HIIT"s in early pregnancy

[Grace10209]

Hi All
I am an avid workout nut. Been doing at home workouts for over 10yrs.

I LOVE Cathe, Insanity, TurboFire, Tracy Anderson Dance Cardio, Supreme 90, Chalene Ext, etc.

I JUST found out that I am pregnant with baby #1. I am 36 and sooooo thrilled!

I am nervous about miscarraige, only because I have been spending way too much time online and I have read how common it is.

anyway, I LOVE WORKING OUT and dont want to stop. I met with my OB when Hubby and I decided to "try to conceive", and she said she encourages me to keep up my workouts as long as possible.

BUT,,,,,,,,im worried about now, like right now in these EARLY EARLy stages and working out. I am only maybe 3 weeks pregnant. Can me doing HIIT's and lots of jumping "hurt" anything??


Thank you in advance!!!!!!

 

[eminenz2]

Trying not to sound snotty, but why would you even risk it? Definitely keep exercising, sure, but there's so many other effective ways to exercise.

Granted, I do know a woman who rode her horse until she couldn't fit in the saddle anymore. And I've never had a baby myself, so what do I know?

 

[nkhansen1]

Exercising does not cause miscarriage. And I have lost six babies in addition to two live births, so I know a thing or two about pregnancy and pregnancy loss. My mom is also an OB/L&D nurse.

Always discuss your routine with your OB, but HiiT, running, step, plyo, etc are safe for your baby *when done safely and when your pregnancy is healthy.* But exercise by itself does not cause miscarriage. Of course, you want to take things down a notch anyway by not lifting as heavy and not jumping as high (or just subbing a grounded move) and watching your heart rate. If you are gasping or sucking wind, that's way too much effort. Remember that you're breathing for your baby, too. Once you get larger, then your size will determine how much you can do, as will your fatigue and/or nausea. All the extra progesterone floating around usually loosens your joints a bit, so you will have to be aware of your new stability or lack thereof!

Congrats on your wee one! There is nothing better than a baby!

 

[nkhansen1]

If you're interested, a friend of mine is a trainer, and she documented her last pregnancy with her workouts and diet. Her website is TrainerMomma.com. Really good info for you there!

 

[lisa_la_machina]

Congrats on your pregnancy! I'm not a medical doctor, so I can only speak from my personal experience. Every pregnancy is different, but assuming you have a safe and uneventful pregnancy, workouts shouldn't be a problem.

Last year, I got the good news that I was pregnant right as I was about to begin Meso 3 of STS. This was my fourth time through STS so I knew what I was getting myself into--and MOST importantly, I felt fine and my doc said it was OK--so I completed STS, including doing the Plyo Leg workouts, which are essentially HiiT routines. So, yes, it can be done. Just listen to your body, listen to your doctor, get lots of water and focus on your nutrition so that you consume enough calories to support your workouts and your growing baby (although the baby's calorie needs in the first tri are minimal).

As Natalie said, you will have to make adaptations during pregnancy as your body changes and grows. And as time goes on there are certain exercises you will want to avoid, particularly crunches and lying flat on your back.


Please note that I stopped all HiiT work completely once I was about 9 weeks pregnant because it didn't feel right for my body anymore. (It was too tiring due to my first tri nausea.) I read that during pregnancy it's best to focus on maintaining health and not pushing yourself to new physical fitness goals. This philosophy worked for me, and I safely continued doing moderate steady state cardio and total body weight workouts during pregnancy. I did lots of Cathe and Tracey Staehle step, plus kickboxing, and also full body routines like Muscle Max, the total body premix from Drill Max, and Jari Love DVDs.

Wishing you a safe and healthy and happy pregnancy. Babies are the sweetest gift of all!

 

[nkhansen1]

I read that during pregnancy it's best to focus on maintaining health and not pushing yourself to new physical fitness goals.

