/11 and 10/30/11) and jerked 145# (on 9/19/11), but my max C&J had been 135# since June 27, 2011. My plan was to stop at 135#, but that felt fairly easy, so I had to go for the PR. I failed on the jerk on my first attempt at 140#, but my second attempt went up without much struggle. I did resist the urge to go for 145#.

Then, 3 minute amrap of 65# clean & jerks -- 44 reps

A couple side notes:

First, there are only a few lifts that I personally feel comfortable still working up to a max, including power cleans, power snatches, anything shoulders to overhead (i.e. jerks), and bench. Maxing out on deadlift is too much straining (I almost always get light-headed anyway on max deadlift ... and I figure lack of oxygen to me probably = lack to oxygen to baby), and squatting makes me nervous because your ligaments become looser during pregnancy (as in nervous I will injure myself, not that it would hurt the baby). I'm much more careful and conscious of my form now, but I'm sure I'll get to the point fairly soon where my belly is so big that it's impossible to have descent clean or snatch form, at which point I would not go for a max.

Second, offering to help a pregnant lady - with pretty much anything - is usually the right thing to do. I realize it was very nice of these women to offer to help me move my "heavy" things. And, although it's annoying, I get a lot of amusement out of the comments about what I should and shouldn't be doing when it comes to working out and lifting. This is why I do not share the details of my workouts with non-crossfitters.

Max Clean & Jerk history:
9/2/10 - 95#
10/15/10 - 110#
2/13/11 - 120#
6/17/11 - 135#
12/2/11 (15 weeks pregnant) - 135#
1/30/12 (23 weeks pregnant) - 140#

117 days to go!

Guest Blog Post -- Justin

2012-01-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

This week's post comes to you from Justin. Thanks, Justin! You so fancy.

Previously, the most exciting day of my life occurred on June 4^th, 2011. That was when my wife, Lindsay, was silly enough to marry me. That day was soon to be replaced by October 20^th, when we heard our child’s heartbeat for the first time. Once again, my life was changed forever. Within the past year and half, my wife and I moved across the country, switched jobs, built a house, and got married. And now, we will be forged into parenthood in 4 short months. Life moves pretty fast!

In the middle of all that, we found CrossFit, thanks to Bobby and Jaime. Nutrition, health, and exercise soon expanded from a hobby to a fueled passion. Our entire ideology of fitness and training was flipped upside down, and we haven’t stopped working on improving since day one. Like others, I truly believe CrossFit has made me a better person, inside and out. The outside is a no brainer. Since I started, I have become leaner, stronger, and increasingly more mobile. Outer appearance and improvement is easy to see and since everything is tracked in CrossFit, easy to prove. These improvements are a shining benefit of CrossFit. I strongly believe CrossFit is the most time efficient, healthy, logical, and FUN way to achieve these results.

What is interesting to me are the internal improvements that result from CrossFit and, ultimately, what they stand for. It takes a special breed to be good at CrossFit out of the gate. Even our own superhuman Bobby said he had struggles when he first started. Different movements, new ideas of “intensity,” and lack of typical gym equipment certainly makes the initial experiences with CrossFit somewhat awkward. Combining that initial awkwardness with the Fran like feeling a WOD elicits and preconceived opinions of your own level of fitness is a recipe for a big slice of humble pie. In short, it’s uncomfortable. This is where the fork in the road lies and people have a decision to make. Do I risk failure, being uncomfortable, and not worrying about what others think? Or do I stay somewhere else that is comfortable, predictable, and only moderately beneficial? I don’t think there is anything wrong with either option. The comfort zone is comfortable! There is little risk of failure, and it allows you to feel good about your workout by doing something that you excel in or are used to. I get it. Nobody likes to fail. But this comfort bubble that is created also restricts your growth as an athlete and person.

The people that decide to stick with CrossFit have immediately joined a family that has decided to expand their comfort bubble. Different people with different backgrounds, age, and experience get together and attempt to reach their goals through good old fashioned hard work. This family that has been established is just as motivated in helping each other as they are with improving themselves. This is evident in the constant support athletes provide others within the gym, whether it be cheering them on as they finish a workout or putting in some overtime and working on technique. It’s really an amazing thing to witness and be a part of.

All boiled down, the values of CrossFit are amazing lessons that I will strive diligently to provide to my little one.

Effort and Hard Work – Fast times and big weights are impressive, no doubt. But behind PRs and max lifts is the effort it takes to get there. I am much more concerned that people try their best and lay it all on the line day in and day out. Extremely uncomfortable, yes. Extremely beneficial, yes. If you give minimal effort in your workout you will get minimal results. The same is true outside of the gym.

