You’re pregnant and wondering: How can I safely continue doing CrossFit throughout my pregnancy?
Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy? YES!! Not only is it safe, it is also so beneficial to both mom and baby. All pregnant women who have a normal, healthy pregnancy should exercise. If you’ve been exercising, it is generally safe to continue the type of exercise you are doing, just be sure to modify throughout your pregnancy. If you haven’t been exercising, you should start! You should just be sure to get clearance by your healthcare provider prior to engaging in exercise during pregnancy.
The Incredible Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy
Exercise during pregnancy is a powerful tool for empowering you through this transformative time. It's great for both mom and baby!
For Mom:
- Increased Comfort & Energy: Helps with fatigue and mood throughout pregnancy.
- Smoother Labor & Delivery: Can help labor progress more quickly, give you more strength and endurance for labor and delivery, and result in fewer medical interventions.
- Reduced Medical Risks: Studies show that exercise decreases the risk of:
- Gestational diabetes
- Gestational hypertension
- Preeclampsia
- Preterm birth
- Postpartum depression
- Physical Adaptation: Building strength can make pregnancy more comfortable, especially further into the third trimester when your belly is growing and your joints are more relaxed.
For Baby:
- Enhanced Development: Can increase blood flow to baby and promote healthy fetal growth.
- Healthy Birth Outcomes: May result in newborns with a healthy birth weight and less body fat.
Guidelines for Exercising During Pregnancy
It is recommended that women do a combination of aerobic and strength training exercise.
General Guidelines:
- Duration: Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic and strength exercise per week.
- Intensity (General Population): Work at 60-80% of your age-predicted heart rate max (calculated as 220 minus your age). This should feel like a "somewhat hard" effort where you can still hold a conversation.
- Intensity (Trained Women): If you were highly active before pregnancy, you may tolerate a higher intensity (e.g., 85-90% of max heart rate) since your body is already used to it.
Starting Exercise During Pregnancy (If You Were Sedentary):
- Ease In: Begin at a low intensity (around 50% of max heart rate).
- Short Bursts: Start with 10-minute stretches of exercise, taking 10-minute breaks between sets.
- Gradual Increase: Over the next 2-4 weeks, gradually increase to 30-45 minutes of exercise at a higher intensity (around 75% of max heart rate).
The Golden Rule: Listen to Your Body!
Whether you are highly trained or new to exercise, it’s so important to listen to your body! If something doesn’t feel right, even if it’s within the recommended guidelines, modify or stop what you are doing. This is the most crucial piece of advice for safe and effective pregnancy exercise.
Important Precautions & When to Modify
While exercise is safe for most pregnant women with a normal, healthy pregnancy, there are vital precautions to take.
- Stay Hydrated & Nourished: Make sure you are staying hydrated and eating a good diet (as best as you can, especially during the first trimester's nausea!) to prevent dehydration, low blood sugar, and overheating.
- Avoid Overheating: Be especially careful in hot/humid climates. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and take breaks as needed during your workouts.
- Back-Lying Positions: You may want to limit exercises done laying on your back starting in the second trimester, as the weight of the baby could potentially decrease blood supply. While evidence is inconclusive about adverse outcomes, it's often better to modify to side-lying or seated positions if possible. If you feel nausea, dizziness, or difficulty breathing while on your back, get up immediately.
- Avoid High-Risk Activities: Always avoid exercises with an increased risk of falling, abdominal trauma, or loss of balance, such as:
- Box jumps (especially high ones)
- Muscle ups
- Rope climbs
- Contact sports
My Personal Journey & Encouragement
One of the challenging things with modifying for pregnancy is that no exercise is always considered to be safe, and no exercise is always considered to be unsafe. Some people run and continue to lift heavy all the way through their pregnancy, and some people have to modify a lot early on. It also differs from one pregnancy to the next for the same person.
My first pregnancy, I didn’t have to modify much until about 20-22 weeks with the exception of burpees and sit-ups, and I continued to lift pretty heavy up until delivery. With my second one, I had to stop running and jump roping around 18 weeks because I was feeling pressure in my pelvic floor and pubic symphysis discomfort with running, and I’ve had to modify a lot more, a lot sooner than last time.
You really just have to listen to your body and don’t be afraid to modify! Trust me, it will be worth it in the long run when you are postpartum and getting back to exercise. If you push through symptoms or discomfort, you may end up with more dysfunction and discomfort later.
Ready to Move Confidently Through Pregnancy?
Exercise is truly a gift for both mom and baby during pregnancy! If you’re pregnant and wanting to work out, do it! It will be so good for you and baby, and it will help so much with your labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. If it feels good to you and you are cleared by your doctor, go for it and have fun!
Remember, building a strong foundation now will empower your body for the entire motherhood journey.
[Link to your "CrossFit Modifications for Pregnancy" Chart - if it's a separate page/embed]
Stay Strong Through Every Phase!
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Ready for Personalized Support?
While this blog post provides valuable guidance, I also offer one-on-one coaching for those who need more tailored support during pregnancy. My virtual and in-person (in your home) packages are designed to give you highly personalized attention. I currently accept a limited number of just 3 one-on-one clients at a time to ensure dedicated support.
Visit my website to learn more about my personalized coaching packages and see if we're a good fit.
Sources:
- Magro-Malosso ER, Saccone G, Di Tommaso M, Roman A, Berghella V. Exercise during pregnancy and risk of gestational hypertensive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2017; 96: 921–931.
- Meah VL, Davies GA, Davenport MH. Why can’t I exercise during pregnancy? Time to revisit medical ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ contraindications: systematic review of evidence of harm and a call to action. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2020;54:1395-1404.
- Dipietro L, Evenson KR, Bloodgood B, Sprow K, Troiano RP, Piercy KL, Vaux-Bjerke A, Powell KE; 2018 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ADVISORY COMMITTEE*. Benefits of Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Postpartum: An Umbrella Review. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jun;51(6):1292-1302. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001941. PMID: 31095086; PMCID: PMC6527310.
- Ribeiro MM, Andrade A, Nunes I. Physical exercise in pregnancy: benefits, risks and prescription. J Perinat Med. 2021 Sep 6;50(1):4-17. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2021-0315. PMID: 34478617.
- Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 804. Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Apr;135(4):e178-e188. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003772. PMID: 32217980.
- Prevett C, Kimber ML, Forner L, de Vivo M, Davenport MH. Impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes. Int Urogynecol J. 2023 Feb;34(2):405-411. doi: 10.1007/s00192-022-05393-1. Epub 2022 Nov 4. PMID: 36331580.
- Anderson J, Pudwell J, McAuslan C, Barr L, Kehoe J, Davies GA. Acute fetal response to high-intensity interval training in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Dec;46(12):1552-1558. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-1086. Epub 2021 Aug 25. PMID: 34433004.
- Berghella V, Saccone G. Exercise in pregnancy! Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Apr;335-337. Doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.01.023. Epub 2017 Jan.
Jess Schaffer
Functional Foundations Owner & Coach
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