Pregnancy Week 25: KB strengthening

Activity:

KB clean-press (14 kg) x 6
KB bent over rows (12 kg) x 10
Single leg deadlift (14 kg) x 10
Goblet squat (12 kg) x 10
Renegade rows (12 kg) x 5

Repeat for 10 cycles

I couldn't decide this morning what I wanted to focus on....and by the time I had come up with the above movements, I couldn't decide which I wanted to cut out. By cycle 7, I recognized that including bent over rows and renegade rows gave me a lot of repetitions with upper body pull movements! And using the 14 kg for some of the movements makes the workout more difficult than using the 12 kg (duh, I know). The interesting part of all this is how wiped out I was for the entire day; I was so tired, I didn't trust myself to drive since I didn't think I could stay awake! I got in a 1.5 hour nap during Asher's naptime, but was still dragging into the afternoon. I napped for another hour on the floor in Asher's room while he was playing in his crib, and that helped a lot (he stayed awake that entire time in his crib, but promptly fell asleep in the car after my nap). I did a lot of baking this morning....followed by more eating than I should have, and since stomach real estate is in short supply with the baby-growing these days, I didn't feel my best. Almond flour is very filling....and thus, my meals for today are quite disorganized and unbalanced...

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
5 gluten-free cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies (http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-chocolate-chip-cookies/)

Lunch:
leftovers, 2 organic ground beef mini patties, steamed broccoli
1 Fuyu persimmon
3/4 kiwi

Snack:
2 cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies

Dinner:
Spinach salad (2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 1 tomato, 1/4 avocado, balsamic vinegar & olive oil)
3 slices ribeye steak
1 honeycrisp apple
4 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine
1/2 slice Cranberry Pecan bread (gluten free) (http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-bread/)
1 cranberry pecan choc. chip cookie

Fluid:
6-7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Bodyweight and KB strengthening

This was the perfect workout following a night of pregnancy-wakefulness and teething toddler! It follows Mike Mahler's 5 Pillars of KB Training :
1 upper body pull
1 upper body push
1 lower body pull
1 lower body push
core

Activity:
Bodyweight pullups (narrow and wide grip) 4x4
KB military press (14 kg*) 10x5
KB swings (14 kg) 10x60
Multi-directional lunges (14 kg) 10x5
Sideplanks, advanced (hip & shoulder abduction with non-weightbearing leg)10x18

*Since I started KB training in 2006, I have used the 12 kg as my go-to weight for most movements. Naturally, over the years, I began incorporating heavier weights during Swing training, TGUs and Renegade Rows, but the 12 kg was still my favorite weight (ie most challenging for the movement/repetitions). During my first trimester of this pregnancy, swinging the 12 kg just seemed too easy, so I started using the 16 kg with lower volume. As the pregnancy continued, and my pelvic joints got looser, using the 16 kg started becoming uncomfortable. So, a few weeks ago, we got the new KB sizes, 14 and 10 kg! Originally, I intended to use the 14 kg (in the post-partum period after my joints have "tightened up"...so, a long long time from now!) to improve my L arm pressing strength, and the 10 kg for KB training into the third trimester and in the "early" post-partum period. Well, as you can see from the workouts of the last week or so, I just couldn't stay away....I love the 14 kg! It's just the right challenge for me at this time.

Breakfast:
something was just "off" about today; I was hungry but had no appetite. There was no way I was going to make, much less, eat a "healthy" vegetable-fruit drink!!
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with 1/4 avocado
1/2 Fuyu persimmon

Lunch:
(yes, I made myself eat it, reluctantly)
Spinach salad w/ 1/4 avocado, 1 diced tomato, balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Snack:
3 slices Cranberry walnut bread

Dinner:
1 tilapia filet with taco seasoning
1 serving sauteed squash
1 honeycrisp apple
1 slice Cranberry walnut bread
4 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
(yes, I had to empty my bladder every 5 minutes all day long)
9 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Wednesday unilateral KB strength

With my schedule changing in the last 2 weeks, I've missed out on some of my most effective KB strengthening for core and pelvis. Today's workout addresses those areas:

Activity:
Clean-press-overhead squat (14 kg) x 5
Single leg deadlift (14 kg) x 10
Unilateral suitcase squats (24 kg) x 8

Repeat 10x

Breakfast:
1 square pumpkin walnut bread
1 bowl vitamix drink (split from yesterday's batch)

Lunch:
Large spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumber, avocado; balsamic vinegar and olive oil
1/4 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
2.5 bowls Paleo Hot Pot (garlic, green onions, napa cabbage, tilapia, spinach, carrots, dried mushroom assortment, organic free range chicken broth)
4 roasted cashews
1 small square tart and tangy cranberry bar

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Tuesday Snatches

After a slow start to the morning, complete with recovering from Asher waking up at 4 a.m. (he got some Ibuprofen, a banana, and learned about shadows), I got to do my favorite workout of each week: snatches!!