Integrity – There are no shortcuts in CrossFit. If you find one, you are doing it wrong. Standards are in place for a couple reasons. One, to get the full physical benefit of the movement itself. And two, to be able to compare apples to apples and compare your current self to your past self and others. By and large, CrossFit attracts those who would rather do an extra rep than risk themselves or others questioning later whether their workout was legitimate.

Fitness and Health - The CrossFit community is first and foremost focused on making people fitter and healthier, things that I believe are greatly undervalued in our society today. CrossFit will undoubtedly be a part of our baby's life from day one, and we can only hope the importance of fitness and health will become ingrained at a very early age.

In short, I am thankful we will have an entire community of amazing people at CrossFit 515 setting the right example for our little guy or girl!

-Justin

122 days to go!

Yes, I can still walk

2012-01-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

If you don't do CrossFit, I will probably try and avoid talking to you about the specifics of my workout routine while pregnant. Even a simple "yes" answer to the question of whether I'm still working out has gotten me sideways glances and concerned comments a few times. My favorite conversation on the topic went something like this:

Non-crossfitter: You look great! You probably haven't put on any weight yet.
Me: I've gained about 15 pounds, but thanks!
Non-crossfitter: Have you still been working out?
Me: Yep.
Non-crossfitter: Really? Well, I suppose you can still walk. Probably not run or lift weights or anything.
Me: Yes, I can walk, but I still run and lift weights. I just can't go as hard as I did before.
Non-crossfitter: Oh [look of concern]. Well, you still haven't put on any weight, so when you do your balance will be off and you won't be able to do those things or you might fall.
Me: Yea, we'll see.

First of all, I don't know why people who aren't doctors and have never worked out, pregnant or not, feel the need to give me advice on this. Second, I don't think my balance is going to be so off that I'll just start falling while working out (I'm sure Bobby would enjoy that though). And third, I do not consider walking (on my feet) exercise. Unless a pregnant woman is on bedrest, why in the world would she not be able to walk?! Walking is, of course, something we should all do. A lot. Everyday. But it's not exercise. Yet, most pregnancy information out there says something like "exercise is important during pregnancy." Good start. "Try walking 30 minutes!" Sigh.

Walking that is exercise:

[It is ok to be upside down while pregnant. From yoga websites and crossfitmom.com, the only reason I can find to avoid handstands is the risk of falling. I actually feel more balanced on my hands now, but I'll stop doing them if I feel like I'm at risk of uncontrollably crashing to the ground.]

I understand the need for the medical community to be conserative in their recommendations to pregnant women, but I do hope more research comes out about the benefits of doing crossfit while pregnant. I have no problem being my own personal case study on the topic. There may be no correlation, but so far, I know this: Justin and I both do CrossFit and eat paleo, and it was stupid easy for this whole baby thing to happen (no gross details, but as Justin says, he's batting 1,000). I've continued to do CrossFit and eat (mostly) paleo throughout my pregnancy, and so far I've had a very easy pregnancy. Maybe we're just lucky, in which case, I hope the luck doesn't run out come labor and delivery time.

Workouts at 21 weeks:
Tabata This: 37, subbed toes to bar for sit ups (row 5, squat 14, pull-ups 6, push-ups 6, TTB 6). PR 48
Wallballs & TTB: 5 rounds, 12 wallballs (14#), 12 TTB - 7:13
Split Snatch: 100# (power snatch PR 95#, squat snatch PR 110#)
Elizabeth: 15:45 (PR 8:40 on Aug 3, 2011)

127 days left!

It's a ...

2012-01-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

Fist Bump

BABY! (Whew!) We had our 20 week ultrasound this week, and all looks good with Baby V. Pretty crazy being able to watch the baby doing his/her thing in there. The baby must have known we were going to be doing filthy fifty in a couple hours, because he/she was resting up and didn't want to move around for us. We stuck with the plan and didn't find out the sex, but I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's boy/girl predictions over the next 4 months. (Bring on the yellow ducky onesies!)

Other milestones:

The baby is about 7-8 inches long and weighs about 11 ounces now, which is pretty insane considering just a month ago it weighed less than one-third of that, about 3.5 ounces.
I can feel the baby move. It's often described as "flutters" at this stage, but only once have I felt something I would describe as a "flutter." It usually feels like my stomach is jumping a little, like when you're on a roller-coaster. And sometimes it's just a quick tap.
I busted my first zipper on my pants yesterday. I guess that's what I get for not buying any maternity clothes yet.
Foot

Workouts at 20 weeks:

Kelly - 37:51. (PR 24:50 on 2/18/11)
10 Rounds of 15 dealifts (95#), 15 push ups - 17:08. (previous time 19:33 on 10/11/10)
Death by Pull ups - 16 rounds + 15 reps (previous scores: 13 rds +7 on 9/13/10; 17 rds + 12 on 3/10/11; 18 rds + 7 on 8/15/11)
Cindy - 14 rounds + 10 reps (PR 15 rds + 11 reps on 2/21/11)
Filthy Fifty - 28:41 (PR 19:08 on 6/29/11)

creepy 3D pic

Now, let's see that baby again:

Weight Gain Challenge: 20 Week Weigh-In

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

20 Weeks - halfway there! Bobby and I stepped on the scale over the weekend to check our weight gain progress:

Lindsay

Starting/pre-pregnancy weight: 125 lbs.