Yes! Absolutely! Pregnancy is not the time to challenge yourself or start something new. If you read Mandi's posts on Trainer Momma, she does such a great job of showing how she modified and what she did for every aspect of cardio and weight training during her pregnancy. Oh, and her husband is a medical doctor, so you get the best of both worlds! Training AND medicine!

 

[Grace10209]

If you're interested, a friend of mine is a trainer, and she documented her last pregnancy with her workouts and diet. Her website is TrainerMomma.com. Really good info for you there!

Thank you very much for this. I will check it out. I have been working out consistently for yrs and I really do not want to stop - plus OB said it will only help with labor -what about a HR
Monitor? I just read that pregnant women should not let their HR go above 140.... Seems low to me? Thoughts?

 

[Grace10209]

Congrats on your pregnancy! I'm not a medical doctor, so I can only speak from my personal experience. Every pregnancy is different, but assuming you have a safe and uneventful pregnancy, workouts shouldn't be a problem.

Last year, I got the good news that I was pregnant right as I was about to begin Meso 3 of STS. This was my fourth time through STS so I knew what I was getting myself into--and MOST importantly, I felt fine and my doc said it was OK--so I completed STS, including doing the Plyo Leg workouts, which are essentially HiiT routines. So, yes, it can be done. Just listen to your body, listen to your doctor, get lots of water and focus on your nutrition so that you consume enough calories to support your workouts and your growing baby (although the baby's calorie needs in the first tri are minimal).

As Natalie said, you will have to make adaptations during pregnancy as your body changes and grows. And as time goes on there are certain exercises you will want to avoid, particularly crunches and lying flat on your back.

Please note that I stopped all HiiT work completely once I was about 9 weeks pregnant because it didn't feel right for my body anymore. (It was too tiring due to my first tri nausea.) I read that during pregnancy it's best to focus on maintaining health and not pushing yourself to new physical fitness goals. This philosophy worked for me, and I safely continued doing moderate steady state cardio and total body weight workouts during pregnancy. I did lots of Cathe and Tracey Staehle step, plus kickboxing, and also full body routines like Muscle Max, the total body premix from Drill Max, and Jari Love DVDs.

Wishing you a safe and healthy and happy pregnancy. Babies are the sweetest gift of all!

Thank you so much! This is #1 and I am soooo excited! Looking forward to every part of this journey! I have a jari love DVD, are all of hers mostly low impact?

 

[nkhansen1]

Thank you very much for this. I will check it out. I have been working out consistently for yrs and I really do not want to stop - plus OB said it will only help with labor -what about a HR
Monitor? I just read that pregnant women should not let their HR go above 140.... Seems low to me? Thoughts?

A HRM would be a good idea. The reason they advise you to keep your heart rate around 140-160 is because of blood flow and oxygen supplies to your baby. To lower your body temperature while exercising, your body directs blood toward the skin to help cool you off, thus taking some blood and oxygen away from your baby. Heart rates between 140-160 are more easily managed because at that rate, your body temperature is not significantly raised (they worry about temps over 103 while working out).
That said, I have several friends who train for and run marathons while pregnant. They simply run slower.

I will warn you that in the first trimester and into the second, your heart rate may climb faster than is familiar to you while your heart and body adjust to the extra blood and fluid volume associated with pregnancy, which increases about 50% from before you were pregnant. Just listen to your body. There may be several weeks in the beginning that you can't do much more than walk, and that's okay!

Edited to add my disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I'm just a gal who has been pregnant many times, and has a lot of personal experience. I also have an OB/L&D nurse mother who held childbirth classes and La Leche League meetings in my home the whole time I was growing up. I knew how to successfully latch on a newborn, all the Lamaze breathing techniques and Bradley Method birthing positions by the time I was 10. Ha!

 

[Grace10209]

A HRM would be a good idea. The reason they advise you to keep your heart rate around 140-160 is because of blood flow and oxygen supplies to your baby. To lower your body temperature while exercising, your body directs blood toward the skin to help cool you off, thus taking some blood and oxygen away from your baby. Heart rates between 140-160 are more easily managed because at that rate, your body temperature is not significantly raised (they worry about temps over 103 while working out).
That said, I have several friends who train for and run marathons while pregnant. They simply run slower.