Activity:
Snatches (12 kg) 15/15/15/15 R/L x 10 = 600 total snatches; 50 minutes

Breakfast:
1 sunnyside up Omega 3 egg
1 bowl of Vitamix drink (coconut milk, 2 bananas, 1 carrot, 2 handfuls spinach, 3 stalks kale, 1 orange, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2 Tbsp chia seed, 6 Tbsp ground flaxseed; split into 2 bowls)

Lunch: just couldn't do a salad! Craving salty chips, but we didn't have any in the house!
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
handful roasted cashews
1 "winter banana" apple
1 Fuyu persimmon

Snack:
1 square "Tart and Tangy Cranberry Bar" (elanaspantry.com)

Dinner:
2 patties Paleo hamburger (organic ground beef, celery, green and yellow onion, garlic) with baby spinach, avocado and tomato
1 cup steamed brussels sprouts w/ grapeseed oil, sea salt, pepper, parsley and basil
1 square Cranberry bar
4 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
9 cups water

My Pregnancy Journal

I am 6 months (23 weeks) pregnant with our second child. Nighttime sleep is fragmented into 2-3 hour blocks followed by 1-2 hours of wakefulness. During my first pregnancy with our son Asher, now 18 months, I ate vegetarian; alternated days of running with kettlebell training (using Mike Mahler's 5 pillars of strength format--1 upper body pull, 1 upper body push, 1 lower body pull, 1 lower body push, core), reducing the length/weight by half at 20 weeks; and worked full-time.

This time around, we are eating Paleo-style (meat, veggies/fruits, seeds and nuts; no grains/gluten, no dairy, no processed foods); i alternate days of running with kettlebell training, except I am continuing at my current levels as long as I continue to feel good during/after; I am at home with Asher. My mom was diagnosed with "non-vasculitic autoimmune inflammatory meningoencephalitis" in March. I resigned my position at work in June to help her recover from a brain biopsy. Thankfully, she is getting better. I still spend most of each weekday with her. Because of her illness, we moved to Vancouver, WA to be closer to my parents. We are in the process of opening a Crossfit/Kettlebell facility nearby!

This is my typical exercise schedule. My goal during pregnancy is to maintain my fitness and improve strength to limit the effects of pregnancy hormones on my joints, and to help me with labor and post-partum recovery.

Monday: 3 mile run
Tuesday: KB snatches
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: KB strength
Friday: 3 mile run
Saturday: KB strength

Today I tried out the 14 kg KB we picked up this weekend:

Clean-press x 6 each side (14 kg)
Multi-directional lunges x 5 each side (12 kg)
Ab roller x 10

Unlimited rest breaks between cycles (typically 1-1.5 minutes) x 10 cycles

Breakfast:
3 ounces Mona-vie (acai berry anti-oxidant drink) w/glucosamine
Vita-mix drink (split 70:30 with Asher): 1 C cashew milk (raw cashews pureed in water) w/chia seed; 4 stalks kale; 2 bananas; 1 carrot; 1 honeycrisp apple; 1 orange; 6 Tbsp flaxseed

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up omega 3 eggs
spinach salad (3 handfuls baby spinach, 1 tomato, 1/2 avocado, olive oil-balsamic vinegar dressing)
2 bites "pumpkin nut bar" from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook" by Mark Sisson

Dinner:
4 ounces Mona-vie
Bison meatballs (ground buffalo, green onions, ginger, garlic)
Sauteed cabbage
Half a handful cashews
Half a handful dark chocolate covered raisins
Half of a "Winter Banana" variety apple

Water:
6 cups

Carolina Kettlebell has relocated to Eugene, Oregon!

We have returned after a long hiatus with many changes! Adam earned his CFMT (Certified Functional Manual Therapist) from the Institute of Physical Art; Adam also received his CKT (Certified Kettlebell Trainer) from Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn's IKFF (www.ikff.net); we are proud parents of a 9 month old boy, who shows early affinity for bodyweight exercises and kettlebells; Susan exercised throughout the pregnancy, alternating running with kettlebell training; we have moved from South Carolina to Oregon, where we are furthering our specialization in manual physical therapy with the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy.

Having experienced the unique physical, mental, and emotional state of pregnancy and postpartum, Susan has a special interest in helping expectant and new moms (and more experienced moms!) with their exercise programming.

We are preparing to offer group classes in the spring in the Eugene/Springfield area. Currently, we have some availability for private lessons. Contact us at carolinakettlebell@gmail.com for more information.