Current weight: 140.2 lbs.
Current weight gain: 15.2 lbs

Target weight gain: 25-35 lbs.

Ideal rate of gain: 1 lb per week

Goal weight: 150-160 lbs.

Bobby

Starting weight: 175 lbs.

Current weight: 187.9 lbs.
Current weight gain: 12.9 lbs

Target weight gain: 20 lbs.

Ideal rate of gain: 1-2 lbs per 2 weeks

Goal weight: 195 lbs.

Current Leader: Lindsay

How has the added weight affected your workout performance?

Bobby: "I have really only felt stronger and faster. I thought I would feel heavier and slower, but that is clearly not the case after PR'ing on Kelly by 47 seconds on Saturday." Kelly time: 15:57.

Lindsay: "I feel heavier and slower. The weight I'm putting on is not muscle, so nothing about working out is easier. Bodyweight exercises are a lot harder. I can also use Kelly as an example: PR from Feb 18, 2011 was 24:50; rx'd time on Jan 6, 2012 was 37:51."

How has your diet changed?

Bobby: "I've increased my healthy fat intake as well as protein." (Translation: Bobby eats a shit-ton of almond butter and Power PB)

Lindsay: "I used to drink about 5 cups of coffee a day. Now I maybe have one cup per week, and I drink orange juice in the morning instead. I also used to have a glass (or two) of wine several nights per week. Now I just smell Justin's wine. Other than beverage consumption, the types of foods I eat hasn't really changed, athough I eat more frequently."

With about 20 weeks left, it looks like I'm going to blow right by the lower range of my target weight gain (25 lbs). Which means: Bobby doesn't stand a chance. Although he's happy with his weigh-in results, Bobby knows extreme measures need to be taken if he wants to win: "I'm still debating getting pregnant myself. Seems a little drastic, but if that's what needs to be done, it needs to be done. I hate losing."

138 days to go

19 weeks - Fran

2012-01-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

I plan on taking Fran on a few times while I'm pregnant. What better way to ring in the new year and (almost) halfway point in my pregnancy?

Monday January 2, 2012, 19 weeks pregnant. Time: 5:07. Lots more rest time and coming off the pull up bar than usual with Fran. 1:33 slower than my PR ... still, very painful!

Fran History:

July 20, 2010: 8:54

Nov. 13, 2010 (Level 1 cert): 6:31

Jan. 29, 2011: 4:15

June 14, 2011: 4:07

July 23, 2011: 3:35

Sept. 23, 2011 [5 weeks pregnant]: 3:34

Jan. 2, 2012 [19 weeks pregnant]: 5:07

In a couple months, someone may need to remind (aka force) me to take her on again.

Next time: Bobby vs. Lindsay weight gain check-in. Spoiler alert - it's not looking good for B. Noyce.

143 days to go!

Scaling

2011-12-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

18 weeks

18 weeks along, and the scaling has begun. I don't have much of a belly yet, but I've gained about 10 lbs and learned my body was definitely not meant to weigh 135#. Bodyweight movements basically feel like I'm doing them with a 10# vest ... and I did not need ring dips to get any harder than they already were! Obviously, this is only the beginning, so I'm just hoping this makes me a bodyweight ninja after this baby comes out.

I'm still doing workouts rx'd when I can. And other than opting out of max lifting days the last couple weeks, I've still been doing rx'd weight for barbell movements in wods (except for 95# hang power snatches yesterday, but that was due to ability not pregnancy). Some movements I've started to scale:

GHD sit-ups. The last time I did these was during the Chicago Life as Rx'd competition when I was 6 weeks. I did ab-mat sit-ups for awhile, and I maybe still could (you're not supposed to lay on your back once your belly gets big), but I've been subbing toes-to-bar. I foresee being VERY sore after my first post-pregnancy GHD sit-up wod!
1.5 pood Kettlebell Swings. One of the first wods I scaled was Eva on 12/5/2011. I did 35# KB swings rather than 53# (and got 47:51, more than 5 1/2 minutes slower than my rx'd time in February.) I would probably still be ok with doing heavy kettlebell swings, but 150 of them seemed like it would be excessive strain on my back.
Muscle Ups. I can still get one or two, but struggling through 10 minutes of failed attempts when wods with MUs came up the last couple weeks, I realized this needs to be a scaled movement in wods for me now (3 dips + 3 pull ups = 1 MU). But, I'm still alive in my week-by-week pregnant muscle up captured on video :)
Box Jumps. Well, I haven't exactly scaled these, but I can't do tap-and-go box jumps anymore. So I've been doing Games style box jumps. That way I can still tap-and-go off the bottom, but I get an extra second of rest each rep on the top. I'm sure I'll be scaling to step-ups soon.
Burpees. I still do burpees, but it's a much more controlled movement than when I used to just flop to the ground.

