Found out I'm pregnant and in week 3 of STS

wendybdh

Cathlete
I just found out I'm pregnant. My dilemna is that I'm 3 weeks into Mesocycle #1 and I'm not sure where to go from here. Since it's only 5 weeks into my pregnancy I'd like to continue with STS and just modify when I need to. But, at the same time, I want to make the most out of STS. I'm just not sure what to do since I love STS and I don't want to put it away for 9 months. Any recommendations?
 
wendybdh,
Congratulations on your impending addition to the family! The best piece of info I can give is is to check with your doctor. If you have been working out regularly for a while it would seem logical that it would be ok for you to continue as long as there are modifications the further along you get, but that is just my uneducated humble opinion. Wishing you the best as you progress with your pregnancy:)
Booboo
 
Ditto!

I have to say that I felt terrible during the first trimester of both pregnancies, so working out became much less of a priority. I was able to do more later, when I felt better, but when you are pregnant, you have limitations that may not make STS the best fitness choice for you.

Talk to your doctor, see how you feel, and when in doubt, choose the safer option.

Congratulations!
 
I agree, check with your doctor when you have your first appointment.
However, I think it's okay to proceed as long as you listen to your body. If you are working out & finding yourself feeling tired, then cut the workout short that day. Also, I'd recommend that you use the days between STS as true rest days without a major work-out (maybe walking or something else really light or no exercise at all). Make sure you take your prenatal vitamins & eat plenty of nutritionally dense foods.

Good luck with your pregnancy!
 
Pregnant and STS

I too just found out I'm pregnant. I really want to keep doing STS but modify when needed, howevevr I do not wanr to put my baby in danger. I know it is good to work out while pregnant I just want to kbow if STS would be a litlle much? Please say NO! :)
 
Working out while pregnant!

I was looking on the internet for answers about how safe it would be to work out while pregnant and here is a post that I found:

Expert: Helene Byrne - 2/20/2008

Question
I have a few questions I would like to ask you if that is ok? First, I recently read that it is not good to exercise vigorously for over 30 minutes while pregnant because it compromises blood flow to the fetus? I am currently very in shape and run for 45 minutes straight or will occassionally do a 90 minutes aerobic class, would you consider it ok to continue this during pregnancy? Also, this may not be true, but I heard that if you workout your entire pregnancy the weight will come off much easier after you give birth?


Answer
Thanks for asking these questions. There are so many myths and misinformation regarding prenatal fitness bouncing around the Internet these days, that it is hard to separate fact from fiction.

Athletic women like you can continue to workout at a more intense level than most women. Up until 20 weeks gestation, athletes can even perform intense interval training. The 30 minute "rule" is a minimum guideline, not a maximum. Make sure that on you heavy workout days that you take in more calories to compensate for what you've used up.

Continuing with your regular workouts will provide numerous health benefits to you and your developing baby. You'll grow a bigger placenta, have a stronger immune system, gain less weight, and bounce back much more quickly. You baby will have a stronger cardiovascular system from birth, and will even have a more developed cerebral cortex! Many now believe that fit mothers have smarter babies. The strength of your immune system will greatly benefit your baby via your breast milk. And yes, fit moms have shorter labors, especially first and second stage, and far fewer interventions and/or complications. So, you go girl!

Since the placenta stops growing at 20 weeks, its ability to transport oxygen is capped at that point, and women should slowly begin to taper down the intensity of their cardio workouts. You'll find that during the lasts trimester, when your baby is growing rapidly, that she will demand more oxygen and that your rate of perceived exertion will rise accordingly. After 20 weeks, stay in a heart rate zone of "somewhat difficult," don't pass your anaerobic threshold, or get out of breath.

Blood flow to the fetus in not compromised during aerobic exercise. This is a myth. It had been surmised that uterine blood flow might be reduced when exercising on the back, and that is why women are told not to exercise on their backs in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. But recent studies by the top experts in the field have now conclusive evidence that exercising on the back does not decrease uterine blood flow in a significant way. Dr. Clapp, who led the research, stated at a recent conference, that he believes that once ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, peer review his research, that they will no longer advise pregnant women to refrain from exercising on the backs.
 