I will warn you that in the first trimester and into the second, your heart rate may climb faster than is familiar to you while your heart and body adjust to the extra blood and fluid volume associated with pregnancy, which increases about 50% from before you were pregnant. Just listen to your body. There may be several weeks in the beginning that you can't do much more than walk, and that's okay!

Edited to add my disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I'm just a gal who has been pregnant many times, and has a lot of personal experience. I also have an OB/L&D nurse mother who held childbirth classes and La Leche League meetings in my home the whole time I was growing up. I knew how to successfully latch on a newborn, all the Lamaze breathing techniques and Bradley Method birthing positions by the time I was 10. Ha!

Omg!? Really? Wow - I have no expense with pregnancy! I am wondering if I "should" purchase a HR monitor to wear ? 140-160 sounds a bit more realistic. I just got confirmation from md today that i am pregnant. and then I took today as a rest day, as it would have been day 8 in a row. I have a few tonique and jari love DVDs which have no jumping so maybe I'll do those this week. Should I buy the monitor ? Or not waste the money, just listen to my body? And yes I hear you, on you not being a health professional. I honestly want to talk with women that are passionate about fitness like I am - And can relate to my situation. So thank u again !! My head is still spinning that I finally am pregnant!

 

[nkhansen1]

And just to clarify, when I say your body directs blood and oxygen away from your baby, I mean that it directs a bit of YOUR blood away from the placenta. Your blood and your baby's blood never mix, so baby's blood always stays just with baby. The waste, nutrient and oxygen exchange happens in the placenta and umbilical cord, so it's in that area that your blood flow would be slightly decreased if you got overheated or had a really high heart rate.

Here's a description of how it works. It's really quite amazing!
Placental Blood Circulation - Vascular Biology of the Placenta - NCBI Bookshelf

 

[nkhansen1]

Omg!? Really? Wow - I have no expense with pregnancy! I am wondering if I "should" purchase a HR monitor to wear ? 140-160 sounds a bit more realistic. I just got confirmation from md today that i am pregnant. and then I took today as a rest day, as it would have been day 8 in a row. I have a few tonique and jari love DVDs which have no jumping so maybe I'll do those this week. Should I buy the monitor ? Or not waste the money, just listen to my body? And yes I hear you, on you not being a health professional. I honestly want to talk with women that are passionate about fitness like I am - And can relate to my situation. So thank u again !! My head is still spinning that I finally am pregnant!

In my very humble opinion, you can be very safe just by listening to your body. It's pretty easy to do during pregnancy since your body speaks REALLY LOUDLY when it doesn't like something! I would stop and take your pulse several times during your workout just to gauge where you are. You'll get the hang of what 140-160 feels like. I'm so excited for you! I just love being pregnant. Even when my head is in the toilet 30 times a day and my varicose veins triple in size and my body is barely recognizable from its former state, I still love every second.

 

[nkhansen1]

Here's a little something interesting for you...I just emailed a friend of mine who is a midwife and asked her about the heart rate (just to make sure I was still remembering that right), and she sent me this quote from a Mayo Clinic article from this year written by a Dr. Roger Harms:

"If you exercised regularly before pregnancy, there's no need to focus on your heart rate for exercise during pregnancy.

"Years ago, some experts recommended a heart rate of no more than 140 beats a minute for exercise during pregnancy. Today, however, heart rate limits aren't typically imposed during pregnancy. For healthy women, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — preferably spread throughout the week — without any specific heart rate limits.

"Still, reasonable precautions for exercise during pregnancy are important. Get your health care provider's OK for any exercise during pregnancy — especially if you have a history of preterm labor or certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure. Also, be careful to pace yourself appropriately. In general, you should be able to carry on a conversation while you're exercising. If you can't speak normally while you're working out, you're probably pushing yourself too hard. This could lead to vaginal bleeding, uterine contractions or other problems"

 

[maddiesmum]

I wouldn't recommend any pregnant woman to do tabata training or HiiT training ever.