Intensity is still the main thing that I've scaled back, especially on longer workouts. I still push myself, but not to the point of collapsing to the floor after the workout. During pregnancy, the entire circulatory system expands: blood pressure decreases, but blood volume increases by up to 40%, the heart pumps more blood per beat, and heartrate increases. (My heart pounding is very noticable, and annoying, especially when I'm laying down.) Between this an all my organs getting smooshed together (by 18 weeks, the uterus has grown from the size of a fist to the size of a melon), I get out of breath super fast!

I'm still hopeful I'll be able to participate in the Open, which starts February 22 and runs for 5 weeks. Let's go CrossFit 515!!!

150 days to go :)

Childbirth as rx'd

2011-12-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

I'll start this post with this disclaimer: this is my first pregnancy, and I have abolsutely zero idea what labor and delivery are actually going to be like. So any mothers out there, feel free to tell me I'm completely off base here.

As a crossfitter and first time mom, the labor and delivery process seems like the ultimate unknown and unknowable. All of the sudden, 3...2...1...GO!, and you just have to be ready for whatever your body is going to go through. Justin and I have been attending natural childbirth classes, and last week we talked about the labor process, particularly about the pain of labor. We started with this quote:

It will hurt.

It will take time.

It will require dedication.

It will require willpower.

You will need to make healthy decisions.

It requires sacrifice.

You will need to push your body to its max.

There will be temptation.

But, I promise you, when you reach your goal, it's worth it.

Naturally, I associated the quote with CrossFit. (In fact, I think I've seen it on another CrossFit gym's website before.) The sick thing about crossfitters is that we actually like to put our bodies through pain and push the limits. Miko Salo did 1,000 burpees for time? Shit, I can do that. I'll do 1,001. (And I did. It took 76:59). So while talking about the pain of childbirth, I'm sure my reaction was not the typical freaked out, first time mother reaction. I actually got excited for the process. It was like being told "there's this super crazy hard workout. I can't even describe it, it hurts so bad. Tons of other women have done it, and you can too, but you have to wait 6 months to try it." Of course I'm going to get excited to go through this! I found myself sitting there almost wishing I didn't have to wait until May to do this WOD. Justin must have had a similar thought because the first thing he asked after class was "so are you just going to treat this like a crazy CrossFit workout?"

A lot of people think the whole natural childbirth thing is silly, but here's how I look at it: (1) there's a good reason for the pain, (2) I'm way more freaked out about the risks to the baby of unneeded medical intervention than I am about it hurting, and (3) I want to experience what it actually feels like, pain and all. In CrossFit terms, med-free labor and delivery = rx'd childbirth, and I'm planning on doing it rx'd. But labor is going to be like doing a workout with an undetermined number of rounds. If you told me to do 5 pull ups every minute for an unknown number of minutes, I could do it rx'd for a pretty long time, and I would continue to do it rx'd until my arms were about to fall off and I was finishing the 5th pull up at 59 1/2 seconds, but eventually I wouldn't be able to do it rx'd anymore, and in order to keep doing pull ups I would have to scale and use a band. If I've been in labor for days and completely miserable, you will probably be able to talk me into drugs. As long as the end result is a healthy baby, I'll be happy.

Hmm ... I think I just wrote my birth plan.

166 days to go!

Lindsay vs. Bobby Weight Gain Challenge

2011-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

From the B. Noyce archives

Pre-pregnancy ... yes, that's Hef

Lindsay

Starting/pre-pregnancy weight: 125 lbs.

Current weight: 130 lbs.

Target weight gain: 25-35 lbs.

Ideal rate of gain: 1 lb per week

Goal weight: 150-160 lbs.

Bobby

Starting weight: 175 lbs.

Current weight: 182 lbs.

Target weight gain: 20 lbs.

Ideal rate of gain: 1-2 lbs per 2 weeks

Goal weight: 195 lbs.

Weight Gain Composition:

Here's an average breakdown of where the weight is going if I gain 30 pounds while pregnant:

Baby: 7.5 pounds

Placenta: 1.5 pounds

Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds

Uterine enlargement: 2 pounds

Maternal breast tissue: 2 pounds

Maternal blood volume: 4 pounds

Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 pounds

Maternal fat stores: 7 pounds

What kind of weight does Bobby want to gain? 100% muscle. Why? "My sister doesn't beat me at anything, and she never will. However, I also want to win the CrossFit Games and in order to do so I'm gonna need to be able to move around more weight. Therefore, I need to get stronger, gain more muscle, get heavier." -Bobby Noyce.

