Is it normal to lose aerobic capacity in second trimester??

[amynicole]

Hi!

This is my 3rd pregnany but the first one I have excercised. I was very fit before I started. My Dr. told me to stop with weight training since I have a history of severe back pain during pregnancy but that it was fine to continue with cardio. My question is this: I am only 14 weeks along, and I wear a heart rate monitor when I excercise. I have been sticking to the older step tapes with simpler choreography since I'm a little less coordinated right now :step heat, step jam, step max, and the wedding tape. I have had to lower my step from 8 inches to 6 inches since my heart rate has started going through the roof. I realize if this continues I will need to lower to 4 inches before my pregnancy is over. Is this normal to be losing aerobic capacity even though I am still working out regularly? Even during my first trimester, I managed to get in 3-4 workouts a week.

Thanks!!

 

[Hazel]

Well . . .

It is very normal for your heartrate to be rather high in the first trimester (can't remember exactly why -- I'm thinking maybe it has to do with your body's attempt to increase blood volume or something?). This is why current ACOG guidelines for appropriate exercise intensity are not based on heartrate but on the "talk test."

In general, I don't think one automatically loses aerobic capacity (in fact, I believe there's some antecdotal evidence to suggest that high level competitive athletes actually achieved some of their best times in the immediate weeks after giving birth because of so much extra blood volume). But I imagine you probably do lose a bit just because you can't exercise at the same intensity as pre-pregnancy.

Don't worry though. It really does come back fairly quickly once you start up again after pregnancy. If you've already got a good conditioning base now, you should be fine.

 

[AlisonK]

Hi Amynicole,

I wanted to let you know that I have had very similar experiences. I also wore a heart rate monitor just to see what was happening to me as I went along and just recently stopped wearing it because it felt too constricting (Im just about 20 weeks now). Anyhow, it was strange in my first trimester there were days when my heartrate seemed so high and I didn't feel like I was even working real hard and then there were other days when I couldn't get my heartrate up nearly as high because I was so fatigued! Lately, I just notice that my aerobic capacity is diminished overall. I usually use a 6" step but even go to 4" during the last segments of certain videos. For Rhythmic Step I stick at 4" all the way through because I just don't feel I can keep the pace safely at 6". It would seem overall I am still getting as good of a workout since my perceived exertion stays at a good level despite doing less to achieve that. I guess everyone responds differently but I am sure I will have to be at 4" on all videos well before the end of my pregnancy. Iam just so glad that I feel good enough to continue throughout the pregnancy so far. Anyway, this is long and rambling but I wanted to let you know that I feel pretty much the same way you do.

Take care,

Alison

 

[eclair]

I have noticed throughout my 1st and second trimesters, that I definitely can't push myself as hard as usual. That's a good thing. Your body needs to put that energy somewhere else right now. Just do what's comfortable. It's not about losing weight; it's just about staying conditioned.

 

[tchersue]

You might lose a little aerobic capacity... but some women are able to do more once the miserable first trimester is over! It sounds like you are being good about listening to what your body is telling you. Make sure that you are getting a good protein-carb snack before you workout and drinking lots of water during your workout... and beyond that, listen to what your body is telling you about what you can and cannot do!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, listen to your body instead of your heart monitor. Since 1994, the ACOG has abandoned the 140 or below heart rate as a guide for pregnant women. See if you can talk in short sentences... and try to work at a somewhat hard to hard level without going breathless or to the point of exhaustion. In otherwords, don't go as hard as you can, but it is okay to work up a sweat and to get your heart rate up within reason.

You have a lot of things going on in your body right now that are affecting how you feel during exercise -- you have the hormone relaxin which is loosening up your pelvis and softening your muscle and connective tissue... because it is not specific, if it is effecting your diaphragm, it can make you feel like you are short of breath at times. Your blood volume is also increasing by leaps and bounds, and that can affect you as well. And, of course, you are growing a whole new person, and that can zap your energy!

About your back... I never want to question what a doctor says, but I am sort of wondering about him telling you not to do any weight training. The pain in earlier pregnancies may have resulted from a lack of muscle tone in the abs and back during your last pregnancy... Can he refer you to a physical therapist who can give you some pregnancy friendly resistance exercises and stretches? I'd get another opinion on that.

Hang in there and just do what you can... it's all good even if it's not as intense as what you are used to!
Susan

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Amynicole! Congratulations on #3. I think you will feel an overall positive difference by working out through this pregnancy. Susan has pretty much summed up what I was going to say (thanks Susan), so I will just end by saying good luck with everything!