This is your first pregnancy which means that you are an unknown entity at this point. You do not know how your body reacts to pregnancy. Play it safe.

Exercise, yes: extreme and incredibly intense exercise, no. Cathe's tabata and HiiT classify as extreme intensity. Leave them until after you give birth.

For now, what one poster said should rule: now is the time to stay healthy and make adjustments continuously over the next 9 months, constantly shifting down in length of workout and intensity as the months and your girth progress. Now is not the time to focus on fitness at all, but health. Your concern is growing another, tiny human, not on cracking new fitness goals. It's only 9 months: really no time at all.

As far as heart rate is concerned: you will know when you are over-doing it, you will feel weak, dizzy, sweaty and light headed. Pay attention to the onset of any of these signs and react accordingly the minute you do. I never needed a heart rate monitor while pregnant to know that I was over doing things.

I swam and walked through my pregnancies, nothing more. Both were perfectly normal, los-risk pregnancies that lead to a good weight gain and two 8 pound babies. I bounced back from each birth. That is what you are aiming for. So, put ego and ambition on hold and take it down a notch already, and let your body use its reserves for growing the baby. Believe me, you are soon going to be more tired than you could ever believe! First trimester tiredness hits you like a ton of bricks: wham! I used to fall asleep every afternoon/evening, wake up for dinner and then go to bed early. And I am a night owl: I never go to bed early!

Have fun, and think baby! health! and not fitness goals and HiiT.

Be well,

Clare

 

[owltx]

Just to throw in my 2 cents - sounds like you have gotten some really good advice here, and always check with your medical professional, etc. I would definitely suggest a HRM - you don't need to get anything fancy or hugely expensive, but if you don't have one now it might be a really good idea to see how hard you are pushing yourself. I was surprised, as a PP said, at how quickly I could get above 150 once I entered into the second trimester. It's a great way to gauge what you are doing. I was able to keep up with some of Cathe's step videos almost all the way through the pregnancy by modifying, staying grounded, and making sure I was not pushing too hard.

Also, I always suggest these two videos to any pregnant friends: I Loved Shiva Rea's Prenatal Yoga and Suzanne Bowen's Long and Lean Prenatal Workout. They are really great stretching workouts, and Suzanne's is a toning workout. They work on strength and really help you get through that last trimester and birth and recovery.

Congratulations and good luck!

-Stephanie

 

[mrsprincess07]

My first 3 were lost and in my current pregnancy I was told to skip all vigorous exercise in the first trimester. Not because exercise itself harms a baby, but because it raises your core temperature to unsafe levels which can and do cause miscarriages. the first weeks of pregnancy are a delicate time and when you add extra heat to the body, it makes it harder for the pregnancy to establish and take off- hinders growth of the cells. I've been working closely with a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Perinatologist and both said "DON'T DO IT". I was told not to go over 130 bpm until I entered trimester 2 and then I could stay around 140-145; again for overheating reasons; it's important to not do that at any stage of pregnancy. Nothing is worth the risk if you want the pregnancy to be viable. I had days when getting to 120 made me light headed and faint. You're body is not your own anymore.

As someone else said, pregnancy is not the time to be a fitness hero. You'll have the rest of forever for that. It;s no longer about you! You aren't the important one anymore, it's that baby that is. Therefore you need to start adjusting life, even now, to make sure that baby is safe and has what it needs even if it hampers yours. It's going to change your body, your energy, your schedule and that's just the way it's going to be, like it or not.

 

[mrsprincess07]

Another thing I thought about was your joint stability will change quickly too. Mine started around week 8 or 9. Little things like going down the stairs and my knees would buckle or I had more flexibility in hips which led to more instability. Be careful with that too. I have a hard time taking walks because my left foot and ankle are now so loose that the instability causes me to roll it very easily. I walked to the laundry room yesterday and my ankled swelled. Hormones do crazy things and you never know how your body will respond until you're in that situation. We're all different.