I gained about 4-5 pounds in the first trimester. A lot of women lose weight in the first trimester because of morning sickness, but I haven't had much nausea or morning sickness unless I go more than a few hours without eating ... so I don't go more than a few hours without eating. I've read that I'm supposed to consume 300 more calories each day, but I have no idea how many calories I was eating each day before I got pregnant or how many calories I eat now. I just eat when I'm hungry (before I get hungry, actually), eat healthy / mostly paleo food, and don't stuff myself (that also makes me feel sick). By doing those things and continuing to crossfit during my pregnancy, I figure a healthy weight gain will take care of itself ... and I don't think there is any way Bobby is going to gain as much weight as I am no matter what I do. Pretty much a sure win for me, but good luck, bro.

What's Bobby doing to accomplish his weight gain goals? "Umm, I plan to keep picking up heavy $#it and eating more."

Terms of the challenge? We are open to suggestions.

14 weeks

Who's your money on?

179 days to go

Hello, 2nd Trimester

2011-11-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

I officially hit the second trimester mark! I haven't been quite as tired, and I'm hoping it's smooth sailing for a few months now. Some of my friends have already been asking for belly photos, so even though there's not much to show off at this point, I've started taking weekly pics. (Sorry Mom, I know you hate the bare pregnant belly pics.) I'm excited to actually start looking pregnant and not just look like I had a big meal! Maybe I should take my next photo after Thanksgiving dinner -- I'm sure I'll look pregnant then :)

13 weeks

I've still been doing workouts rx'd and haven't been scaling weights or movements, although I have opted against doing GHD sit-ups and I skipped Michael over the weekend because I thought all the back extensions and sit-ups would be too much on my lower back (and because it was cold and windy and I didn't want to run outside.) My times are a lot slower, especially on longer workouts (which there have been a ton of lately!) and anything with running. WOD recap of the last couple weeks:

11/8/11 - White rx'd 24:22 (felt pretty good and was happy with this one)
11/9/11 - 110# snatch (PR by 5#) :)
Isabel rx'd 6:15 (PR 5:31 on 8/19/11)
11/11/11 - The Couplet rx'd (3 rounds, 30 wallballs 14#, 30 squat snatches 45#)
17:44 (PR 13:48 on 7/22/11)
11/15/11 - Max Thruster 120# (tied PR)
11/16/11 - 3 rds, 800m run, rest 2 min -13:28 (previous 12:40 on 7/27/11)
11/21/11 - Nutts rx'd - 29:06 (PR 25:59 on 1/10/11)
11/22/11 - Fat Fran (15-12-9 thrusters 95#, weighted pull ups 30# vest) - 11:01 -- this was a nice preview of how hard pull ups will be 30 pounds from now!

11/17/11 - Beyond the Whiteboard 2 min challenge shoulders to overhead 75# - 45 reps

I'm trying to not get frustrated with feeling like I'm doing worse on workouts, and I struggle with knowing how hard I can push myself right now. I hate finishing a workout and feeling like I could have pushed a little harder or gone a little faster. I know now is not the time to push my limits, but I also sometimes worry that I'm going to get so used to backing off and forget what it's like to push myself through the pain. Of course my biggest priority is making sure I'm doing everything I can to have a healthy baby, but I'm also trying to do what I can over the next 6 months to set myself up to be faster and stronger post-pregnancy than I was pre-pregnancy. And if 5 months from now, all my workouts feel like pull ups did today with a 30# vest, I think I will definitely have the "stronger" part covered!

Happy Thanksgiving!

186 days left

Paleo Pregnancy ... kinda

2011-11-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Like a good little crossfitter, my diet for the last year or so has primarily been zone and/or paleo. I followed the zone diet very strictly for a couple months, but I found that things like weighing my lunch meat, counting almonds, and mathematically planning every meal seemed a little too obsessive for me. So I shifted my focus to paleo but would still try and get all three macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) in each meal, without worrying much about the proportions. With paleo, I saw a ton of improvement in my workouts and overall energy levels. What I've found about the paleo diet is that by cutting grains and processed foods out of my diet, I hardly ever crave those foods ... until this whole pregnancy thing.

YUM!