I could kiss you all for this post...I am TTC and if my mommy-in-law tells me one more time that it is not happening because of my exercise routine, I am going to lose it!
I have Dr. Clapp's book, but this response is a nice summary of alot of the information it contains and the research mentioned is a new factoid.

:) Happy Wednesday!


I was looking on the internet for answers about how safe it would be to work out while pregnant and here is a post that I found:

Expert: Helene Byrne - 2/20/2008

Question
I have a few questions I would like to ask you if that is ok? First, I recently read that it is not good to exercise vigorously for over 30 minutes while pregnant because it compromises blood flow to the fetus? I am currently very in shape and run for 45 minutes straight or will occassionally do a 90 minutes aerobic class, would you consider it ok to continue this during pregnancy? Also, this may not be true, but I heard that if you workout your entire pregnancy the weight will come off much easier after you give birth?


Answer
Thanks for asking these questions. There are so many myths and misinformation regarding prenatal fitness bouncing around the Internet these days, that it is hard to separate fact from fiction.

Athletic women like you can continue to workout at a more intense level than most women. Up until 20 weeks gestation, athletes can even perform intense interval training. The 30 minute "rule" is a minimum guideline, not a maximum. Make sure that on you heavy workout days that you take in more calories to compensate for what you've used up.

Continuing with your regular workouts will provide numerous health benefits to you and your developing baby. You'll grow a bigger placenta, have a stronger immune system, gain less weight, and bounce back much more quickly. You baby will have a stronger cardiovascular system from birth, and will even have a more developed cerebral cortex! Many now believe that fit mothers have smarter babies. The strength of your immune system will greatly benefit your baby via your breast milk. And yes, fit moms have shorter labors, especially first and second stage, and far fewer interventions and/or complications. So, you go girl!

Since the placenta stops growing at 20 weeks, its ability to transport oxygen is capped at that point, and women should slowly begin to taper down the intensity of their cardio workouts. You'll find that during the lasts trimester, when your baby is growing rapidly, that she will demand more oxygen and that your rate of perceived exertion will rise accordingly. After 20 weeks, stay in a heart rate zone of "somewhat difficult," don't pass your anaerobic threshold, or get out of breath.

Blood flow to the fetus in not compromised during aerobic exercise. This is a myth. It had been surmised that uterine blood flow might be reduced when exercising on the back, and that is why women are told not to exercise on their backs in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. But recent studies by the top experts in the field have now conclusive evidence that exercising on the back does not decrease uterine blood flow in a significant way. Dr. Clapp, who led the research, stated at a recent conference, that he believes that once ACOG, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, peer review his research, that they will no longer advise pregnant women to refrain from exercising on the backs.
 
I have to say that I felt terrible during the first trimester of both pregnancies, so working out became much less of a priority. I was able to do more later, when I felt better, but when you are pregnant, you have limitations that may not make STS the best fitness choice for you.

Talk to your doctor, see how you feel, and when in doubt, choose the safer option.

Congratulations!

Totally agree with this post!

Having said that, I worked out the very end doing weights and step being pregnant with twins. It all depends on each pregnancy and doctor's orders! CONGRATS on your pregnancy - that's more exciting than any workout :)))))
 
I would talk to your doctor. If you start spotting, definitely workout less strenuously. I had a subchorionic hematoma (blood clot in the placenta beside the baby) early on but didn't have spotting. This was found on my 6 week ultrasound. I held off on working out until 8 weeks when I had a repeat ultrasound and the blood clot had dissolved. These types of blood clots can cause miscarriage, so I was really careful.

Otherwise, workout as normal. However, I'm not sure about the heavy weights of STS. STS is designed to make fitness gains and while pregnant you should try to maintain, not improve your fitness. If you do STS, lighten the weights...maybe 40-50% of your 1RM instead of 60% and higher.

And be careful not to fall as your center of gravity starts shifting! I am clumsy and had to always watch out.

Becky
 

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