 

[Grace10209]

Also, I always suggest these two videos to any pregnant friends: I Loved Shiva Rea's Prenatal Yoga and Suzanne Bowen's Long and Lean Prenatal Workout. They are really great stretching workouts, and Suzanne's is a toning workout. They work on strength and really help you get through that last trimester and birth and recovery.

Thank you! i will definitly check them out. I just ordered this. and im not sure if it will be a waste or not?

Amazon.com: Pregnancy Fitness Dvd: Body By Trimester (February 10, 2012): Joy Southworth, Natalia Anderson, Kyle Weber: Movies & TV

 

[Grace10209]

Hi everyone
Thank you ALL so much for your responses. I am so so glad I posted this here. As I mentioned this is my 1st pregnancy and Hubby and I are NOT telling anyone until we are 12 weeks and "safe" - or at least as safe as we can be. So it means SO MUCH to me to be able to talk to some people about this. And especially Cathe and Fitness lovers to boot!

I will be honest in that when we were ttc, I was 1000 % gungho that I would keep up my workouts as I always done. I even met with OB for preconception visit and got her "permission" to do so - she knows how long fitness has been a part of my life..............ANYWAY, now that I am here, I am scared to death! I mean, I ONLY just got the positive pregnancy test on Sunday, I took 4 at home, 2 different brands, and then yesterday had blood work at doctors to confirm. But I am SO nervous. Its so early in the pregnancy and I understand how miscarriage can happen at any point. Yesterday I did not work out, needed rest day anyway, but today I am honestly unsure of what I will do when I get home.

Normally, I would change and then go to Insanity, of TF60 or Cathe or something but Im afraid, maybe I will feel more confident once Im 12 weeks or so - I never thought I would feel this way. For all you moms out there? At what point do you feel relaxed about the pregnancy? when can I really get excited?

I bought the workout by trimester dvd i linked, now im thinking maybe i should buy a treadmill, so i can do speed walking and hill intervals at home?
I dont want to join a gym just to use treadmill. I dont know, my head is spinning......

Any thoughts/ words of whisdom would be wonderful. You guys are all I have to talk to. lol

Thanks!!!

 

[nkhansen1]

Having done Insanity myself, I would advise you to stay completely away from that one! It is much too much for a pregnant body, and there is way too much plyo and up and down...please don't risk passing out or causing a bleed or contractions. Or your hips and knees wobbling out of place because they're all loosey-goosey from the hormones!

Another really great prenatal workout is The Bar Method. They even have a prenatal specific DVD. I do TBM all the time. It is entirely non-impact and uses 3-5 pound weights for some very intense upper body work. Lower body is done at a barre or chair. It is awesome! PERFECT for pregnancy!

As far as feeling comfortable about the pregnancy, I think that totally depends on your experiences. Mine were not so great. Because of my many losses (a few quite late) due to a genetic mutation I carry, because I have an incompetent cervix that has to be stitched to keep the baby inside, because my water broke with my son at 16 weeks, and because I had a daughter prematurely at 32 weeks, I was never relaxed until my baby was in my arms. I loved being pregnant, but I wasn't able to really relax. BTW, when my water broke with my son (who ended up being born full term and healthy) and when I went into labor with my daughter, I was already on complete bedrest for my cervix, so it wasn't exercise that caused those complications.

BUT THAT'S ME. I know what I just said is fairly terrifying, but those are MY experiences. Every pregnancy and every woman are different. Most pregnancies go off without a hitch, but it's normal to be nervous especially since this is your first. My advice? Enjoy every second of it! Embrace it and be excited because you deserve it! I know it takes exactly a half a second from the time you find out you're pregnant to being hopelessly in love with your baby and imagining him in your arms. It's such a wonderful time!