I'm still mostly eating a paleo diet (thanks in large part to my wonderful mother who makes her spoiled children and my husband dinner many nights of the week). And I haven't had too many weird cravings or food aversions, although sometimes the thought of eating meat, especially bacon, makes me want to gag - and I LOVE bacon! - and garlic bread has sounded amazing for about the last month! (I haven't had any...yet.) Being pregnant hasn't changed my will power to eat healthy, but I'm not used to having to tap into that will power ALL the time. So I have given in and used pregnancy as an excuse to eat like crap a couple times. When we returned from the Heart of America competition, I forced my family to order pizza and cheese bread ... it was almost like garlic bread :) And when my sister and her boyfriend invited us to a food and wine expo last weekend, I got my $20 worth of chips and dip, bread, and popcorn while everyone else got to partake in the fun stuff.

I've been pretty lucky with the pregnancy symptoms and haven't experienced much morning sickness at all (I'm 12 1/2 weeks, so hopefully almost in the clear on that one!) But if I get too hungry, I start to feel queasy so throughout the day I don't go more than a few hours without eating something. Pregnancy also hasn't changed the fact that I feel SO much better when I eat paleo, even though my brain is often telling me I want something else.

I think it's unfortunate that many women use pregnancy as an excuse to indulge and eat whatever they want. I recently read Jenny McCarthy's book Belly Laughs (a gift from a friend - I didn't buy it), and got pretty upset about her advice on the subject ... basically, this is the only time in your life you get to not care what you look like and gain weight, so go all out. I understand the urge, maybe even the need, to have some cheat meals during pregnancy. But sorry, Jenny, eating for two should mean putting the baby's nutritional needs above your own desire to stuff your face with fast food and brownies every night because you're going to get "fat" anyway. As I see it, this is the time I need to be more concerned than ever about eating a healthy diet and getting all of the nutrients that I, and especially the baby, need. (Remind me this when Thanksgiving rolls around next week ...)

192 days left :)

Heart of America 3 recap (11 weeks pregnant)

2011-11-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I competed with team CrossFit 515 at HOA3 in Springfield, Missouri. The event was huge (28 rx teams and 30 scaled teams), and I was extrememly impressed with how the competition was run. The competition consisted of 8 wods - 2 on Friday, 5 on Saturday, and 1 on Sunday. We finished in 4th place overall in the rx division. Everyone on the team did outstanding and should be happy with and proud of their performances ... of course, we were all going into the weekend with a goal of 1st place, so there was some disappointment as well.

CrossFit 515
Lindsay, Bobby, Ross, Lance, Jaime, Tara

The weekend started off with 2 events within a 13 minute time cap: wod 1 was a 1600m run (score = average time of the 6 team members), followed immediately by wod 2, a max snatch completed within the 13 minute cap (score = combined weight of the 6 snatches). Running seems to be getting harder and harder, and I was not happy with my 6:27 mile time. (But with an average mile time of 5:55, we easily won that event (average time of the 2nd place team in wod 1 was 6:13), so I couldn't get too upset ... Besides, I think the 6 hour car ride is more to blame than Baby.) By the time I entered the building from the run and joined my team, I had about 6 minutes remaining to get a max snatch. I snatched 105#, tying my PR, and nearly hit 110#. I think a pregnant snatch PR is in order very soon! We ended the day in 3rd place overall.

Thanks to VibrantEyePhoto for
taking these awesome pictures
of the event!!

Saturday, the wods / portions of wods I participated in were:

WOD 3

Max pistol squats (one-legged squats) in 2 minutes

Score - 54

WOD 4 (with Ross)

8 minute amrap

8 thrusters (115/75)

10 kettlebell sumo deadlift highpull (100/70)

12 box jumps (24"/20")

- one partner working at a time. Ross and I alternated movements the entire time.

Score - 8 rounds + 12 reps

WOD 7 (with Bobby, Ross, Tara)

6 minute amrap

Burpee pull up ladder (round 1 each athlete does 1 rep, round 2 each athlete does 2 reps, round 3 each athlete does 3 reps .....)

Score - 133 reps (more than half way through round 8)

I kept my water bottle close by during all the wods, but these workouts were all short enough to be well within my current comfort zone. I found that team workouts like wod 4 and wod 7, with the forced rest time while my team members are working, are actually pretty perfect for me right now. I focused on going hard and fast when it was my turn to work, but I wasn't worried about pushing it too hard because I never had to perform more than 12 (super fast!) reps without a break.

There was just one final wod on Sunday:

3 Women Perform 2 Rounds, then 3 Men Perform 2 Round of:
30 Bar-Facing Burpees
300m Row
30 Ballslams, (35#/50#)
30 OHS, (90#/125#)
30 CTB Pull Ups
300m Sandbag Run, one 60lb/90lb SB- all 3 athletes must run 300m

Both rounds, I did some of the burpees, ballslams, overhead squats, and chest to bar pull ups. For a 3 person wod with only 1 athlete working at a time, this was brutal! But other than losing balance and dropping the OHS bar after only 4 reps when I was supposed to complete 10 (thankfully Jaime picked up my slack and finish the remaining 16 squats unbroken!), this workout went about as well as it could have gone. I think the most difficult part of the workout for me was (again) the running ... I did not feel good about myself while I was struggling to keep up with Tara who was carrying our 60# sandbag! The girls finished our two rounds in right around 16 minutes then handed it off to the boys. We were one of the few teams to complete the entire workout in the 32 minute time cap, taking 3rd in that event and 4th in the competition overall.

It was a great competition, and I think CrossFit 515 will definitely be back in Springfield next year for HOA4! Thanks for a great weekend, Team!

201 days to go ...

Competing (with an Extra Teammate)

2011-11-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, I'm more than a little sad that I won't be able to compete at regionals in 2012. In 2011, I competed in the team competition for CrossFit 515. We placed 7th, and it was an amazing weekend. With a due date of May 27, 2012, I'm just hoping the North Central regional is on the earlier end of the April 27-May 27 regionals time frame announced on the Games site so I can at least attend and watch Bobby Noyce, Jaime Noyce (my brother and sister) and team 515 dominate! Besides, with a near conflict in 2011 (Justin and my June 4th wedding), I learned that my major life events are not going to prevent my siblings from making a run at the Games. (Yes, there was some serious discussion about changing our wedding date if regionals were that weekend!)

While I can still do most things rx'd, I'm taking advantage and getting my competition fix ...

Lincoln Soldier Challenge

Sept. 18, 2011 (4 weeks)

I found out I was pregnant the day after this competition. I definitely noticed I had less gas in the tank than I expected during "the Gladiator" (equipment carry, 25 thrusters at 95#, 40 bar facing burpees, 50 overhead walking lunges with 25# plate, equipment return), but I don't think I can blame pregnancy - it was just an overall brutal workout!

Team CrossFit 515 - 1st Place
Bart, Lindsay (me), Bobby, Jaime

Life as Rx Chicago Competition at CrossFit Freedom

October 1, 2011 (6 weeks)

1st Place Team - CrossFit 515 (Ross, Lance, Justin, Lauren)
Ross, Bobby (5th place), Lance, Jaime (2nd place), Justin
Lauren, Lindsay (7th place)

My first individual CrossFit competition!
I hadn't been feeling great during my workouts leading up to this, but I actually felt really good during the competition. Although, 4 workouts in one day with lots of sitting and standing around was exhausting!

After 3 wods, the top 10 males and females and top 5 teams competed in the last event, which was:
Prowler push down and back
5 snatches 95#
10 bar facing burpees
5 power cleans 95#
10 bar facing burpees
5 thrusters 95#
10 bar facing burpees
Prowler push down and back

I was so tired I didn't even really want to compete in the last event, but I had managed to be in the top 5 females leading into the final wod so I sucked it up. My first time ever pushing a prowler started off smoothly, then quickly got very hard! I made it through eveything else ok, then back to slow motion with the prowler. But it was fun competitng with (and getting my ass handed to me by) the women in the final heat. I finished in 12:03 and took 7th place overall. Not bad for a pregnant lady :)

This weekend, I'm headed with team CrossFit 515 to Springfield, Missouri to compete in the Heart of America team competition. Hopefully the extra team member doesn't slow me down too much. Let's go CrossFit 515!!!

Stronger and Faster

2011-11-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about CrossFit and keeps me coming back is I'm constantly improving and setting PRs. The week I found out I was pregnant, I had a very frustrating workout week (especially because I hadn't told anyone (except my husband) that I was pregnant):

9/20/11... Nancy- 12:31 (PR 11:32, 6/16/11)
9/22/11... 5k Run- 22:11 (PR 21:36, same course 8/17/11)
9/23/11... Fran- 3:34 (1 second PR from 7/23/11)
9/24/11... Nicole- 120 reps (first time doing Nicole, but only got 30 pull ups on my first round and max pull ups PR was 40 reps 4/16/11)

If workouts were already this hard at less than 5 weeks, I couldn't imagine what it would be like 25 pounds from now!

Lincoln Soldier Challenge (4 weeks pregnant)

It hasn't all been scaling back and frustration - I've also had some exciting PRs. My brother, Bobby Noyce, made up the "Ultimate Athlete Challenge," which we did at CrossFit515 on Oct. 14. You run a mile, then you have the amount of time it took you to run a mile to find a 1 rep max deadlift. Score = mile time - deadlift weight. A long time goal of mine had been to run a sub-6 minute mile, and I finally accomplished that goal with a 5:54 mile ... while 8 weeks pregnant :) I also PRed with a 305# deadlift (previous max was 300# on 9/26/11 - 5 wks). 554 - 305 = 249.

On Oct. 22 (9 weeks), I did Grace in 2:41. Previous times were 3:27 on 6/12/11 and 5:20 on 11/6/10.

Getting PRs on workouts is obviously not my focus right now, but I still like having my scores and times to compare. I've felt much better on the shorter workouts. We've done tons of 15-20+ minute wods lately (we follow mainsite at CrossFit 515), and I think my rest time during these longer workouts is surpassing my work time.

207 days left!

Intensity

2011-10-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

Early on in my pregnancy, I noticed how little push I had, how hard it was to breath, and how quickly my muscles would get fatigued. 30 seconds into a workout, Fran-like muscle fatigue would already be setting in. One of the things I love about CrossFit is tracking my progress and having data as evidence that my work capacity is improving, and since starting CrossFit, I've continuously gotten stronger, faster, and more efficient. I know I need to back off and not kill myself like I used to, but pregnant or not, doing worse on workouts is frustrating! WOD examples:

Nancy (5 rounds, 400m run, 15 overhead squats at 65#)

9/20/2011 (4 1/2 weeks pregnant) - 12:31
6/16/2011 - 11:32 (PR)
12/6/2010 - 13:00
9/6/2010 - 13:56

"The End" (Last 3 workouts of the 2011 CrossFit Games)

9/28/2011 (5 1/2 weeks pregnant)

3 min amrap - 58 reps
6 min amrap - 104 reps
Full chipper - 17:07

8/4/2011

3 min amrap - 57 reps
6 min amrap - 118 reps
Full chipper - 15:30

I felt like I was completely dragging and had no energy during these workouts, but that has improved. At about 6 weeks pregnant, I started feeling better during workouts and wasn't noticing the muscle fatigue as much. I care about my times/scores much less now, but I'm still going to look at the clock and record my times. So, how hard should I be working out? I realize I'm not going to be collapsing to my back gasping for air post-WOD at 8 months pregnant, but what about at 6 weeks? 10 weeks? 20 weeks? Working out at a high intensity is part of the basic definition of CrossFit. Getting to that scary place where you start to question whether what you're doing is good, whether you can take the pain. Ok, so I realize I shouldn't strive for that much intensity over the next 7 months. But how much intensity is ok?

My husband and I couldn't help but laugh when at my first appointment my doctor told me the old school recommendations for working out while pregnant - keep your heartrate under 140 bpm and don't lift more than 20#. (We opted to not mention my 305# deadlift PR from earlier that week.) I had already read and disregarded those guidelines. They don't take into account your pre-pregnancy fitness and activity level, and I tend to believe heartrate says little about how hard you're actually working (I'm pretty sure my heartrate gets well over 140 bpm just thinking about doing Fran ... see related article in the CrossFit Journal http://journal.crossfit.com/2011/10/follow-your-heart-rate.tpl). Plus, those guidelines are just plain ridiculous. What if I already had a 30 lb toddler? I'm not supposed to pick the kid up while I'm pregnant?

The Crossfit Mom website do's and don'ts are more realistic ... "You should still be able to talk while you’re working out.... Don’t work out until the point of exhaustion and don’t get over-heated.... Make sure you rest between rounds or exercises, drink water before, during and after your workout..." (http://crossfitmom.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=11). So far, at just over 10 weeks, I feel like just by listening to my body, I've been able to tell how much intensity my body can handle. I always make sure I have my water right next to me during workouts. I still work hard and I still get out of breath, but I get tired a lot faster, and it's almost like my body won't let me push as hard I used to.

Sometimes I worry that I'm using pregnancy as an excuse and it's going to be that much harder after my pregnancy to get over the mental barriers and push myself as hard as I used to. But I know now is not the time to test my physical limits. I guess it's time to take the Crossfit Mom advice and do what I started doing CrossFit to avoid: "maintain" my fitness level.

Knocked Up!

2011-10-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was start researching how pregnancy would affect my crossfitting. I found the usual information (you can continue what you were doing before pregnancy, drink lots of water, don't worry about the clock, etc.), but I found very little about how the changes during pregnancy would make me feel during workouts and how my performance would be different from pre-pregnancy. I decided I would track and blog about my experience crossfitting through pregnancy and maybe offer some insight to others along the way.

A little about me ...
I started doing CrossFit about a year and a half ago. This is my first pregnancy, and I'm due May 27, 2012. Some of my pre-pregnancy benchmark WOD times/scores and max lift weights:

Fight Gone Bad - 385
Filthy Fifty - 19:08
Fran - 3:35
Grace - 3:27
Helen - 8:29
Jackie - 7:38
Mile run - 6:02
Nancy - 11:32

Back Squat - 170#
Clean - 145#
Clean & Jerk - 135#
Deadlift - 275#
Overhead Squat - 135#
Snatch - 105#

213 days left :)
- Lindsay